Outline 4 First related category "approaching"
“Approaching” emerged as the first related category from the data. “Approaching”
conceptualises various perspectives followed by experts to empower women. The first related category signifies knowledge spread and diffused by experts among women. All respondents of the project are approaching people either through personal counselling, awareness or advocacy programmes to achieve their aims and objectives.
1.1.1, Passing empowerment
“Passing empowerment” signifies the process of capacity building but without conscious awareness of the “way of living”. Passing empowerment is situational family counselling and signifies a temporary empowerment process which aims to solve only one particular issue. Thus, passing empowerment is an approach to solve an issue either through APPROACHING: Signifies strategies used by NGO experts to make women conscious about the “way of living” and to empower them to change their “way of living”.
PASSING EMPOWERMENT: Signifies the method followed by NGO experts to empower women. Experts aim to give obtain temporary solutions to a complainant’s problem.
REACHING ROOTS: Signifies experts’ aim to work on the assumption and make people conscious of these assumptions.
CUSTOMIZING WAY: Signifies experts aim to strengthen the family institution and to empower within the family institution.
reconciliation or through separation (as per the victim’s decision). Experts who work in the field of domestic violence, intimate partner violence and child sexual abuse follow the passing empowerment method.
Experts who follow the passing empowerment approach discussed the pre-requisite of the method when victims or prospective victims of violence seek experts’ intervention over an issue. Intervention aims to find strategies which are suitable to victims or prospective victims of violence to solve a problem or issue for which they have approached to solve for. The researcher noted that victims or prospective victims of violence seek intervention. Seeking an intervention from a family counsellor is in itself a big challenge for women due to two reasons.
Firstly, in India, older family members or first-second degree of relatives are supposed to solve the problems in the family or between a couple (Thomas 2012; Udyan Kumar et al. 2007) as talking about family problems with outsiders is criticised in Indian culture. Secondly, from BNI interviews, the researcher interpreted that women have to struggle with the “way of living”
not only to make themselves conscious of an act of violence but also have to struggle to accept it as such. Yukti and Chitra talked about their struggle in accepting violence on them with phrases such as ‘it was difficult to digest that it was an act of violence and had happened with me94’ or ‘I never thought it would happen to me95’. Thus, seeking intervention is a first step towards empowerment. Aradhana, explained that seeking an intervention from a counsellor is a difficult process for Indian women: “Before seeking an intervention, he (a husband) had been beating her, she had been tolerating physical violence, and one morning, she realized the physical violence on her and decided to deal with it. She wanted to stop it and she was talking about the violence to her parents, she wanted to change the situation. That victim comes to me and then I intervene.” intervention करण्याआधी, तो (नवरा) ितला मारतअसतो, तीतो शारिरकिहंसा
94BNIYUMO 25
95BNICHMO 27
सहनकरतअसते. आिण एकेिदवशीितलाकळतिकतीशारिरकिहंसासहनकरतआहेआिण त्याचाबरोबर ती deal करायचा ठरवते. ितला ते थांबवायचा असते आिण ती ितचा पालकांशी या violence बद्दल बोलते.
ितलािहिस्थतीबदलायचीअसते. मगतीमाज्याकडेयेतेआिणमगमीत्यात intervene करते. (Aradhana P 16, 1-7. Original expert interview in Marathi)
As “passing empowerment” aims to only solve a particular problem, the nature and duration of an intervention are largely dependent upon the victim’s strength and weakness and range of issues. According to experts, they judge strength and weakness of a victim from their training and experience which they gained working in the field. The researcher noted that experts’ judgements are often a product of the Indian of way of living as they have to make their solution acceptable and practical (contextual). Unconsciously, the way of living is a part of NGO experts’ personality and a framework to perceive victims’ strengths and weaknesses.
