33-year-old women NGO anxious over road ahead

A Bengaluru-based NGO has been helping women deal with domestic abuse, sexual assault and mental health issues for 33 years. Called Mahila Dakshata Samiti, they were recently asked to shut down their short stay home, along with other NGOs in the city. The short stay home or Swadhar Greh offered shelter to women and children seeking refuge from abusive situations.

“The government has told all NGOs to shut down these homes as they plan to open their own Swadhar Grehs across the state. They announced that they would open one each in other districts and two in Bengaluru,” shares Saranya Hegde, founder of the Samiti’s Bengaluru chapter. It is led by a group of women. Saranya is concerned that government-run homes may not be the best option for women and children whose needs go beyond just shelter and food. “These women are dealing with mental health issues because of the way they have been treated. They need a clean, hygienic and home-like set-up,” she explains.

Mahila Dakshata Samiti was first opened in 1976 in Delhi. It was an initiative of Suman Krishnakant, the wife of the former vice president of India, and a few others. Its Bengaluru chapter was started in a shed in 1991. “Suman was a family friend. When she visited my house one day, she suggested we start the Bengaluru chapter of the Samiti in my car shed. We had no money but we decided to take her advice,” says Saranya.

This year, they celebrate 10 years of functioning out of a multistorey-building in Vidyaranyapura.

During the early days, the Samiti, held tailoring classes for underprivileged women. “There was a slum close to our neighbourhood. The women from there would come to my house for training. We would have classes throughout the day,” she,” she recalls. Subsequently, health camps, awareness drives, counselling, scholarships and other skill enhancement workshops were introduced.

The building they currently occupy is built on land donated by the government, she shares. The space houses a rehabilitation centre, a seminar hall, a shop (selling products made by residents), a tailoring room, a recreation room and a room for residents to sleep. Before they were asked to close the Swadhar Greh, the house had 20-30 residents on an average. “Many women are brought to us by the police. Some come by themselves. We rehabilitate them,” she shares.

She recalls the case of a newly married 18-year-old. “She was wealthy. She came to us because her husband was forcing her to have sexual relations with his friends. We helped her find accommodation and even paid for it as she did not have any money on her,” she reveals.

Another woman, four months pregnant, was abandoned by her husband on a train. “The police brought her to us. She spoke in a language none of us could understand. But we guessed it was a Bengali dialect. So I took her home as I had a Bengali girl working in my house. She cried and explained her ordeal,” she shares. It turned out, she had three
other children back home in Mathura. “So we gave her some money and put her on a train back to Mathura. But she never got in touch after that,” she adds.

Sometimes, women go back to their abusive homes as they don’t believe they can live on their own. Others take up jobs that the Samiti helps them find.

She hopes the government will decide to reopen the Swadhar Grehs which are a lifeline for abused women.

Those seeking help can contact the Mahila Dakshata Samiti at 080 48500965