By Ranjani Raghunathan, Intern – Media & Communication Division

Satyamev Jayate. An extremely ‘in thing’ to converse and debate about today. At a more macro level, the issue of celebrity endorsement of social causes is also becoming an increasingly talked about subject. Some support it, some speak out against it- the verdict is mixed.

But before reaching a conclusion of any sort, let us imagine two situations. One, wherein social activists, who has been working for victims of domestic violence, for decades, are speaking on national television. They have years of experience behind them, have all the facts and figures correct, and are doing constructive work towards helping the affected people. In the second situation, we have Aamir Khan, talking about domestic violence on national television. He also has his facts and figures correct, courtesy his research team. Which of these two people, would an average television viewer prefer to see? Chances are the latter.

In an age where attention spans are decreasing by the minute, keeping the audience glued to the television is a Herculean task. The principle for a show on social causes is similar to that of companies which use celebrities to market their products- the reach of a show featuring a celebrity, especially one with the popularity of Aamir Khan, would be exponentially higher than a show which features only subject matter experts.

Instead of going all out in criticizing celebrities for superficially endorsing social causes, it is important to understand that the outreach of a celebrity cannot be argued with, and their ability to instantly connect with an average viewer should be used for the benefit of society, in whatever way possible. Satyamev Jayate should be lauded for its attempt to bridge the gap between a known celebrity, and an unknown subject matter. While Aamir is the face and the voice of the show and the causes it espouses, his team has ensured that they are backed at every stage by subject matter experts, and people who have worked with the issues at hand. While the first episode had case studies backed with expert opinions of doctors and reporters, the second episode brought in facts and figures obtained from a nationwide study on sexual abuse, along with the expert views of Anuja Gupta, Director of RAHI, a centre for the prevention and healing of incest/child sexual abuse. The website of the show links each episode to certain organizations, who work towards the cause which was discussed during the show. This shows that the research team has not only worked on the cause per say, but is also presenting to the audience the work which is being done on the issue by various organizations. It is important to understand that the show is not a frivolous attempt to place before the audience some social issues- the makers have backed each episode with facts and statistics and real life examples, along with bringing in subject matter experts, so as to lend more credibility to their attempt.

Shows and platforms such as Satyamev Jayate, which brings together the outreach of a celebrity along with the expertise of people who are in the concerned field, should be appreciated for their efforts, and more such initiatives must be undertaken and encouraged. Such initiatives will only leverage the work of organizations who are already working on social causes, by attaching a famous name to a cause, and thus increasing the connect of a common man with a social cause. At the end of the day, it will end up doing more good than harm. So let’s stop being pessimistic and look at the benefits of celebrity endorsement of social causes!

This piece is part of collaboration with Breakthrough and Halabol, on Celebrity Involvement in Social Causes. Its companion pieces can be found at:

Breakthrough: http://www.bellbajao.org/?p=6240
Halabol: http://voices.halabol.com/2012/05/15/satyamev-jayate-not-eye-wash

Shot, edited, directed by Ankur Kapoor, ‘Second Wind’ is a 20 minute documentary, which takes up the cases of three survivors of domestic violence, and narrates their life journeys, from the beginning of their abuse, to their current state.

‘Second Wind’ tells the heartwrenching stories of Ruksana, Nanhi Devi and Shabnam. Ruksana was married when she was young, as her family feared that she being crippled would affect chances of marriage in the future. She faces humiliation and endured abuse by her husband, in front of their children, and one day decided it was enough. She went to one of CSR’s Crisis Intervention Centres (CICs) initially to seek help, and today, she is appointed as an assistant counselor there. Nanhi Devi, was abused to such a great degree by her husband that she became handicapped, and would crawl in order to move around. Some women took her to the CIC, which collected money for her operation, and subsequent medical care, and today she’s able to walk on her feet. Shabnam was married when she was 13, and had her first child when she was 14. Her husband tried to poison her when she had contracted tuberculosis. But it was only when he poisoned her young son, subsequently killing him, did she seek divorce. Today she lives with her one surviving son, attends CIC meetings as often as she can, and manages to earn her own money.

