PRIA

The Committee on Gender Awareness and Mainstreaming in PRIA (CGAMP) organised a workshop on ‘Knowing Our Rights’ vis-à-vis police and domestic violence on May 16, 2008 for all its Head Office staff members.

The workshop was conducted by a Delhi based organisation called the Multiple Action Research Group (MARG) whose work on legal literacy is well known in the development sector.

The introductory session focused on understanding what law is and how it is ingrained in our day-to-day lives without our even realising it. The group was oriented on the premises of making laws, the governing principles, the basis and constitutional directives on which laws could be made and the implementing agencies. A film was also shown on this issue to create better understanding.

After this, the members were divided into smaller groups, with case studies assigned to them to do a role-play. They were also asked to suggest legal provisions to deal with the issues before them, if they could think of any.

The themes selected were related to discrimination faced by women at home, workplace and in the public sphere. The case studies, all true incidents, focused on a woman’s right to live her life with dignity and highlighted their plight in dealing with issues of mental harassment by in-laws, termination of pregnancy and right to earn livelihood.

This discussion focused on sections under the Fundamental Rights, Criminal Procedure Code, Indian Penal Code and other related laws with special focus on women and their special rights therein. A discussion on the procedure of filing of an FIR (First Information Report) and the Domestic Violence Act followed the activity.