Violence against women is a taboo topic in India; there are almost no facilities in which women can openly speak about domestic violence. The National Family Health Survey India (NFHS) states that 21 percent of married women in India have been abused by their husbands, in-laws, or others since the age of 15. Every three minutes, a crime is committed against a woman, a woman is raped every 29 minutes, and every 77 minutes a dowry-death is recorded. In order to break the silence around domestic abuse in India, Women without Borders (WwB) developed the ‘Peace Starts at Home!’ Model and implemented it in New Delhi, Chennai, Lucknow, and Mumbai with its local implementing partner Archana Kapoor and her NGO SMART. WwB created a film of the same name as a tool to aid in the Peace Starts at Home! trainings and to heighten awareness of the issue across the globe. With the support of the Austrian Federal Ministry for Labour, Social Affairs, and Consumer Protection (BMASK) Women without Borders premiered the film in Vienna on 1 June 2010 and presented Archana Kapoor as a guest speaker at its premier. Operating under the slogan ‘Men have strength, but not for hurting!’, the film offered a platform for those affected by domestic violence to share their stories.

Speakers:

Archana Kapoor, WwB India LIP and Director of Seeking Modern Applications for Real Transformation