When French Consul General Philippe Janvier-Kamiyama visited a non-descript village on the border with Tamil Nadu, he must have been impressed by the resilience of rural women.
In Ouchimedu, where the NGO ADECOM Network runs a Village Training Centre to teach tailoring to women and spoken English to rural students, there were several women who had once been helpless victims of domestic violence. Many of these women have had their self-belief restored and have found in tailoring a useful avocation.
The Consul General shared his concern over the violence against women. “Women should retain their privileged position in society and get equipped to contribute to the development process,” he told a gathering of women beneficiaries.
As a symbolic gesture, he also planted saplings at the training centre.
Accompanying Mr. Janvier-Kamiyama were Stephane and Line from Development Without Borders in France and Sara, a social volunteer from the U.S.
“Since we began our intervention in this village about four years ago, more than 200 women, a number of them survivors of family violence, have been imparted tailoring skills,” said Lallidamballe, ADECOM managing trustee.
She hoped that the Consul General’s visit would result in partnerships for the betterment of women in rural society.
Apart from domestic violence, which is invariably related to alcohol abuse, the NGO is also addressing the lack of sanitation in the village where only a small proportion of the population of over 2,000 have access to latrines.
ADECOM runs similar women empowerment initiatives in about 70 villages focusing on helping women from oppressed minorities to exercise their political, social and economic rights and challenging stereotypes about women’s place in society and reversing beliefs and behaviours that discriminate against women, she pointed out.
In Puducherry and neighbouring areas, the NGO has been offering free legal assistance for women who become victims of domestic violence.
“We have requested the government to empanel us as a service provider as envisaged under the Domestic Violence Act,” said Ms. Lallidamballe.
