Work with Women Survivors

HELPING WOMEN HELP THEMSELVES:

At Swayam’s Support Centre we work directly with women facing violence in their lives and their children by:

• providing them with holistic individual  support services 
• facilitating their empowerment through a variety of group activities
• motivating them to move from being survivors to agents of change through a variety of cultural forms and groups
• encouraging their involvement and contribution to broader social issues

1478 women (714 new and 764 followed up from previous years) were provided support services in 2019-20.

INDIVIDUAL SUPPORT SERVICES

• One to One Counselling & Psychotherapy – the first step towards breaking the chains of past trauma is the process of talking about it; in other words, seeking a release. Swayam offers a safe and non-judgemental space for women and provides non-directive and confidential counselling, be it in person or over the phone. Psychotherapy is also provided if required.

• Legal Advice & Aid – through our empanelled lawyers we provide free consultations to women regarding their legal rights and options and also support them during their legal proceedings. We also provide limited financial support for legal expenses.

• Contact & Follow Up with the Police – when a survivor decides to report the violence she has faced to the police, we ensure that the case is properly reported and timely action is taken.

• Career Counselling, Vocational Training & Employment – Swayam provides individual career counselling and refer women to appropriate vocational training programmes, external placement agencies and employment avenues. We offer limited financial support for vocational training and small loans to survivors who wish to start or expand their own business. 

• Referrals for Shelter – We don’t run a shelter home but refer women and their children to shelter homes run by others, where required.

GROUP ACTIVITIES

• Drop in Centre – the drop in centre provides women a space they can call their own; where they can get away from their troubles. It has TV, music system and games for their children. The women read, listen to music, drink tea, sleep, play games, talk, make friends or simply relax and enjoy themselves.

• Film shows – monthly shows cover issues which are relevant to the lives of the survivors, their rights and their social environment. Following the screening, the women discuss their connections to these issues which encourages debate and another space to share their thoughts.

• Workshops – on communication, creative expression, mental & physical health, relationships, parenting, self-empowerment, anger management and self-defence etc. These provide a space for learning and self-development of the survivors as well as an opportunity to meet other survivors and gain a broader perspective to their individual problems. New topics are introduced based on requests from survivors.

• Outstation workshops – these are annual, week long residential workshops which provide women with distance from abuse and the trials and tribulations of their daily lives. The sessions are designed in line with the emotional vulnerability of the participants and give them space to understand, rediscover and empower themselves. The women create strong bonds of trust and friendship with one another. We have hosted these workshops in many locations including Kalimpong, Gopalpur, Puri, Lataguri, Jhalong and Darjeeling.

• Support Groups – support groups are often formed as a result of the bonds made during the outstation workshops. They allow women to share their personal experiences of abuse and help reduce their sense of isolation. The participants derive emotional support and strength from one another and often forge strong friendships.

• Foundation Day – Swayam’s annual birthday celebration offers women, their children and staff a chance celebrate their individual journeys, socialise and generally ‘let their hair down’.

• Picnics – the annual picnic for women, children and Swayam staff is a day of enjoyment with games, prizes and food.

SURVIVORS TO AGENTS OF CHANGE

We believe in the intrinsic ability of all women to make a positive contribution to society, including the survivors supported by Swayam. Many of the women we work with have transitioned from being survivors of violence to agents of change. We do this by encouraging them to engage in various group processes and cultural forms of expression, thus connecting them to the wider community and movement for women’s rights. We consider this is a reflection of the strength of Swayam’s work and the survivor’s journeys.

The group processes encourage women to explore their hidden talents, creativity and self-expression. These have resulted in women forming the Swayam theatre group, Jhankaar (a music group),  Prayas (a women’s quarterly) and Nari Adhikar Pratistha Manch a group that takes action to support women in situations of violence in their neighbourhood and creates awareness against violence against women. The groups and publications empower the survivors enormously and result in transformations seen at the individual, community and societal levels.

The theatre and music groups write their own plays and songs on issues related to women’s rights and violence against women. They perform regularly at all of Swayam’s public education programmes.

“Women will work out their own destinies, much better too, than men can ever do for them. All the mischief to women has come because men undertook to shape the destiny of women”

– Swami Vivekananda (Indian spiritual leader in the 19^th century)

IMPACT …after using Swayam’s services.

90% of the women survivors describe an increase in:

*Confidence*

*Decision making abilities*

*Responsibility towards oneself*

*Reduction in isolation*