बदलाव घोषणाओं से नहीं आता, वह गाँव की चौपालों में, स्त्रियों की आवाज़ में और सामूहिक कदमों में जन्म लेता है।

SUTRA’s engagement with the issue of violence against women began not with planning, but with listening.

In its early years as a development service agency, SUTRA undertook a participatory evaluation of its village-level work. Through a series of community meetings with women—the primary stakeholders of its initiatives—an urgent truth emerged: domestic violence was a pervasive and deeply felt issue, long silenced and ignored.

Women courageously identified alcohol abuse as a key trigger of domestic violence, and challenged SUTRA to stand with them in their struggle. This marked the beginning of a powerful grassroots movement. Women opposed the government’s revenue-driven expansion of liquor outlets, organizing village-level protests that extended to panchayats and district forums. When these efforts were met with silence, the women organized a historic padayatra (march) to Shimla in 1986, demanding action directly from the Chief Minister.

That march did more than deliver a memorandum—it ignited a movement. It laid the foundation for SUTRA’s long-term commitment to building empowered, women-led community-based organizations (CBOs), and gave rise to a feminist praxis rooted in rural reality.

Since then, SUTRA has deepened its work to challenge violence in all its forms—physical, sexual, psychological, and structural. Working closely with its network of CBOs, SUTRA raises awareness about legal protections under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA), 2005, while offering direct support and solutions to those affected.

Through training programs, awareness camps, and community dialogues, SUTRA has created safe and courageous spaces for women to share experiences, confront taboos, and collectively understand the structural roots of violence.

Recognizing the importance of prevention and long-term change, SUTRA has also focused on capacity building among adolescent girls and boys, men and women from marginalized communities, and local leaders. These efforts are carried out through regular workshops at the SUTRA campus in Jagjitnagar, and reinforced through monthly and fortnightly village-level meetings.

 In a unique and creative initiative, women were encouraged to depict their lived experiences of violence through drawings. These illustrations were transformed into powerful visual campaigns—flex banners with anti-violence slogans—that were displayed at village events, training sessions, and public gatherings, sparking dialogue and collective reflection. 

 SUTRA’s journey against violence is not just about protest—it is about transformation: from silence to speech, from victimhood to leadership, from personal pain to collective strength.