Institutional Distinctiveness

1st to 3rd May 2017, Bangalore.

WSC team participated in the meeting which largely discussed challenges faced in stopping violence and in implementation of PWDVA. Sec 498A that is being diluted was one of the major concerns expressed, for which advocacy is required. Besides, non-appointment of sufficient number of protection officers and allocating additional to them duties in various states, complete ignorance about role of medical officers in addressing DV, lack of coordination among stakeholders were also voiced. Whether use of government schemes – such as victim compensation scheme (that is applicable across the country) can be extended to DV survivors, working with District Legal Services authority, and raising awareness and advocating the use of other existing schemes, was also discussed. The grassroots practitioners shared positive experiences in addressing DV (such as support of village level panchayat samiti, support groups, etc.) and best practices that were shared were insightful. Parliamentary and budget advocacy and media campaign were suggested as being the need of the day and the purpose of an AMAN campaign in future.

 11th June 2016:

Women’s Studies Centre organised this seminar in which various experts working on child rights and child abuse issues were invited. It included judges, psychiatrists, psychologists, physicians, child specialists, NGO representatives, networks and forums against child abuse (FACSE), police personnel, child welfare committee members, lawyers, public prosecutors and personnel from the department of women and child development of Maharashtra

Roundtable on Coordinated Community Response to Gender Based Violence. Held on 11 July 2016 at Mumbai It was organized by Direct Action for Women Now (DAWN) Worldwide, US cofounded by Geeta Aiyer – working to end gender-based violence and advance gender equality through education and collaboration, in collaboration with Men Against Violence and Abuse (MAVA).

International Women’s Action on Non violence Held on 2nd to 4th Oct 2017 at Jalgaon, Maharashtra International Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence and Peace, Madurai, Gandhi Research Foundation, Jalgaon Ekta Europe Ekta Parishad, India had organized the event. It was part of a 13-day long campaign across India for promoting peace and nonviolence. Human rights as the basis for peace and non-violence were the call of the campaign. Experiments for peace across the globe, especially across conflict ridden borders of countries were presented by international guests, and enlightened the audience about the strength of women in peace-making efforts

Seminar on the Protection Of Children From Sexual Offences Act 2012 Held on 11th June 2016 Women’s Studies Centre organised this seminar in which various experts working on child rights and child abuse issues were invited. It included judges, psychiatrists, psychologists, physicians, child specialists, NGO representatives, networks and forums against child abuse (FACSE), police personnel, child welfare committee members, lawyers, public prosecutors and personnel from the department of women and child development of Maharashtra.

2nd to 4th Oct 2017 at Jalgaon

Maharashtra International Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence and Peace, Madurai, Gandhi Research Foundation, Jalgaon Ekta Europe Ekta Parishad, India had organized the event. It was part of a 13-day long campaign across India for promoting peace and nonviolence. Human rights as the basis for peace and non-violence were the call of the campaign.

Organised by NGO –  Alochana. It was held on 19^th February 2014, in which several NGO representatives from Pune participated.  The objective was to bring clarity about the provisions of this law, consider developing an NGO forum whose representation would be required in the Internal Complaints Committees formed under the Act, and decide on the next steps to be taken by this forum.

Providing consultancy/ advice/ support

Public meeting on awareness and eradication of this gruesome practice WSC of ILS Law College, joined the campaign and the public meeting. University Women’s Association, Pune; Poona Women’s Council; Family Planning Association of India; and Pune Women’s Forum were part of this campaign. WSC provided the legal expertise for the campaign.

Date: 23rd April, 2016

A training workshop was organized for partners of SwissAid on how to undertake advocacy on issues related to domestic violence especially for better implementation of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005. WSC provided the necessary advice and inputs for planning and designing the contents of the workshop to National Centre for Advocacy Studies.

Date: 13th to 15th Oct 2016

CREA, CommonHealth and Samyak had organized the said workshop, in which about 25 grassroots activists from rural Maharashtra working on women’s rights and health issues, participated. Dr. Jaya Sagade and Ms. Prasanna Invally provided inputs on the three laws – namely – MTP Act and the proposed amendments, the PCPNDT Act and its interlinkages with MTP Act, and the POCSO Act with special reference to difficulties and dilemmas faced by the activists in dealing with cases under POCSO Act. At the end of the workshop, as a first step, the campaigners decided that the information on district level committees in various districts whose primary role under the MTP Act was registration of MTP Centres, should be sought through an RTI application.

