Strategies and approaches taken up by the Samiti in brief:
- Focus on disparities borne out of the patriarchal systems, raising voices against violence and discrimination: legal and social action, formation of Mahila Panchayats.
- Combat violence against Women: MJAS continues to make attempts towards stopping any kind of violence and try to win justice by:-
- Providing legal information and social action resource through mobilizing groups of women at block level.
- Organising mahila panchayats to combat social biases against women in cases of violence, property rights and custody of children.
- Facilitating legal redress for women in difficult situations
- Conducting police training to help them deal with VAW cases in an effective manner
- Advocating for justice with police, other government agencies and courts
- Strengthening movements for women’s right to land (study and advocacy on property/land related cases fought by women), raising issues of dalit and minority groups and child rights.
- Spreading awareness regarding social practices harmful for women and making efforts to change them.
- Working with Jati Panchayats and promoting them to change their perspective and attitude towards women and become institutions working on the principles of human rights and gender equality.
- Campaigns and interventions to empower panchayats and promote self- governance. Assessing participation of women in panchayats, stocktaking, studying and supporting their struggle to be a part of the democratic system
- Ensuring women’s leadership in all spheres of society:
- Enabling women to raise their concerns with the police and administrative departments to deal with cases of violence, provision of civic amenities, drought, relief, etc.
- Documenting women’s experiences in panchyats and using it to sensitize people towards leadership and the responsibilities of the state.
- Providing training, documentation and information to women particularly those elected to panchayats.
- Building support groups of women and members of marginalized communities, in the constituencies of women.
- Organizing meetings/conventions to build their networks to learn and share their experiences and support each other while facing future challenges.
- Gender resource centre for CRY, as a trainer organization for NGO workers:
- Conducting Research
- Workshops and Seminars
- Disseminating publications and information regarding legal and social issues concerning women.
- Trainings/ Reflection workshops/ Capacity building on PRIs, Self-Development, Gender workshops, Self-caring, Self defense workshops with women
- Alliance Building and Networking at state and national level
- Over the years the organization has build up its strength in raising gender issues and has also been successful in mobilizing various stake holders for the same. The organization is also networking with several state and national level networks - The Mahila Atyachar Virodhi Network and Akal Sangharsh Samity, working towards drought mitigation are at the state level, Right to Food, Right to Information, Right to Education, National Rural Employment Guarantee Schemes, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, Bal Sarrakshan Abhiyan And at the National level with the Committee against Violence of Women
- Campaigns: Violence against women, Child Rights, Communalism, Caste based violence, Implementation of Protection of women against Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA)
- Awareness generation through issue based activities like Plays, Songs, Slogans, Exhibitions and Film shows
- Government committees: Member of Committee against Sexual Harrasment at Working place under VISHAKHA guidelines, member of Mahila Salah Suraksha Kendra at Police station, member of Zila Mahila Sahayta Samiti at district level
- Media: The organization works with media in order to create awareness and dissemination of information to have an impact on government policies and programs. Apart form campaigning on specific issues and cases, MJAS has been actively involved with the media to generate debates over issues like survival and education of girls, sexual harassment at workplace, drought management, etc.
- Research and documentation:
- Perceptions of women and the community on violence: Its acceptable and unacceptable forms and using locally available resources to combat violence. MJAS conducted a study on Natha custom in Rajasthan.
- Experiences of dalits and women from marginalized communities in their roles as representatives in Panchayati Raj Institutions. A three year action research was conducted on EWRs elected in three districts of Rajasthan.
- Role of women in Natural Resource governance and drought relief programmes