Rekha Devi from Baldi Kheda village in Lucknow District in Uttar Pradesh has had a hard life. She and her husband have been landless labourers struggling to make ends meet. Work is intermittent, lowly paid and hardly enough to cover expenses. Her son is physically challenged, married and unfortunately their child too has physical complications. Asking neighbours for m... Read More
Mestriyamma used to wake up at 4am every day to cook for her family of 12, consisting her husband, their two children and the couple’s eight brothers. Their house in Kodigehalli slum in Bangalore is simply a large hall with no separate kitchen or attached bathroom. And so, she would cook outside the house every morning and evening. Daily, her husband, Shankrappa ... Read More
30-year-old Kajal was married for 18 years and had three teenaged children. For the past 15 years she was working as an ASHA and did not need to depend on her husband for financial support. Her husband worked with the local newspaper and as a family they were well-off. However, that did not stop Kajal from facing violence on a regular basis. In November 2020, s... Read More
24-year-old Malti visited the antenatal ward for the routine HIV test and the results showed up as likely positive. The lab technician at this facility was oriented on the association between HIV and potential intimate partner violence, and so contacted the Sajha counsellor about Malti. The counsellor learnt that this was Malti’s 4th pregnancy, and she had lo... Read More
14-year-old Seema was brought by officers of the Child Helpline to the hospital for pregnancy testing. She had run away from her home and was rescued by the Helpline; she would be now sent to a shelter home till the legal procedures would be completed. As per the norms, for admitting a female to a shelter home, a negative pregnancy test report is a mandatory requireme... Read More
Dilkhush was born on January 9, 2018, weighing 2.5 kilograms. His mother, Fori and father, Durgalal were happy with the birth of their first child, making it a family of three. The family draws its income from cattle farming and agriculture, with no external assistance. As a result, the infant’s parents began to spend less time with him, being occupied with farmi... Read More
