The Power of Collaboration: SAMAJ

Women and girls across South Asia face disproportionately high rates of sexual violence. In many countries across Asia and Pacific, the proportion of women who report having experienced physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner in their lifetime is substantially higher than the global average of 27%. Even this figure is likely not to reflect the full extent of violence against women. Consideration must also be given to societal stigma and fear of retaliation, leading many women to choose not to pursue justice or speak up about their experiences.

It is long past time to act. As a dedicated convener, Equality Now brought together voices from across South Asia to drive legal reforms and support essential services for survivors of sexual violence. The South Asian Movement for Accessing Justice, United Against Sexual Violence (SAMAJ) was born from this vision.

The Launch of SAMAJ

SAMAJ was launched in June 2024 as a new regional coalition consisting of  17 organizations and individuals across five countries: Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives. The coalition pursues legal change and survivor-centred justice in South Asia for sexual violence by:

• Establishing and sustaining an inclusive, multi-sectoral movement;
• Identifying and challenging gaps in existing laws and practices;
• Urging better accessibility and effectiveness of services and support for survivors;
• Promoting survivor-led solutions to improve access to justice for marginalized groups; and
• Advocating for greater accountability through regional and international mechanisms and treaty bodies to hold perpetrators and institutions accountable.

The Launch of SAMAJ

The Launch of SAMAJ

Nine Months Later: Where are we now?

Since SAMAJ’s launch last June, we have made steady progress in creating a name for ourselves in the region and putting the systems in place to drive transformative change. As a coalition, we have:

• Solidified relationships between members from different countries and experiences  in the region, which takes time and trust in the potential for collective action. This included reiterating our collective demands for those in power to bring about much needed changes in the law and its implementation, particularly for those from the Dalit, indigenous, women with disabilities and other marginalized communities; for compensation for survivors of sexual violence; and strengthening legal aid for better access to justice.
• Documented the purpose and role of the coalition, its membership, ways of working, and the themes within sexual violence that need to be prioritized and planned for engagement with decision makers, all of which is essential for collective action.
• Welcomed two new members working with women with disabilities and other marginalized groups in an attempt to bring more grassroots experiences into the coalition. Suggestions have been sought from the members in order to expand the coalition.
• Shared knowledge and good practices on sexual violence in the region, which is a key purpose of the coalition. As one of SAMAJ’s first actions, coalition members came together to work on a brief on legal aid mechanisms for survivors of sexual violence in South Asian countries to improve access to justice for sexual violence survivors. Subscribe to be the first to receive the brief when it’s released later this month.
• Provided a detailed account of the challenges in addressing sexual violence and the possible solutions in its submissions to the Committee on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) on Nepal and Sri Lanka. Members also gave oral submissions before the Committee.

In the coming months, consultations on sexual violence and marginalized communities are being planned in Bangladesh, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. A webinar on the specific challenges to women with disabilities is also in the pipeline. 

For more information or to become a member of SAMAJ, email samaj@equalitynow.org. 

Meet Equality Now: Julie Thekkudan

Name: Julie Thekkudan

Title: South Asia Consultant

What brought you to Equality Now?

A combination of working with the law on sexual and gender based violence, engaging with stakeholders in South Asia and connecting with the larger world really appealed to me.

In your time at Equality Now, what are you most proud of?

Working towards the creation and launch of SAMAJ has been one of the proud moments in my work at Equality Now. The other moments that I take joy in pushing greater awareness on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) in Asia with the United Nations and inter-governmental bodies in the Asia-Pacific region.

Who is your feminist hero?

Many women (and some men) have been my feminist heroes in my life, both family members who unknowingly contributed to nurturing the many questions and differences in perspectives of the everyday, and activists who lived the change they want to see and demonstrated that another reality is possible and can thrive

Julie Thekkudan

Julie Thekkudan