The criterion on which experts judge victims’ strengths include their family background and family dynamics with their extended family, thus in the process of passing empowerment external support is the most important apart from victim’s self- actualisation process. A family counsellor, Anchala, stated in the interview: “the important component in dealing with violence is a victim’s family members. Family members may give pressure for reconciliation to a victim, her family support is an important factor in deciding a strategy to combat the situation” victim साठीमहत्वाचाघटकिहंसेशीडीलकरण्यातत्याचं कुटुंबअसत. कुटुंबाचेसदस्यितलासलोखाकरण्यासाठी
दबाव आणतअसतात, अशावेळेस कुटुंबाचेसमथर्नहाखूपमहत्वचा घटक असतो. कारणयावेळेस हाखूप महत्वाचाघटककुटूंबअसतोआिणते deal कसंकरायचा हैनक्कीकरण्यासाठीहैकुटुंबाचीमदतखूपमहत्वा
चीआहे (Anchala, 11; 11-16. Originally expert interview in Marathi).
Anchala further added that the strength of a victim is also dependent on whether (a) brother/s of a victim support/s her because the brother plays an important role in an Indian
cultural setting96. As stated by Chaddha and Deb (2013), in a collectivist society like India, the family acts as a support group during trouble. However, according to the researcher, talking to a victim’s brother during crises signifies making women dependent on male supremacy which is similar to institutionalizing the male as supreme.
Experts who follow the passing empowerment method try to change the situation by talking to parents, brothers of a victim, perpetrator and the family of a perpetrator. But in passing empowerment experts give less inputs for changing or making women conscious about their way of living. The researcher’s perspective is that these experts lack objectivity while following the approach and hence re-established a tolerant woman as an ideal woman in society. For example, Laxmi, a victim of domestic violence and a family counsellor analysed modern women as intolerant and responsible for the increase in divorce rates, she said, “you know I think women have become less tolerant these days which in a way is good, I feel good on one hand but on the other hand I don’t like the fact that get divorced. I think it is not right to get divorced. Before taking the decision getting divorced, they should tolerate more in an optimistic way, find a solution and women should give up their stubbornness. That’s what I perceive” मला असा वाटत िकआता बायका ना कमी सहनशील झाल्या आहेत जे एका अथीर्खूप चांगला
आहे. मला खूप चांगल वाटत पणदुसर्या बाजूला मला तेघटस्फोट होतात ते चांगल नाही वाटत. मला वाटत घटस्फोट घेणे है चांगल नाही. िनणर्य घेण्या अगोदर त्यांनी सहनकेले पािहजे म्हणजे सहन म्हणजे आशा न सोडतात्यांनीसहनकेलेपािहजेआिणत्यावरउपायशोधलापािहजे. बायकांनीत्यांचाहट्टीपणासोडलापािहजे. म्हणजेमीसमजते. (Laxmi, 7; 1-15. Original expert interview in Marathi).
Thus, the expert tries to combat the situation but within a framework of the “way of living”. In passing empowerment experts make less efforts to work on victims’ assumptions or
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self-actualization. A family counsellor, Aradhana, who followed the passing empowerment approach earlier and later changed to Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy analysed her experience working with the passing empowerment approach as follows: “we always try to handle the situation with this approach, but we hardly see any changes in victims’ mind sets”.
आम्ही कायम या दृिष्टकोन मधून cases solve करायचा प्रयत्न करतो, पण आम्ही खरंच त्यांचा िवचारमध्ये
काहीबदलबघत नाही. (Aradhana, 4; 29-30. Original expert interview in Marathi).