Consultancy, advice to Corporates such as ‘QuickHeal’, Avalara Technologies and College such as the Vishwakarma Institute of Information Technology, Pune (VIIT), was provided. Advice pertaining to their policy against sexual harassment, orientation of the law to the Internal Complaints Committee, and conducting staff awareness sessions on the company’s policy was undertaken

With the permission of Hon’ble Justice Mohit Shah, Chief Justice, Bombay High Court, Mumbai, the Women’s Studies Centre organized and conducted seven workshops on the subject of Domestic Violence for Judicial Officers. Other stake holders also participated.

             PUBLICATIONS

Books

• Feminism In The Subcontinent and Beyond; Challenging Laws, Changing Laws (2014)
• “Law of Maintenance: An Empirical Study” (Indian Law Society, 1996)
• “Child Marriage: Socio-Legal and Human Rights Dimension” 2005 (Oxford University Press, New Delhi)

1. “Stree-Nyaya-Kayada” (Indian Law Society, Chandrakala Prakashan, Pune, 1998)

1. ‘Law and Social Reforms in Rural India with Special References to Child Marriage’, Supreme Court Journal, pp. 27-35 (1981).

2. ‘The Shahabuddin Bill to Starve Muslim Divorcee’, Secularist, pp. 100-118 (1981).

3. ‘Legislative Regulation of Muslim Personal Law’, IX JBCI, pp. 102-112 (1981).

4. ‘Talaq and the Rights of Women’ (in correspondence – reply to Shahabuddin), 74 Secularist, p. 47, (1982).

5. ‘Implications of Nomination – A note on Sarbati Devi v. Usha Devi’, 8 Academy Law Review, p. 279-290 (1984).

6. ‘Family Courts Act – an Appraisal’, Annual Report of Mahila Dakshata Samiti, 1984-85, p. 45.

7. ‘Protection or Exploitation of Muslim Women’, ILS Law College Magazine, 1985-86.

8. ‘Maintenance : An Obligation and an Entitlement’, 4 Corporate Law Journal, p. 37 (1989).

9. ‘Polygamy and Woman’s Right of Maintenance’, 29 JILI p. 336, (1989).

10. ‘Women and the Law’ in Baxi Upendra (ed.), Dimensions of Law, (ILS, 1992) p. 175.

11. ‘Legislation : Challenges and Responses’ in Samuel C.J. (ed.), Principles of Legislation (Dept. of Law, University of Poona, Pune, 1992) p. 68

12. ‘Uniform Civil Code’, 43 Social Action p. 501 (1993).

13. Contributed regularly to ‘Maharashtra Herald’ (Local Newspaper) in the column ‘Point of Law’ from August 1987 to December 1990.

14. Maharashtra Bill on Adoption Seminar, Sept. 1996.

15. ‘Raising Age at Marriage – Socio-legal Constraints and Strategies’ S.P. Sathe (ed) Law Liberty and Justice (ILS Platinum Jubilee Volume, 2002)

1. Draft proposal of the Indian Marriage and Matrimonial Remedies Act, (1986) published by the Indian Secular Society.
2. Legal Education and Human Rights, a monograph for the Ford Foundation, New Delhi 2002

1. Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, Muslim Women Act, 1986 reviewed July-August New Quest, p. 64,  (1987).
2. Shri Durgadas Basu, Uniform Civil Code in India, in University News 35 (23) June 9,1997 p.25

1. Contributed a chapter on  ‘Law of Maintenance’ in a Marathi book ‘Potgicha Kayada’.
2. ‘Women and the Law’, Bayaja, Jan-April 1986, p. 9.
3. ‘Uniform Civil Code : Need of the Time’ in Sadhana – Special issue on women’s problems, May 1988, p. 7.
4. Written a number of notes for Vishwakosh, (Encyclopaedia) Wai.
5. ‘Uniform Civil Code’ in Vidya Bal (ed.) Milun Saryajani, Aug. 1993.
6. ‘Women and the Law of Maintenance’ in Neelam Gorhe (ed.) Striya ani Kayada, 1993.
7. Contributed three articles in the book  “Stree-Nyaya-Kayada” in Marathi.
8. “Uniform Civil Code” in Diwali Magazine 2003 “Ramteckchya Gadavarun” in Marathi

