domestic violence Archives

This Documentary on Violence Explores the Social Geographies of Compromise in Women’s Lives

March 8, 2025

When filmmaker and doll maker, Hansa Thapliyal, worked with The Third Eye’s Learning Lab on creating a mixed media film out of the recordings of workshops for the Caseworker’s Dictionary of Violence, she asked, “Will I be able to go where these voices are?” Hence emerged Kya Hai Yeh Samjhauta? which works with the material of the everyday, scraps of cloth, needle thread and the timbre of human voices to bring alive the technicolour landscape in which womens’ compromises rest.

How to do a Survey on Witch-Hunting?

December 20, 2024

“How to ask a woman whether she has been called a daayan?” This was the first question that came to the minds of 46 women who were assigned the task of surveying those who have been victims of witch-hunting in Bihar. In the state of Bihar, as in Assam, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha, witch-hunting is an open secret.

Sp. Feature: Bayen – An Audio Story

December 18, 2024

“Baba, how does one become a Bayen (witch)?” Bhagirath asks his father Malinder near the dead lake as the shadow of his estranged mother looms over him. The recollecting of who his mother was and how she was ostracized as a witch from the Dom community in this story by Mahasweta Devi, is the unfolding of the myth of Bayen and the reality of witch-hunt.

Meet The Caseworkers: Episode 8, Manju Soni

September 25, 2024

Meet Manju Soni from Banda, Uttar Pradesh. Manju has been working with Vanangana NGO since 2000 and for the past five years has been working as a caseworker in the organisation, focused on gender-based violence cases.

Meet The Caseworkers: Episode 7, Avdhesh Gupta

July 11, 2024

In this episode, meet Avdhesh Gupta from Banda, Uttar Pradesh. Avdesh has been working with Vanangana NGO as a caseworker since 1995 on gender based violence cases.

Meet The Caseworkers: Episode 6, Kusum

January 27, 2024

In this episode, meet Kusum from Mahrauni, Uttar Pradesh. Kusum has been working with Sahjani Shiksha Kendra since 2008. Knowledge has strengthened her and she has a strong understanding of the law.

Meet The Caseworkers: Episode 5, Rajkumari Prajapati

January 27, 2024

In this episode, meet Rajkumari Prajapati from Lalitpur, Uttar Pradesh. In 2008, 19-year-old Rajkumari joined Sahjani Shiksha Kendra as a teacher, where she taught girls and women in a residential school. Since then, she handles cases as a caseworker and also makes films with The Third Eye.

“But you have to wake up in the morning and face the world.”

December 20, 2023

I was 16 years old. At the time, I had taken up a job in order to take care of my mother and younger sister. In doing so, I had to face many difficulties at the hands of my family, relatives, and the people in my mohalla.

“I can’t go back to my father’s house.”

November 30, 2023

What is a samjhauta? It is a decision made to wrap up disputes, in a way that ensures everything goes smoothly in the future. In my opinion, a samjhauta could turn out to be either successful, or utterly unsuccessful.

Meet The Caseworkers: Episode 4, Shabina Mumtaz