Gender-based violence in India and feminist organizing of Women's Court's work for its prevention

Abstract

This article explores obstacles that Gender-based violence (GBV) survivors face in approaching gender justice and organizations working for GBV prevention. Through an ethnographic engagement with an all-women organization–the women's court–in India that works to prevent and resolve GBV cases, we explore the challenges in GBV interventions. While survivors' agency and their perspectives on violence and justice have often been ignored, women's courts work with a restorative approach to prioritize women's voices. Employing a postcolonial feminist approach, the study unveils challenges in attaining gender justice through a discussion on (i) the inaccessible language of law and the persuasion paradox, (ii) power relations and intersectional barriers, and (iii) the post-administrative realities of survivors. Further, the study explores the role of feminist solidarity and strategies for resistance in GBV work. The study extends the understanding of intersectional barriers in approaching gender justice and discusses the voice and voicelessness paradigms of victims/survivors and women's court members.