Strengthening ecosystem for gender equality: Prevention and Response to Gender based Violence in Goa, India

CEHAT in partnership with UN WOMEN is implementing the program, “Strengthening ecosystem for gender equality: Prevention and Response to Gender based Violence (GBV) in Goa, India”. The project focuses on two key policies initiated by the government of India: (i) Smart (and Safe) cities, (ii) One Stop Center (OSC) for addressing violence against women. There is a focus on these two policies as the cycle of GBV manifests in both public and private spaces and because the elimination of GBV requires coordinated and simultaneous approaches of response and prevention.

Goa has been a pioneering state when it comes to implementing progressive legislation and putting in place multiple services for redressal, including one stop centers, victim assistance unit, helplines, women’s police station, shelter facilities etc. with a strong network of civil society organizations. Yet GBV continues to remain a pervasive problem in the state, with relatively high prevalence of domestic violence, sexual violence and child sexual abuse. There is scope for improving Goa’s public infrastructure and transportation to strengthen safety and security and vulnerability of women towards violence in public spaces. CEHAT is attempting to closely understand the challenges and bottlenecks in the delivery of services in Goa. We are aiming to develop evidence-based strategies to strengthen services and improve multi-stakeholder coordinated prevention and response in the context of GBV.