Women domestic workers in Harijan Basti, Gurugram, took the initiative to form a self-help group to support one another financially and emotionally. They decided to form their own collective after attending a financial literacy and entrepreneurship workshop.
Conversations about sexual harassment at workplace are difficult to hold among women in India because of the stigma, shame and cultural silence that shrouds the issue.
The listening circle was conducted in Harijan Basti on the 3rd of February,2022 with 10 women domestic workers and 3 adolescent girls on Sexual Gender based violence (SGBV) and what are the some of the non-judicial ways to deal with that. The session was facilitated by Prerna Barua, Programme Officer, Martha Farrell Foundation.
On 1st February, a webinar on ‘Discourse on safety and technology for women domestic workers’ was organized in collaboration with Nasscom Foundation. A total of 135 women domestic workers from Gurgaon and Panipat joined the webinar. Some women domestic workers joined through their mobile phones while majority of the women joined from the Swabhiman kendras in both the location. The field animators have made the arrangements before the session.
A session on to build understanding on menstrual health and hygiene and busting myths around menstruation was conducted with women domestic workers of Gurugram. A total of 36 women joined and participated in the interactive discussion on 27th January.
Swabhimaan Kendra has become a hub for adolescents to come and hold discussions as well. During the 16 days of Activism, a global campaign led by governments, civil society, media, and citizens around the world to counter and eliminate sexual and gender-based violence against women and girls, a session has been conducted with adolescent daughters of the women domestic workers associated with the Swabhimaan Kendra in Panipat. Some of the women domestic mothers also sat in and participated in the discussion.
In Gurgaon and Panipat, Swabhiman kendra has acted as a community resource centre. It provided access to a variety of services and information for domestic workers and their daughters.
Swabhiman kendra has been a safe space for women and their daughters of Bichpadi village, Panipat. The women domestic workers expressed that their daughters also must come to kendra to learn.
The e-Sharm portal was launched by the Ministry of labor and employment under the government of India to form database of workers from the unorganized sector on 26th August 2021.
A series of workshops on financial literacy and entrepreneurship were organised at Gurgaon's Swabhiman kendra. The workshop's main purpose was to increase financial literacy among domestic workers, educate them about their rights and choices so that they can be informed and self-sufficient, and equip them with information on entrepreneurship.
At Panipat's Swabhiman kendra, a series of workshops on financial literacy and entrepreneurship were held. The workshop's major goal was to promote financial literacy among women domestic workers, to educate them about their rights and options so that they can be informed and self-sufficient
On August 26, 2021, the Ministry of Labor and Employment of the Indian government launched the e-Sharm portal to create a database of workers in the unorganised sector.
A session was conducted at the Swabhimaan Kendra in Panipat on 12th November, 2021. The purpose of the session was to share the findings of the needs assessment survey and to initiate discussion on the importance of alternative sustainable livelihood.
On 27th October, 2021 Swabhiman Kendra, Panipat was formally inaugurated. Although the Kendra is functional since August,2021 and is supporting women from the community.
The mother-daughter duo discussed each other's dreams under the theme "My Voice, My Future." They had a meaningful dialogue in which the mothers told their daughters about their ambitions and aspirations and vice versa.
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