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As a woman’s organization we are attempting to understand how law affects women in the context of deep rooted constraints of tradition and custom that subordinate the status of women in our society. We ask….

Are men and women equal before the law?

These are ordinary women doing extra ordinary things. They march together to police stations to lodge an F.I.R [First Information Report]. They retrieve dowry when a girl is thrown out. They reinstate a woman in her marital home. They prevent a bigamous marriage. They ensure that irresponsible husbands give maintenance to wives and children. They listen, they empathize, and they support women in crisis.

– from an Action India analysis of the Mahila Panchayat network

Women, Law, and Social Change

Community organization is an essential component of Action India’s multi-pronged approach to stop violence against women. We provide direct support to women experiencing abuse and injustice through our Women, Law and Social Change program, which has trained sixty-four paralegal workers from the community to take on case work; counsel women in need; and provide referrals to the police, lawyers, or the formal judicial system when necessary. Recognizing the strength of our Mahila Panchayat Program, in 2000 the Delhi Commission for Women designated Action India as the ‘mother NGO’ for all of the NCT Delhi, overseeing fifteen NGOs in the organization of a network of thirty-eight Mahila Panchayats. Our Women, Law, and Social Change Program includes the following components: 

  • Organizes Mahila Panchayats at the grassroots level. 
  • Oversees the investigation, case registration, arbitration, judgment, and follow-up of Mahila Panchayat cases. 
  • Conducts legal literacy workshops for educating grassroots women.
  • Builds the capacity of community based paralegal caseworkers.
  • Provides legal aid and counseling to women in crisis situations. 

The Mahila Panchayats provide an opportunity for women and men to speak openly and fearlessly when seeking interventions and arbitrations to resolve disputes. The panchayats do not replace the judicial system. Instead, they present a cost-effective, intermediary solution that is women-led, gender-sensitive and in touch with the needs of the community

5/27A Jangpura B New Delhi 110 014, India
Phone: +91 (011) 2437 7470 Phone/Fax: +91 (011) 2437 4785 Email: actionindia1976@gmail.com

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