Ahmedabad Womens

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• Ahmedabad Womens
• Action Group
• AWAG

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Established AWAG in 1981with the help of a few
friendsRegistered AWAG in 1983as a societyand
as a Public Trust
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INSPIRATIONAs a freelance journalistperceived
gaps between what is and what ought to
beConcentration of organizations was on Welfare
Activities at times of Disasters, Famine, Flood,
Quake etc. Development Activities for the poor
were missing
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CHALLENGES Attitudinal / Perceptional Campaign
against Commercial Advertisements which present
women as glamorous sexual objects. ? Uncovering
woman to sell goods ? A woman is merely a
housekeeper who needs a lot of advice ?
Discriminatory against girls as mere nurturers
? Boys to grow strong ? Women seen as
caretakers of males, decorators of home
which they also decorate by being a
decorative item, themselves.
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The person who inaugurated said, The models
agreed to uncover, sothey are bad women.
Otherwise, a good woman can keep any man at a
distance merely by glancing derisively at
him.The remark generated Counter Publicityfor
AWAG.Five years later perceptions matchedwhen
we protested against discriminatoryimages of
girls and women in textbooks
Protested against emphasis on woman's body
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STAGE PLAYSDemeaning Images of women were
protested against. Women characters were
actually beaten in every scenelanguage used for
them was full of abuses, full of sexy
overtonesand words of double meaning pointing to
sex were used. Protests against low cultural
quality resulted in not allowing licenses to such
plays
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AWAG's WORK WITH POOR WOMENThese women
include Harijan women Muslim
women Rural womenInterventions with them
Awareness RaisingOrganizing to raise voices
and uniteTo demand Primary facilitiesEducation
for children andHealth for allTo protest
against violence and To form saving habits
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Development is not possible when survival is not
certain or when Self is jeopardized repeatedly by
abuse / battering / threats etc.Violence against
women results in danger to limb and
life.Types of violence Physical Sexual,
Mental, Verbal, Emotional,
Economic, etc.
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Increasing violence within home results in
Unnatural Deaths within HomesLarge number On
an average 15 per day as per records of Gujarat
police REASONS Parents do not support
married daughtersNo way out left for the
suffering women AWAG offers home away from
home,Short Stay Home,a temporary shelter
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Victims in crisis or in
confusion (a) Woman in crisis To be
instantly helped Food / clothing / nutrition,
medical, counseling, legal etc. (b) Woman
seeking advice Counseling / Her decision
is respected about future course of
action.
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SHORT STAY HOME ?Stay for short time ? with
children, boys under 8 years of age ? medical
care, food, pocket money for self
and children etc.REHABILIATION ? learn
skills ? generate income ? be self supportive