In “passing empowerment” women have the freedom to decide an outcome and an aim of counselling sessions, most of the women have a pre-defined goal set which is often reconciliation or going back to the same situation97 and most of the experts perceive reconciliation as an ideal approach. A senior lawyer, Lata, who renders legal service to victims, discussed in the interview: “so to convince victims that if they don’t stay with their husbands it is not a stigma at all but at the same time while dealing with the situation we would try to compromise first, because divorce is not a right approach, that is not an ideal or practical approach” म्हणजे victim लापटवणेिकजरतेत्यांचानवर्याबरोबरनाहीरािहलातरतोकलंकनसतोअवघड आहे. पणत्यावेळीसत्याप्रसंगाशी deal करतानाआम्हीतडजोडकरायचा प्रयत्नकरतोकारणघटस्फोटघेणं
हाएक ideal दृिष्टकोननाहीआिणव्यावहािरकपणनाही. (Lata, 2; 14-23. Original expert interview in English).
The outcome of the passing empowerment approach is often that victims embrace the same way of living. Aradhana in her interview criticised passing empowerment as:
We used to counsel her why she is in a violent situation and how she must come out of the situation. As a counsellor we used to seek help from the police or judiciary, but as a counsellor we hardly used to see any changes in her mind set, as a counsellor we want to change her life, but a victim wants to go back to the same situation98. आम्हीत्यांनासमजावूनसांगायचोिक कात्यािहंसासहनकाकरतातआिणत्या त्याचामधूनकसबाहेरयेऊ शकतात. एकसल्लागारम्हणूनआम्ही
97 EIARMO 21, EISWMO 02, EIANMO 05, EISAMO 26
98 Aradhana,4, 28-33
पोलीसअथवान्यायव्यवस्थेकडूनमदतघेतो, पणसल्लागारम्हणूनआम्हीितचािवचारमध्येकाहीबदलबघत नसतो, सल्लागारम्हणूनआम्हालात्यांचा आयुष्यमध्येफार बदलिदसतनाही. पणपीिडतला आपल्याजुन्या
आयुष्यामध्येपरतजायचअसत.
Most “passing empowerment” experts give a victim an option of seeking intervention again in case of any problem, rather than empowering women to deal with a problematic situation by herself, these experts give her options to come back, seek help and in a way, experts make a woman dependent on external sources. For example, Anchala shared in her interview that in the passing empowerment method a counsellor-clientele relationship is like a doctor–
patient relationship99.
Thus, the passing empowerment approach is a temporary approach which gives synthetic solutions to a problem, the approach finds external supportive factors such as a victim’s supportive extended family members especially brother/s of a family and Victim’s healthy relationship with them as a victim’s strength rather than empowering women for self-realization and self-actualisation. An outcome of the approach is to confirm the way of living with a temporary solution. On the contrary, there are some experts, who works on making women conscious of their way of living, they make women take their own decisions but by making them conscious of their own assumptions.
1.1.2 Reaching roots
The second property that emerged from the data for the related category “approaching”
is “reaching roots”. In the reaching roots approach experts work on assumptions, roots of the violence and make women conscious of the way of living. As discussed by Swanand, a family counsellor working with males on gender-based violence, described the reaching roots process as such:
Our organization takes a position, to talk to that man and to help him to understand his socialisation, as a man, his ideas of manhood, how the idea of manhood connects with violence,
99 EIANMO11
his ideas of controlling women, his ideas of sexuality, and whether some of these ideas are really leading to an incidence of violence against women100.
In “reaching roots” experts aim to make women aware of assumptions which they have internalized subconsciously, and the connection of these assumptions with violence. The experts who follow reaching roots methods are family counsellors, NGOs forming SHGs (Self-help groups), who counsel victims’ or communities’ assumptions101 and experts who organizes advocacy session through public participation methods102.
In reaching roots methods counsellors make their clientele or a community identify the roots and origins of violence. As discussed by Aradhana, a family counsellor who switched over to the reaching roots method, uses Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy for family counselling shared the process of reaching roots as:
I use Rational Emotive Behavioural Therapy and the therapy is useful for two things.
