Corporate Campaign Partners

Every year, we reach out to all the companies we have worked with and invite them to partner with us through some activity. This year, two companies have accepted our invitation to be Corporate Campaign Partners. Facilio is a young team, deeply committed to building a gender equal and just workplace. Chrysalis is an old partner; we have worked with them on and off, borrowed their conference space and done Community Cafes there.

What they're getting to do is to put up this beautiful poster in their space, and ask their teams to imagine the changes they would like to see in the world.

We can send you the digital version of this graphic and the instruction poster, if you would like to do this activity as well. The 16 Days are only a beginning. Email us at prajnya.16days@gmail.com. All we ask for are photos!

And of course, they will keep and distribute the Call for Help. We have also given them a Call for Help poster that they can stick up in their bathrooms. If you would like one, we can email you a pdf that you can print. Just drop us a line at prajnya.16days@gmail.com.

Thanks for being a part of the 2018 Campaign, Facilio and Chrysalis! Together, we'll change the world! 

Thank You, EZ Vidya!

Prajnya is proud to have EZ Vidya as our Corporate Campaign Partner for the 16 Day Campaign Against GEnder Violence for the second year running. Here's what Chitra Ravi, Founder and CEO of EZ Vidya, has to say about our association. 

A Note from Chitra Ravi, Founder & CEO EZ Vidya

We, at EZ Vidya believe that a humane approach & sensitivity to fellow beings  are the most vital aspects for a peaceful society, where there is mutual respect and acceptance. Gender sensitivity is an important element even in education, the business we are in!

Prajnya creates awareness and works on empowering individuals to understand Gender sensitivity as well as sensitive topics like gender violence. We believe that our workplace should be harmonious, devoid of any gender discrimination and of course with a big NO to gender violence of any kind. So, Prajnya became our natural partner in creating a highly sensitive workplace. Thanks Prajnya!

Community Cafe: Exploring GV - Learnt Violence, Taught Equality

We co-hosted our first Corporate Community Cafe of the 2014 Campaign Season on 5th December with the lovely people at EZ Vidya. The Community Cafe is a format that allows us to approach gender violence from many angles and perspectives and each group of people we do it with put their impress on the conversation in different ways.

In prevention and response to Gender Violence, we often talk about multi-sectoral interventions. There are many layers and complications to traverse and requires work at every level. At EZ Vidya, we sat down with a mixed group of people of different ages, gender and experiences but with a common passion for education. As people engaged in re-defining the way teachers teach, children learn and content is shaped, the conversation followed two main themes:

• The Gender Stereotyping that steers children towards certain hobbies, activities and careers as appropriate for their gender and the subsequent consequences for children of all genders was discussed at length. For example, men are often pushed towards Engineering or Management to gear them to being breadwinners and denying them avenues to pursue their passions and women are stripped of responsibilities and choices in this regard, leaving them free to choose careers in the arts or sciences but simultaneously denying them equal opportunities. 
• A large part of the discussion focused on how children can be raised and taught in gender-sensitive and gender-equal ways. EZ Vidya's work on re-shaping curriculum was also highlighted. In their new social studies books for primary classes, men and women are both portrayed as heads of families and both have careers and do housework. The family is explained as a collaborative unit and no gender-specific roles are assigned, thereby challenging stereotypes that we often take for granted, such as mothers cook and fathers work. 

The people at EZ Vidya strongly believe that focusing on children and changing what we teach them, the manner in which it is taught and the people who teach are critical pivots in altering the discourse on gender and violence. We hope this is the first of many such conversations.

Thank you, PIL

This thank you note goes out to Pacific International Lines (PIL), one of our Corporate Campaign Partners, who distributed the Call for Help listing on their campus.

Revathy, a senior executive with PIL says,

"It's important to create awareness about Gender Violence, especially sexual harassment at the workplace. We spoke to the people in our building about the issue, because 90% of them are not aware, even about the rules to form an Internal Complaints Committee. The Workplace Sexual Harassment training that we had at PIL was an eye-opener for many of us, and we hope that every company now constitutes a complaints committee and trains employees on the issue."

Nancy, a senior executive in the HR department says,

"We had put up a stall in our premises in the lobby area on 29th November 2013. We had quite a few positive responses from most of the offices, who collected the posters for their office, as well as for distribution to their staff. We also had interesting responses wherein people were keen to know more about this law (Protection of Women from Sexual Harassment at the Workplace, 2013) and about the formation of ICC."

Thank you, AVTAR

This 'Thank You' note goes out to AVTAR Career Creators, one of our Corporate Campaign Partners. Here's what Saundarya Rajesh, Founder - President, AVTAR Career Creators & FLEXICareers India, has to say:

"Violence in any form is against the norm of a free and civilised society. Any act of Gender Violence or Sexual Harassment targeted against women is an alarming reflection of the abysmal state to which our society can fall. It challenges the very right of women to live in a free and secure world. A sustained campaign against Gender Violence that promotes awareness, sensitisation and zero-tolerance towards such acts is of utmost importance to wipe out violence against women. As an organisation working towards women's empowerment through meaningful careers, we support the Prajnya 16 Days Campaign against Gender Violence for ensuring a safe environment at all places - work, home and public locations"

Thank you, Sundari Silks

Here's a big 'Thank You' to another one of our Corporate Campaign Partners, Sundari Silks. They've been distributing our Call for Help brochures to their customers, and Prajnya wants to put on record our appreciation for their help. This is what the MD of Sundari Silks, Mr Manmohan Ram has to say:

"There are terrible things happening to women in our country; gender violence has been a problem for a very long time now and this has to change. People should be educated, and the learning has to come from the family too. I support the cause, and I thing we should all work towards creating equal opportunities for women."