The Diploma is run by Indian Law Society in collaboration with World Health Organization . It is offered as a distance learning program of one-year duration to accommodate working professionals across the globe. It is instrumental in creating change makers across the world equipping them with specific learning and transferable skills. Faculty members with various expertise and experience from various countries and settings allow for a diverse input and learning experience into the course content. The Diploma is running for last 10 years and till date 100 students have graduated from 50 odd countries. The Centre has developed and delivered short term courses for the judiciary, police officers, and bureaucrats, international agencies, and Governmental and Non-Governmental Organisations on mental health legislation.

Reports in many countries have highlighted the considerable violence, abuse, and coercion that occurs in mental health settings including forced admission and treatment and the use of seclusion, and restraint. Recognizing the significant extent of poor quality and human rights issues in mental health, WHO launched the QualityRights initiative in 2013. The Quality Rights initiative is based on international human rights standards including the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) and represents a practical tool for implementing the Convention (CRPD) at the ground level. CMHLP, in collaboration with WHO, Geneva, implemented Quality Rights as a scalable solution in public mental health services in Gujarat, India. Other collaborators included CAMH, Toronto, SAA, Pune, SCARF, Chennai, PHFI, Delhi. This was the first ever large-scale implementation and systematic evaluation of the impact of adopting comprehensive human rights-based approach in mental health services though core interventions of the WHO Quality Rights initiative. The implementation was delivered across 9 public mental health facilities including three mental health hospitals, district hospitals, medical colleges, and civil hospitals.

The intervention included four main areas of intervention: assessment of the mental health facilities using Quality Rights Toolkit, capacity building training on three manuals, capacity building of service users and caregivers to form, organize, and sustain support groups, and influence service-level policies that protect and promote rights of persons with psychosocial disabilities.

Through the intervention, for the first time, persons with psychosocial disabilities were trained as Peer Support Volunteers. They were responsible to enable people’s recovery journey by filling in recovery plans and organizing peer support meetings. The impact of the evaluation measures showed that service users feel more empowered, and better recovery outcomes. The staff at the facilities see coercion as a violation of human rights. Detailed findings of the intervention are soon going to be published. Here is the summary of other interventions:

407 staff received training in recovery-oriented care, 447 staff completed the rights of persons with mental illness training modules, 424 staff received training in the communication skills module, and 286 staff were trained in alternatives to seclusion and restraint.

218 service users and family members were trained in the recovery-oriented care module and the modules on rights of persons with mental illness.

During the 12-month period, 115 Saathi (care-giver groups) meetings were conducted across intervention sites: on average, 16 meetings were conducted by each group and each meeting was attended by 20 caregivers.

6 Maitri (peer-support) groups were established at the intervention sites that meet weekly or fortnightly. During the 12-month period, 127 meetings were held: on average, 21 meetings were held per group and each meeting was attended by 11 service users.

During the 12-month intervention period, there were 27 active peer support volunteers at the 6 intervention services; by the end of the project, the State Mental Health Authority of Gujarat created a protected budget for 35 PSVs, who are now funded and supported from the public health budget.

In India, mental illness affects approximately 5-7% of the population and approximately 20% of the Indian population is affected by common mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression. Common mental health disorders (CMD) often go undetected and untreated, due to a complexity of factors. People with mental health problems often face discrimination and stigma in their communities, which reduces willingness to seek help from mental health care providers. Supply side factors, such as the paucity of trained mental health professionals in India, means that there are insufficient human resources to address the burden of CMD in the community, particularly in rural areas. As a result, 90% of the population in rural areas is without access to mental health care. While primary care practitioners in public health care in rural communities can provide mental health care, they lack the skills needed beyond very basic care; this paucity of providers results in a growing disparity to access of any form of mental health care in rural India, despite the clear and growing need. The limited number of mental health care providers and lack of access to these limited services, combined with the fear of stigmatization and discrimination, contribute to the startling treatment gap for mental illness in India, especially in rural areas.

