Campaigns
As an organisation, we express our solidarity with global movements for protecting women and girls from violence and hate. These movements speak of peace, harmony and coexistence of human societies and go beyond women’s issues and national, socio-political boundaries. These campaigns resonate with our campaign for dignity and freedom, especially of women and girls. Further, we look at all other campaigns, including on climate action at the intersection of gender.
One Billion Raising (OBR)
It is observed across the globe and in our work area on 14th February of every year, calling for convening of human societies around a specific theme. In 2024, OBR escalated the call to ‘Rise for Freedom’ because of the persistent intensification of violence – ongoing rape, hate, exclusion, killing, discrimination, exploitation, abuse, wars, division, occupation and control.
Sixteen Days of Activism against GBV
The Sixteen-Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign that kicks off on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until 10 December, Human Rights Day. The campaign calls on citizens to show how much they care about ending violence against women and girls by sharing the actions they are taking to create a world free from violence towards women. This year’s campaign also calls on governments worldwide to share how they are investing in gender-based violence prevention. At ARPAN we observe sixteen-days of activism involving women from across the spectrum.
Social and Behavioural Change Campaigns
Range of issues that discriminate women and girls basis their gender are rooted in social and behavioural practices. We are addressing two issues that carry stigma, discrimination and violence against women and girls, and directly impacting their dignity and safety. Menstrual stigma and discrimination and alcoholism among men are related to social practices and behaviour associated with it. We carry out campaign to remove stigma and discrimination associated with menstruation, which also intersects with caste-based discrimination in schools among girls. Alcoholism among men and especially illicit liquor brewing is a practice promoting of violence against women. It is rooted in patriarchal norms of drinking and beating women. Our campaign against menstrual stigma and discrimination involves engagement with schools and communities with women and girls between 15 and 49 years in dispelling myths and misbeliefs about menstruation.
Our campaign against alcoholism is about illicit liquor brewing in villages, which results in violence against women. Men having access to cheap and easily available liquor take advantage and under the garb of liquor beat women and abuse them. Along with elected women panchayat representatives we address illicit liquor brewing in the villages and also talk about harmful effect the consumption has on human body and family relations.
Important Social Days
Connected to the issues that we are working on we celebrate important national and international social days, like the Youth Day, Daughters’ day, Menstruation Day, Indigenous People’s Day, Women’s day, Girl child day, Anti-child labour day, Human Rights Day etc. This helps us express solidarity with the national and global social calls and also supports our campaign around social issues. It is an important tool for us to engage with the community on different questions around social issues.