India: Information on women's groups and on organizations providing assistance to abused women (Update to Response to Information Request IND14182 of 5 July 1993)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 March 1994 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | IND16967.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, India: Information on women's groups and on organizations providing assistance to abused women (Update to Response to Information Request IND14182 of 5 July 1993), 1 March 1994, IND16967.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ac536c.html [accessed 19 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to a representative of the International Centre for Research on Women (ICRW) in Washington, DC, sexually abused women in New Delhi, Bombay, Madras, Bangalore and other large cities in India can seek legal aid through non-governmental legal aid centres operated by lawyers who provide free legal advice and assistance under the sponsorship of law faculties (24 Mar. 1994).
The same source added that a New Delhi private organization called Saheli (girl friend) provides sexually abused women with medical and psychological support as well as legal information and referrals. According to the Ottawa Citizen, KARMIKA, a radical women's group in Delhi, "shelters abused women, accompanies them to court and provides job training, legal advice, literacy training and health and family counselling." (29 May 1993). The Dallas Morning News indicates that since the end of British rule, social welfare groups in India's large cities, mostly religously affiliated, have been running "rescue homes" (7 Mar. 1993). However, food in these homes is strictly rationed and women are not allowed to leave the premises on their own in order to assure husbands and families that they will remain chaste (ibid.).
Up-to-date information on this subject will be provided in an upcoming Question and Answer paper. For an overall view on women groups in India, especially on those providing assistance to abused women, please consult Country Reports 1993 available at your regional documentation centre and the attached documents.
This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
The Dallas Morning News. 7 March 1993. Home Final Edition. Jim Landers. "Emerging From Silence; Pervasive Bias Imperils Lives, Welfare of Women in India." (NEXIS)
International Centre for Research on Women (ICRW), Washington, DC. 24 March 1994. Telephone interview with representative.
The Ottawa Citizen. 29 May 1993. Final edition. Louise Crosby. "Canadian Agency Fights for Women in Third World." (NEXIS)
Attachments
The Dallas Morning News. 7 March 1993. Home Final Edition. Jim Landers. "Emerging From Silence; Pervasive Bias Imperils Lives, Welfare of Women in India." (NEXIS)
The Ottawa Citizen. 29 May 1993. Final edition. Louise Crosby. "Canadian Agency Fights for Women in Third World." (NEXIS)