One, I can reach to the roots of thoughts. This means that counselling is important if one needs to change a client’s thought process. And second, a client possesses certain basic assumptions and on the basis of these assumptions she/he prepares further assumptions, his/her emotional level is based on these assumptions. With the help of this technique, I bring them to normalcy from their emotional level103. मी rational emotive behavioural therapy लावूनकामकरते. याचेदोन फायदेआहेत. एक, मी त्यांचािवचारांचामुळापयर्ंतपोचूशकते. त्याचाअथर्िवचारमध्ये बदलहवाअसेलतर समुपदेशनमहत्वाचा आहे. आिण दुसरा, तीबाईचा िकत्येकधारणाअसतातज्याचाआधारेतीआणखीकाही
धारणाबनवतअसते, ितचीभाविनकपातळीयाधरणेवरअवलंबूनअसते. या technique चामदतीनेमीत्यांना
त्यांचाभाविनकपातळीवरूनखालीआणते.
Thus, unlike the passing empowerment method the origin of thought and belief-action process are given importance in the reaching roots method than just giving a temporary solution to a problem which is central to passing empowerment method. In this process the expert teaches the victim to focus on her thought process and through this process the expert makes her conscious of her assumptions which are an outcome of her socialization process. Female
100 Swanand, 9, 1-5
101 EIARMO 21, EISWMO 02,
102 EIARMO 21, EISWMO 02, EISUMO 01, EIVIMO06, EIIMMO 04, EIBHMO 08, EIKIMO 11, EIANMO 14, EICHMO 19, EIAKMO 24, EIVIMO 25, EIVIBMO 27.
103 Aradhana,4, 12-21
experts who follow reaching roots methods work on women’s assumption. As Kirti, shared, she works on women to bring them out from their low self-esteem. Male experts such as Swanand, who himself have gone through the transformation of being violent, masculine man to a man believing and practicing gender equality, work on men’s assumptions of manhood, masculinity and supremacy. Men and women experts who work on men and women respectively, understand their socialisation deeply and can reach to roots of their problems.
Unlike the passing empowerment method in the reaching roots method a family counsellor does not work around an issue, but he/she analyses the thought process and socialization of the client which are responsible for violence. The capacity is built through self-awareness and self-actualization of a client or community.
The researcher analyses that, in the passing empowerment method a counsellor focuses on a problematic issue and external sources to empower women, on the contrary in the reaching roots method a counsellor focuses on a victim’s socialization, personality, thought process, thus inward capacities. Aradhana compared the passing empowerment approach with the reaching roots method on the basis of their standpoint towards a problematic issue, she stated:
Earlier I helped to resolve their problems. I used to call her parents, used to report an incidence to a police station, used to register First Information Report (FIR), used to organize protest rallies to help her out. But when the moment came to bring her husband to court, she used to take a step back. She used to say to “leave it now” or discard her complaint at the police. She used to go back to her husband104. आधीनामीजेव्हात्यांचा problem सोडवायचेतेव्हामी
त्यांचा पालकांना बोलवयाचे िकंवा पोलीस ना िरपोटर् करायचे, FIR दाखल करायचे िकंवा एक िनषेध रॅली
आयोिजत करायचेत्यांनामदतकरण्यासाठी. पणजेव्हातोचक्षण यायचा िकितचा नवर्यालाकोटार्त घेऊन जायचआहे, तेव्हातीबाईमागेिफरयाची. तीसांगायचीिक " सोडूनध्या" िकंवाितचीतक्रारपोलीसकडेजाऊन रद्दकरायची. तीितचानवर्याकडेपरतजायची.
Swanand discussed one case, where a man was a homosexual but got married to a girl due to family pressure. After two years, the girl understood that he was homosexual and filed
104 Aradhana, 4, 18-27
for divorce. The couple approached the expert. The expert worked on an idea of man, masculinity, sexuality and their core societal assumption of marriage.
Experts who follow the reaching roots method other than family counsellors work on mass consciousness to make people aware of values of subjugation and violence caused by these values. Such as experts work for Muslim community to bring consciousness about stringent religious laws through creating literary sources. In which they critically evaluate religious laws among Indian Muslim by comparing it with other Islam dominated countries’
laws105. Reaching roots work on assumptions of patriarchy and masculinity to achieve gender equality and gender sensitivity. They empower women to solve their problems than solving their issues.
