The United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Sustaining Health Outcomes Project through Private Sector (SHOPS) Plus and Momspresso.com, India's largest platform for mothers, have today announced the launch of a campaign to reduce violence against women.
The campaign comes on the back of a steep rise in violence against women across the country during COVID-19 restrictions.
"Denial of contraception, which disempowers women and violates their reproductive rights, is a form of violence that has not received the attention it deserves. USAID is proud of our longstanding health partnerships in India and is pleased to be supporting this campaign that will not only raise awareness about this important issue but also provide women with accurate and confidential information to improve their agency in family planning decisions," said Sangita Patel, USAID/India Health Office Director, speaking about the upcoming campaign.
As a precursor to the campaign, Momspresso.com conducted an online survey, which revealed a lack of awareness that contraception denial is a form of intimate partner violence (IPV).
Survey findings revealed that more than 50 per cent of respondents consider verbal as well as physical abuse as violence, while 42 per cent think that forced sexual intercourse is a form of violence. When asked about violence in relation to contraceptive use, close to 70 per cent of respondents did not consider that being denied the use of contraceptives is also a form of violence.
USAID and Momspresso will use the survey findings to launch a digital campaign that aims to empower women to recognise different forms of IPV including contraception denial/interference and unprotected sex, not seeking a woman's consent in decisions pertaining to contraception, and non-consensual sex.
The campaign will provide a safe space for women experiencing these difficulties to access accurate information about family planning. The clear messages to action encourage women to call the Family Planning Helpline, 18002580001, with the reassurance that calls are completely confidential. A collaboration with a prominent NGO will also provide women with further counselling support against IPV.
The campaign will kick off with celebrity influencer Divyanka Tripathi, followed by Momspresso.com's network of mommy bloggers and women-centric micro-communities, who will create awareness around intimate partner violence and contraception.
The campaign will also host a Facebook live session with experts, such as psychologists and activists, who will initiate conversations around this issue. Finally, the platform will utilize its in-house editorial support across 10 different languages to increase audience reach and engagement.
"Unfortunately, not a lot of women know that denial of contraception, in any capacity, is a form of intimate partner violence. Denying contraception makes women vulnerable to unplanned pregnancies since the lack of agency in family planning is largely normalized. The SHOPS Plus/Mompresso IPV campaign aims to increase awareness of these problems and provide women with expert support on family planning and dealing with IPV," said Prashant Sinha, Co-Founder & COO, Momspresso.
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( With inputs from ANI )
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