Our Campaigns

Campaign to protect women from witch hunting

Organized 20-25 sensitization campaigns at villages and block-level where women were branded as witches. These included 2-3 days sessions with police, media, and community members to spread awareness about the Rajasthan Prevention of Witch-Hunting Act, 2015, and superstitious beliefs.

 

Worked with the state government to draft an anti-witch hunting bill, which was passed in 2015 as the ‘Rajasthan Prevention of Witch-Hunting Act.

 

Provided free legal aid to a dozen witch-hunting victims; rehabilitated 8-10 women to their villages.

 

Made a strong appeal for their compensation and got success in 12 cases from district-level court.

Campaign to raise voices to end violence

Organized “Daughter-in-Law (DIL) and Mother-in-Law (MIL) Varta” to encourage open conversations and discussions between them. This broke the ice and eased out dowry-related issues to an extent.

 

Also organized awareness generation programs for men to realize the importance of women and to respect them.

 

Offered counseling and legal advice; has a short-stay shelter at home for female victims of violence, where these women would have a safe place and opportunity to think about rehabilitation.

 

BMCS was actively involved during the drafting of The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005.

 

As part of Mahila Salah Evam Suraksha Kendra (MSSK), a State Government center for counseling and legal advice for women, we provided counseling to over 5,000 violence victims.

Campaign against Child Marriage ‘We Are Girls, Not Brides’

Organized over 50 several awareness camps in village government schools with school-going children as well as with community leaders in jati panchayat at the block-level.

 

Marshalled demonstrations with the help of posters, songs and nukkad nataks to spread awareness about the issues associated with child marriages, including health hazards of girl child and success stories, among others.

 

Held open discussion with parents about child marriages and to prevent vulnerability of girls  to violence, discrimination and abuse.

 

Organized a programme on the International Day of the Girl Child every year to celebrate the arrival of a girl child. The families and women with newborn girls in the Mahatma Gandhi Hospital, the largest government hospital in Bhilwara, were invited to create a change in attitude and practice.

 

BMCS has reached out to over 6,000-7000 people in the Bhilwara district.

Campaign against Sex Selection

Organized 20 capacity building workshops to sensitize about 200 doctors and medical personnel to the Preconception and Prenatal Diagnostics Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Determination) Act.

 

Successfully reached out to 300 doctors and over 5,000 community members across both the districts in Rajasthan.

 

Mobilized over 50 district- and state-level media organisations and community members to spread awareness about the PC-PNDT Act.

 

Successfully exposed five medical practitioners who performed sex determination tests.

Campaign to educate the girl child ‘Leave No Girl Behind’

Held several open dialogues with community members to motivate them into sending their girl children to schools.

 

Also conducted one-on-one meetings at village level with the parents of the girl children who stop them from going to schools for fear of their safety.

 

Have reached more than 5,000 families and urged them to send their girls to schools to ensure them a good life.

Campaign to equalize the gender difference

Organized several activities with high school and college students as well as community leaders, including nukkad nataks, street posters, songs, rallies, debates, and short films.

 

The central theme of these activities was to seek equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities for all genders; and the state of valuing different behaviours, aspirations and needs equally, regardless of gender.

 

BMCS reached out to more than 10,000 people in the community with these activities.

Sangarshsheel Mahila Sammaan

This was done to encourage other victims to come forward and gather courage from the experiences of these women.

 

Brought in a sense of solidarity among the survivors and helped them organize self-help groups.

 

Violence may be related to witch hunting, child marriages, dowry-related violence, property rights, etc.

 

Around 80 struggling women were felicitated; reached out to hundreds others.

Campaign for healing the fading fingerprints of beedi workers

Organized awareness camps to educate bidi workers about the occupational hazards associated with bidi rolling.

 

BMCS guided these bidi workers with various skill training opportunities as they were looking for alternative source of livelihood.

 

Helped them avail government schemes that are available for them.

 

Reached out more than 2,500 bidi workers in Bhilwara.

COVID-19 Relief Campaign

Distributed more than 1000 ration kits and cooked meals in marginalized communities; milk powder and biscuit packets for small children in these communities; fruits and vegetables to pregnant ladies.

 

Hundreds of PPE kits, sanitizers, face masks as well as medical equipment such as oximeters, thermometers and medicines were also distributed.