In a first-of-its-kind, a group of 400 women survivors of domestic violence have come forward in Theni district and established a federation to help womenfolk here on Tuesday.

Promoting the idea, Arogya Agam, a development organisation for the marginalised at Andipatti, Theni, said that the unique peer-led initiative is an exclusive platform for women standing up for their own well-being, rights and collective leadership.

The district-level peer support group (PSG) federation functions on a model where one woman helps another to combat violence, access legal services, secure immediate rehabilitation and navigate government welfare schemes.

Having walked the difficult path of survival themselves, these members are leveraging their lived experiences to act as first-responders and change agents for other women in distress. 

Presiding over the meeting, Aarogiam secretary R. Elamathi Arul emphasised the critical need for an institutionalised, autonomous structure for marginalised women.  

She said, ​”survivors must not be viewed merely as victims or passive beneficiaries; their experiences can be transformed into a potent force for social change.

To counter systemic domestic violence and social neglect, a unified leadership and a robust organisational framework are absolutely vital. This federation would empower women to transition from isolation to solidarity and ultimately, from trauma to leadership,” she stated.

With active participation from over 30 core women representatives from different blocks of the district, who shared their field insights and personal journeys, the federation has set forth a clear, rights-based action plan, Ms Elamathi said.

The objective of the federation includes establishing a self-managed, swift-response network to provide legal aid and socio-emotional support to women facing domestic abuse and creating institutionalized livelihood mechanisms to ensure financial independence for single and survivor women and among others.

Assistant Director ​T.V. Murugesan, consultant S.M. Simon and others spoke. Project Manager R. Tamilanban underscored the immense strategic value of scaling up local peer support into a formidable district-level alliance. 

​From ignorance to clarity, isolation to solidarity and suffering to leadership, the federation members resolved to take it up collectively through a pledge, a press release issued on Wednesday said.