When Elca met Anjali at a charity event in Hyderabad two years ago, both realised this was the start of something big. Today, the two women are heading an organised movement for gender equality, sexual liberty and against domestic violence in Andhra Pradesh.

“I was looking for opportunities to partner with someone to work in the areas of empowering women. I shared ideas about My Choices and my local know-how, and things started falling into place beautifully. Our goals were the same and we had a straightforward approach to work, which has brought us a long way,” says Anjali Rudraraju, who co-founded My Choices with Elca Groble.

My Choices is an NGO based out of Hyderabad and Warangal that seeks to end violence against women.

Anjali believes that “women can be catalysts and agents of social change.” My Choices aims to reduce domestic violence in India through thousands of recruits called PeaceMakers who are trained in family and marriage counselling and all aspects of the Domestic Violence Act.

“We train local women to support victims of abuse through counselling, rights education and legal aid. We currently have around 80 PeaceMakers working in their communities,” says Anjali, 33, a banker from the US who left her job to return to India to work in this field.

“Local women enroll in the PeaceMaker programme after undergoing an initial screening process. Our PeaceMakers go through a four-week basic training, followed by an eight-week internship where they actively work on domestic violence cases in their own communities,” she explains.

Elca, 44, moved to India from South Africa in 2011 with her husband, Roger, and three children— Gabrielle, Joshua, and Zoe.

“I have a CFA and MBA, and years of experience working in banking and microfinance. It was my initial plan to stay on this trajectory while I branched out towards women’s empowerment in India. I thought I would work in microfinance, but as I listened to women—friends, community leaders, NGO workers—I heard one pervasive and desperate request: Everyone wanted a solution to the violence happening inside homes,” she says.

“Every woman it seemed needed or knew someone who needed help dealing with domestic violence. Although I hadn’t planned on venturing to end domestic violence in India, it became my goal, and the reason for My Choices. The broader goals of impacting other violence against women and girls, child marriage, human trafficking etc. developed later,” says Elca.

In India, over 50 per cent of men and women agree that a man hitting his wife is a justifiable expression of masculinity, the two women point out.

“We believe that this must be addressed in a multifaceted way. The rule of law must be firmly behind the woman, and fortunately India has comparatively progressive laws for the protection of women, but change must start at a more grass-root level; in our homes and schools,” says Anjali.

And Anjali has some startling facts to share. “In Andhra Pradesh, domestic violence is increasing by about 10 per cent every year according to the National Crime Records Bureau. Most countries have gone through periods where violence rises dangerously before it falls, but India is showing a pace that is both terrifying and perplexing,” reveals Anjali, who also runs an organic farm in Hyderabad.

Talking about the biggest challenges that women face today, Anjali says, “It is official, you know, that India is the worst place in the world for a baby girl to be born.

There is a unique acceptance of the use of violence against women, she says. “This is cause for fear in women,” Anjali says. “Fear can hold us back from doing anything. If men on the streets don’t frighten you, Indian politicians and policemen making statements like ‘If you can’t prevent rape, enjoy it’ do,” she points out, referring to the controversial comment allegedly made by the Central Bureau of Investigation chief Ranjit Sinha last year.

source: http://www.newindianexpress.com / The New Indian Express / Home> Magazine / by Swathi Sharma / August 03rd, 2014