According to an article published by Pew Research Center in March 2022, nearly 23% Indians believe women face a lot of discrimination in India. About 16% women reported discrimination because of their gender in the 12 months before the 2019-2020 survey was conducted. Whereas, violence against women in the Indian society was considered a very serious problem by three-quarter of adults.
Today, Indian women are facing unprecedented challenges. A 2018 United Nations fact sheet revealed that women in India represent 29% of the labour force, but over half of the work done by them is unpaid - almost all of the work is informal and unprotected. Women comprise almost 40% of agricultural labour, but they control only 9% of the land. India has just 17% share of women’s contribution to the GDP, whereas the global average is 37%. Additionally, Indian women face immense physical insecurity.
DAF is committed towards empowering girls & women at every level. From physical violence to economic disparity, gender discrimination; we are guiding women on dealing with such grave challenges. Our organisation’s several projects across India are playing significant roles in bringing immediate changes in their lives, eventually uplifting their condition in all fields.
Keeping a good health is certainly not easy, especially for women in India. India tops the list of countries that are said to have the highest maternal mortality. Here, a quarter of women of reproductive age are undernourished, with a body mass index of less than 18.5 kg/m (Source: NFHS 4 2015-16). Mental disturbances frequently occur during late pregnancy and in the postpartum period.
Our Health & Wellness Camps are aimed at imparting specialised knowledge to women on crucial health issues.
As a doctor, Dr. Archika Didi very well knows the importance of having a sound physical and mental health in today’s hectic and unhealthy lifestyle. For this, she has introduced a woman & youth centric yoga schedule. It has various sessions on various topics which aims at improving women’s mental and physical health. Dr. Archika Foundation regularly organises free yoga camps, especially for women & Youth
Widow Welfare Scheme is meant for widow women who fall under the BPL category. Under this, over 250 widowed women are provided with monthly grocery. We make sure that these women are able to have sufficient nutritious food and the same for their respective families. We help them by distributing articles like cereals, pulses, flour, rice, sugar, cooking oil, tea, spices, etc. Through this scheme, we have been able to reach out to numerous women.
Women safety has been a major concern in India. The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs set up ‘Women Safety Division’ on May 28, 2018 to check this threat. Under this division, effective measures are taken to strengthen women safety and instil in them a greater sense of security.
However, a BBC article reported that Indian police recorded about 6 million crimes between 1st January and 31 December in 2021. Out of this figure, 4,28,278 cases were related to crimes against women as compared to 3,38,954 cases in 2016.
Considering the urgency to ensure women safety, DAF came up with Women Sensitization & Empowerment Programme in 2016.