Stop gender-based violence (GBV) in India

Thank you for all your support which is helping our beneficiaries in so many different ways. It’s because of you we are able to help so many people through so many different challenges.

Chetana is a living example of never giving up despite the challenges thrown at her. She knows all too well how a wrong decision can change the course of your life.

Chetana is an only daughter who excelled in her studies throughout her childhood while also helping with housework. Her friendly nature and ability to understand and help others with their problems made her a popular member of her family, friends circle and college. When she was 28 years old and an MCA graduate she fell in love with her classmate, Vikas.

After two years in a relationship, the couple wanted to be married, however, Chetana’s parents and family were not ready for this. Against her parent’s wishes, Chetana married Vikas, shocking her family. They were married and Vikas had a good job working in a multinational company in Nagpur. After two years of marriage, Chetana gave birth to a baby girl and they lived happily as a family, When their daughter was two years old, Chetana also started working. However, she started to struggle with juggling her daughter and her job. The couple started arguing which escalated to physical fights, with Vikas constantly slandering and abusing his wife.

Finally, Vikas crossed the line and threw Chetana and his daughter out of the house. With no support from her family who remained opposed to the love marriage, Chetana had nowhere to turn and ended up spending the night at the railway station. The next morning searching for a women's help center, she found out about our Snehadhar project and women's helpline, which she used to contact us. We listened to her situation and offered her a place in our shelter.

Due to sexual abuse from her husband, we observed that she required medical treatment. She became weaker which also affected her mental health. After 15 days of medical treatment and rest, her health recovered. We tried contacting her husband, but he was unresponsive. Chetana had lost her confidence and hope in life and needed emotional support. We provided counseling sessions and her confidence grew enough to take legal action against her husband.

We also provided her work related to her education which continued to build her confidence and participation. She grew happier and began believing she could make a bright future for her daughter. With her fantastic skills, we made her a permanent employee in our IT Department providing her the salary to cover her daughter's expenses.

Thanks to your support, Chetana was empowered to rebuild her life and fight her own battles with confidence.

SAVE THE DATE

Giving Tuesday, 29 November, is a fantastic opportunity to stretch your support even further. Thanks to GlobalGiving any donations made that day will earn us our share of US$1 million in match funding. Since 2015 we have raised thousands in bonus funding that helps fund vulnerable women like Chetana. Look out for reminders from us nearer the time.

Links:

• Visit our website