“Gender based violence anywhere is a threat to peace and security everywhere.”
-John F. Kerry
GenViR Network India:UK
Gender Based Violence (GBV) disproportionately affects women and girls who often suffer more compared to males. GBV against women and girls is a risk factor for deleterious health outcomes including poor mental health, adverse reproductive outcomes, poor sexual health, disability, chronic pain, brain injury and death. Other gender identities, like the hijra, are also at a higher risk of GBV. Often facing stigma, marginalisation, and violence due to their gender and sexual identities, the hijra also need to overcome societal and cultural challenges in order to build a resilient future.
The concept of resilience is gaining traction as a research tool, and this is happening in tandem with a recognition that the complexity of human communities, conflicting intersectionality, and the challenges faced, are growing more acute. Our network intends to meaningfully address these challenges in their full complexity.
Through the use of applied theatre and digital storytelling as an umbrella concept, we envisage that these arts-based practice will create theatre with community groups with the aim of inviting change and investigating community-led solutions to the lived experiences of injustice, inequity, and violence.
We will undertake this through:
Exploring how women survivors of GBV and members of the Hijra community can be safely and ethically engaged in identifying critical areas for change in reducing GVB in their communities.
Eliciting stories from women and members of the Hijra community about their lived experiences of GBV and possible solutions.
Co-developing a series of workshops to mobilize lived experience experts and cross-sector stakeholders as agents of change for sustainable and culturally relevant research and impact agenda.
Building capacity in existing relationships and establishing new partnerships to strengthen and diversify the network's research base and funding applications.