No Silence for violence!

They say that where there’s will, there’s always a way! Keerthi Bolleneni, a gold medalist in social work from Andhra University, is one such woman who is determined to bring about a positive change for women.

Keerthi is a change maker and a trendsetter under the She Creates Change programme of Change.org India. The social activist has started a campaign on Change.org called #NoSilenceForViolence with a petition asking the Andhra Pradesh government to implement a sensitisation programme for the police on dealing with domestic violence survivors. Her petition has garnered 1,06,540 signatures. Recently, the Andhra Pradesh CM Chandrababu Naidu has appreciated the support system ‘Mahila Mitra’, which has been put in place by Keerthi. He also announced that it must be replicated across the state.

A survivor herself, Keerthi became a change maker under She Creates Change Programme of Change.org India. She is shortly coming up with a publication which will contain case stories of distressed single women.  “When women face crises in life, they begin to think that it is the end of their life and that reduces the progress,” said Keerthi, who explains that when going through crises, women vent by confiding in their trusted and loved ones.

When we talk about preventing violence against women and girls, what are we specifically talking about? She said, “Training women and girls in self-defense, for one, will not only have a positive impact on their confidence levels but will also add to their life skills and give them the edge in a violent situation. Additionally, we ask parents to teach their boys to take a ‘no’ for what it is — a ‘no’.”

Talking more about the petition, she said, “It has received more than 1.06 lakh supporters. Last year, the government of Andhra Pradesh formed an expert committee to frame policies and actions for the safety and protection of women.  After intensive consultation with various state and non-state action communities and educational institutions, a detailed report was prepared and submitted to the CM last month. My organisation is a part of the action committee. States like Odisha, Assam, and Telangana are in pipeline to scale up Mahila Mitra. The other states should follow.”