The documentary covers not only the life stories of these three women, but it also shows what an important and supportive role which the CICs play. They act as an initial contact point for these women to share their problems with, and then, they act as a bridge between the police and these women, in case they need to seek police intervention. The documentary displays how the CICs provide the distressed women with information about their legal rights, and once they’re on their own, the CICs help them to stand on their own two feet, and become independent- not just in terms of working and earning money, but also becoming stronger individuals.

‘Second Wind’ is a crisp, hard hitting and soul stirring piece of work, which raises awareness about the plight of not just Ruksana, Nanhi Devi and Shabnam, but also of the countless, nameless women across the country and the world. It also provides hope and strength, especially when the women talk about their lives as of now, and how help from the CICs has changed their lives for the better. Above all, ‘Second Wind’ makes the viewer think about domestic violence and its repercussions, long after it’s over.

To watch this video on our Youtube channel Click here

By Sophie Hardefeldt, Intern – Gender Training Institute.

In general women’s rights advocated promote gender neutral legislation. This is because in many cases existing legislation is outdated, is discriminatory towards women or restricts women’s rights. However, in some cases where legislation is focused on violations that particularly effect women there is a need for legislation to reflect this.

Legislation focusing on issues such as rape and sexual assault, domestic violence and sexual harassment in the workplace are examples where the gendered nature of these crimes must be taken into consideration in the legislation.

It is estimated that throughout the world one in every five women will be a victim of rape or attempted rape in her lifetime. Furthermore, “Violence kills and disables as many women between the ages of 15 and 44 as cancer. And its toll on women’s health surpasses that of traffic accidents and malaria combined.” In India “9 percent of men and women… think that it is sometimes or always justifiable for a man to beat his wife.”

This violence undermines women’s human rights, security and health whilst also impacting society more generally by reducing women’s safety, increasing public health costs, restricting women’s ability to contribute socially, culturally and economically to society, and restricting the health and development of children.

Rape and sexual assault also affects men, and it is important that violence against men is also covered by legislation to ensure male victims are protected by the law. However, it is evident that women are particularly vulnerable to sexual violence and it is important that legislation reflects this vulnerability and that government responses to violence against women address the gender inequality and discrimination that underpins it.

For the first time in India this Father’s Day weekend, Centre for Social Research proudly hosted Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® India, part of the first Global “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” Day. Originally founded ten years ago, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is now a global movement of men and boys taking the renowned saying, “You can’t understand what someone’s going through unless you’ve walked a mile in their shoes,” to a literal level through organized, peaceful demonstrations of men in high heels expressing empathy towards female victims of crimes such as sexual harassment, assault, rape, domestic abuse and other forms of violence.

Weeks before the event itself, we kicked off a fundraising drive aimed at raising money toward continuing our Crisis Intervention Centres (CICs) in four of Delhi’s most disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Proceeds from these donations will go directly toward supporting survivors of abuse and expanding the CICs’ Women’s Change Collectives and Men’s Support Collectives.

While most Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® events ask men to walk their city’s streets in women’s shoes, our uniquely Indian edition went one step further by asking guys to compete for prizes by performing different feats and tasks while wearing women’s shoes…and we even managed to get some of our own team members and spouses to step up and compete.

Initially, we were a bit nervous about the event, what with the whole “men walking in high heels…in India” thing, but we got off to a great start on June 19, thanks to our emcee, who bravely challenged men to portray the true characteristics of gentlemen: brave, tolerant, respectful, confident and secure enough to place themselves in women’s shoes.

Slowly but surely, the crowds started gathering around the registration table to sign up, donate and find out what in the world was going on! We managed to continue fundraising throughout the day, as shoppers and audience members stopped by to collect pamphlets and purchase awareness raising materials like bookmarks and postcards.

As for the main event, registered “walkers” selected a pair of (pretty fashionable, we think) heels, and off they went: First, racing to be the first to score a football goal (which out of personal experience, can be extremely painful for the feet), then attempting a traditional “housewife” activity such as peeling vegetables or changing diapers on a stuffed toy. Finally, our emcee turned up the heat by interviewing contestants, testing how well they knew their wives and their routines.

As the competition started to calm down, we gathered CSR team members and friends from the community, who performed a street play in several acts about women’s perceived inferiority in workplaces and sports and the hurdles women must overcome in their careers.