Atmiyata program is a low cost, high impact community-based mental health intervention focused on promoting wellness and reducing distress through community volunteers in rural parts of India. The Atmiyata approach is distinct, but complementary to the public health sector. Atmiyata take a social development approach with lens of human rights and equity. Atmiyata intervention involves a two-tier community led mental health care model that develops capacity of community volunteers to identify and provide support and counselling to persons mental health issues. Champions are main community volunteers in each village who get a training on identification, referral, counseling, using films and facilitating social benefits. This training is for seven days and each champion is supposed to give one hour per day for this work. The project also select and train 4 to 5 volunteers from each village called as ‘Mitras’. They help champion to identify people with mental health issues and enhance geographical and social reach of champion. Champions are supported and mentored by community facilitators who in turn monitored and mentored by project managers. Each Champion has been given a smart phone loaded with android based application along with training material and films. Application is primarily used for a programme data collection and used as a guide by Champion.

The project objectives are:

• To improve access to the common and severe mental health issues;
• To reduce symptoms of common mental disorders and improve social functioning;
• To facilitate access to social care benefits for beneficiaries and their families.
• To improve community awareness about mental health issues via films

The Atmiyata programme was developed to harness these existing community resources to provide basic support at the village level and strengthen community well-being; the development and evaluation were funded by Grand Challenges Canada in the state of Maharashtra, India as a proof of concept. The project trained 59 community volunteers (Champions) from 41 villages and 265 volunteers (Mitras). Champions identified and supported 1350 people with common and severe mental disorders and around 250 families helped with accessing social benefits. 7600 people viewed the films based on mental health.

Atmiyata Gujarat is a transition to scale grant for 29 months starting from November 2016 funded by Grand Challenges Canada and Mariwala Health Initiative, India. The project is in collaboration with Department of health and social and family welfare, Gujarat. The project is being implemented in 500 villages of Mehasana district having an adult population of 1 million. We have trained 300 community volunteers as champions and 620 volunteers as Mitras till date. The project aims to reach out to 50000 beneficiaries in total.

SPIRIT (Suicide Prevention & Implementation Research IniTiative) project is a research partnership that aims to bridge the gap between scientific evidence and practice in suicide prevention and mental health interventions in India and Bangladesh.

SPIRIT project is implemented by the Indian Law Society (ILS) in collaboration with Trimbos Institute, Netherlands; SNEHA – Suicide Prevention Centre, Chennai; Gujarat Institute for Mental Health (GIMH) & Hospital for Mental Health (HMH) Ahmedabad and the Bangladesh Center for Communication Programs (Bangladesh).

The project is supported by the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Gujarat, and funded by the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health (United States). The project has received approval from the Health Ministry Screening Committee (HMSC) of the Government of India.

SPIRIT project researching the implementation process of an integrated suicide prevention intervention in a community setting at scale. It aims to reduce suicidal ideation among targeted adolescents, rate of suicides in the intervention villages in Mehasana District of Gujarat, and build capacity of health workers in suicide prevention measures. It also aims to empower regional policy makers to integrate evidence generated from implemented research on suicide prevention in policy making in Gujarat.

SPIRIT project runs for a period of five years (August 2017 to June 2022) and has two components: Scale-up study: SPIRIT team will implement and evaluate an integrated suicide prevention intervention through a cluster randomized controlled trial in 120 villages of Mehasana district in Gujarat. The integrated intervention includes three evidence based sub interventions. The first sub-intervention is based in schools where school teachers will be trained to deliver a culturally adapted Youth Aware of Mental Health Program. The second sub-intervention consists of encouraging community members to use centralized storage units of pesticides. The third sub-intervention consists of training primary, community and lay health workers in identifying, reaching and providing the support to those exhibiting high-risk behavior in their communities and where necessary, refer them for appropriate specialized support.

1. Capacity building: SPIRIT team will organize one-year Implementation Science Research Fellowship Program for health care researchers and policy makers, training modules and short term online courses for other stake holders of the mental health sector.

CMHLP is a part of an international Consortium under Horizon 2020, GACD grants. The project aims to replicate and scale-up peer support interventions for people with severe mental illness, generating evidence of sustainable best practice in high-, middle- and low-resource settings. The Coordinating Centre is based at Ulm University, Germany, other partners are based at UK, Uganda, Tanzania, Israel. The CMHLP is awaiting the decision on funding by ICMR, New Delhi.