Nilima Das has been working
as a mentor (Missamari village, Sonitpur, Assam) to empower women and to
sensitise all stakeholders in the area on VAW issues and local cultural
practices that result in violence. There are a number of indigenous tribes
working in the tea gardens in the Panchayats she works in. They suffer many
injustices because of their differences from the mainstream local communities.
Nilima Das also points out, there is high incidence of child marriage among
them. A young girl is put to work as soon as she reaches puberty and her
employability is also considered a sign that she has achieved the marriageable
age. She is working with women's groups and other local stakeholders to change
the mindset. Nilima mentions "Being a part of the project has enhanced my
understanding and sensitivity on violence against women. Working as a mentor
for the last two years have not only enabled me to advocate on community level
but also enhanced my decision making capability within my family.” She and her
fellow mentors (trained by Pragya with support from UNTF EVAW) conduct
campaigns to make people aware of various discriminatory traditional norms and
practices prevalent in the society that violates rights of women and girls and
put them at risk.
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