1.1.3 Customizing way
The third property emerging from the related category “approaching” is “customizing way”. The property signifies empowering women within the family institution and traditional gender roles. The experts follow this approach view subjugating way of living as a functional and necessary in order to maintain the structure of society. The experts who follow the customizing way use public participation or counselling methods to empower women. Such as Vishal, who follows sustainable development for improving life quality work with a small community. Whereas Tejmani follows construction of a water reservoir with the help of community in a drought prone area of Maharashtra. She organizes and educates them on gender-based violence and their legal rights. Semantini, another expert, adopts controlled sexual education method to counter-check impact of modernity and of a liberal stance on sexual education. Controlled sexual education signifies customizing Indian way of living, the expert who spread messages against pre-marital sex and how to control sexual desires. The expert propagates against liberal sexual education. Semantini, an expert who organizes saving groups
105 EIIMMO 04, EISAMO 26, EIAKMO 24
across the city and educates children on sexuality, discussed in her interview: “while taking sexual education workshops, our stand is, we do not support premarital sex, because pre-marital sex is not good for women’s physical health and mental health” sexual education चे workshops बद्दलबोलायचंतरआमचादृिष्टकोनअसाआहेिकआम्हीपूवर्वैवािहकसंबंधत्याचेसमथर्नकरतनाही, कारण पूवर्वैवािहकसंबंधहैबायकाचाशारिरकआिणमानिसकप्रकृतीसाठी चांगलनाही (Semantini, 4;18-21).
Some of the experts who follow the “customizing way” are against women’s freedom, they strive for equal power relations but within the family. Some experts who follow the customizing way approach propagate against women’s westernization and liberalization; they give an extreme importance to family institution. Semantini added in her interview: “Women generally don’t realize that they pay heavily for the agitation because the family is breaking up, which results in breaking up society”. बायकानाहै कळतनाही िकतेया आंदोलनमूळेखूप भारी
िकंमत चुकिवतात कारणकुटुंब तुटत आहे आिण त्याचा मूळेआपला समाज पणअस्ताव्यस्त होत चाललेला
आहे (Semantini, 17; 23-27).
In the first property of the of related category “approaching”, “passing empowerment”
aims to solve an issue without working on the values of subjugation, as per victims’ demand, a family counsellor works for reconciliation or separation, thus an outcome is important in the passing empowerment approach whereas in the reaching roots method process. The most important aspect is to work on the belief system and the value system of a victim. On the contrary, in the customizing way approach, experts re-establish some of the assumptions in order to strengthen the family institution.
The “passing empowerment” method views external resources, such as extended family dynamics, as strength of a victim. Whereas “reaching roots” finds internal strength and weakness of victims’ internal sources such as victims’ personalities and belief systems. In
“passing empowerment”, a family counsellor finds a solution to an issue within the framework of “way of living” and views victims’ dependency on a counsellor as a positive sign for a counsellor. On the contrary, “reaching roots” experts try to make a victim conscious of her own assumptions and help to reach self-actualization and self-help. For “reaching roots” victims’
independency in handling an issue is an assessment of success.
According to the researcher, there is a lack of uniformity in the approach among experts.
Which has open three different stands for female empowerment and an ambiguous situation in the field by NGO workers. These three methods give different ideology and knowledge of empowerment among women which is a matter of concern as it effects the way of living and outcome of the process of empowerment. In the section, “consequence” the impact of these ambiguous methods is discussed in detail. However, during EI, the researcher experienced that many experts lack reflection of circumstances around them such as Latika, Vishal and Vijay who judge the situation with right-wrong dynamics or black-white boxes. There is lack of training to deal with new situations arising from various technological applications, media and education.