After a long run-up of fundraising, organizing and designing the event (and once we’d confirmed that none of our “walkers” had broken an ankle or foot), we were relieved to help make India’s first Walk a Mile in Her Shoes® event a success! With more than 20 competing men and hundreds of supporters and curious audience members, we reached out to more people and a more diverse group of people than we’d expected, including children, teenagers and adults of all ages.

When the walkers decided to dedicate their competitions and performances to their mothers, girlfriends, wives and daughters, we saw it as a symbol of solidarity with the women in their life and hope that the event left some members of the audience pledging solidarity with women, too.

Centre for Social Research (CSR) is proud to announce India’s first Walk a Mile in Her Shoes event, to be held at Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj on June 19, Father’s Day and Global “Walk a Mile in Her Shoes” Day. Help us make history while raising money and awareness to eliminate Violence against Women in New Delhi!

Founded 10 years ago in the United States, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes is a global movement of men raising awareness and funds toward eliminating Violence Against Women in countries around the world. It is commonly said that to understand another person’s situation, one must “walk a mile in someone’s shoes”. Therefore, Walk a Mile in Her Shoes India asks men to walk in women’s shoes and show solidarity with female survivors of violence, and to raise money for those survivors.

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes India, produced in cooperation with The Pixel Project and Venture Humanity, is a charity event which will publically demonstrate that men in New Delhi strongly support ending Violence Against Women. While most Walk a Mile in Her Shoes events ask men to walk their city’s streets in women’s shoes, this unique Indian edition will go one step further by asking participants to compete for prizes by performing athletic tasks while wearing women’s shoes. Proceeds from donations will go directly toward supporting survivors of sexual assault, rape, domestic violence and other forms of abuse in New Delhi as part of Centre for Social Research’s Crisis Intervention Centres initiative.

Walk a Mile in Her Shoes India will take place at Ambience Mall, Vasant Kunj, New Delhi on Sunday, 19 June 2011 from 5:00 to 8:00pm. Participation requires a donation of Rs. 520, and individuals unable to attend in person are encouraged to instead donate in advance at http://walkdelhi.eventbrite.com. 

We look forward to seeing you on June 19!

By Leela Khanna, a Centre for Social Research intern from Colorado, USA. Leela will be attending Bard College in New York this autumn.

Before I attended a gender sensitization training at one of CSR’s Crisis Intervention Centres (CICs), I perceived it would be a meeting full of a bunch of hard-nosed men who couldn’t see eye-to-eye with anything our counselors were saying. But as soon as I walked into the small room where the training was taking place, I realized my preconceived notions were far from true.

The men, sitting in a circle around the counselor, hardly noticed us (a group of young women from outside their community, and some from outside their country) as we walked in. Most of them looked as though they were in their early twenties, and from what it sounded like, the majority of them were already married. But what I was most shocked by was how receptive the crowd was to everything Rekha, the Centre counselor, was saying. They paid close attention to her when she gave them advice on having a happy marriage, told them about laws against violence and dowry, and even narrated personal experiences she had had while working in the field. A few of the younger men even shared their own stories or asked questions. What was even more impressive was how Rekha was able to hold the attention of not only the group of men but also the entire room. Everything she said was understandable and relatable. It was evident the men of the community respect her and listen to what she has to say. There seemed to be a mutual understanding amongst the group and a desire to actively take part in implementing change. While the meeting was reassuring and showed that we’re on the right track, now I’m left wondering how we can extend that understanding and respect throughout the entire community, getting men to listen to what all women have to say.

As part of our continuing efforts to address Violence against Women, we engaged with students and community members last week during an awareness generating and capacity building workshop in Delhi College of Arts and Commerce. During the workshop, CSR staff members discussed various types of violence and shared some of the lessons we’ve learned training Delhi Police in gender sensitisation throughout this year. Students also contributed to debates on increasing crime rates, harassment of women and the difficulties faced by lower class women in particular. One student argued that women are essentially treated like minors everywhere they go. We also discussed some examples of complicated cases involving Violence Against Women, helping students understand some of the difficulties and problems that arise with fighting abuse and harassment against women.

View more photos from this and other Delhi-area college workshops at Centre for Social Research’s Flickr account.