Delhi, India - Gawain, a nonprofit organization located in Tokyo, has implemented their own unique rape prevention methods to 1,000 households / 5,000 women and children in the slums of Kusumpur Pahari. Their project has successfully stopped 2 rape crimes and 5 other sex crimes, also reduced the number of rape crimes from 79 cases to zero, and other sexual crimes from 633 to only 2 cases in the past six months.
Project Overview
From February to July 2023, Gawain implemented its largest project using the CSD method developed in-house, targeting 1,000 households of women and children living in slums in Kusumpur Pahari area in southwest Delhi. This area is known as a high-crime area with poor security. A brief survey conducted by Gawain with 100 women during the area selection process revealed that the percentage of female victims in various crimes in the past six months was very high: rape by strangers：12%, rape by acquaintances：34%, and other sexual crimes：54%.
Results and Achievements
※In this survey, Gawain adopted a method of filling out anonymous questionnaires on paper and placing them in a collection box to ensure the anonymity and safety of participating women.
● 2 rape crimes were stopped.
● 5 sexual violence excluding rape and domestic violence were stopped.
● 100% rape reduction before and after intervention. Crimes down from 79 cases before intervention to 0 cases.
● 99.7% sexual violence excluding rape and domestic violence reduction before and after intervention. Crimes down from 633 cases before intervention to 2 cases.
● 99.4% of women who responded that the CSD method was useful for protecting the safety of women and children living in slums and that they would recommend it to others.
Some Comments from beneficiaries
"I used to live in fear of not knowing what would happen when, but now I feel safe even though it's the same daily life because I think 'even if something happens, it's okay.'"
"My daughter is more often the target of harassment and teasing than I am, so I have her carry a buzzer. I'm worried when she has to walk around the slums at night. Both she and I feel safe."
"I learned that we can stand up to sexual violence on our own, and I'm no longer afraid to walk around in the slums."
Instagram：https://www.instagram.com/gawain_npo/ Gawain is still looking for more corporate sponsors to help women and children living in slums in India. If anyone is interested in their activities, please contact here.
- Contact：https://www.sirgawain.org/contact
What is CSD method?
This is an initiative to prevent and interrupt rape and sexual crimes by distributing personal alarms to women in each household to alert people in the surrounding area of danger in case of emergency and to gather everyone in one place. CSD stands for Community Self Defense and is Gawain's unique method of organizing self-defense using personal alarms as a trigger, focusing on the compatibility between "slum environmental characteristics" and "sound". It is designed to be as simple as possible to operate so that anyone, anywhere, anytime can implement it, even if they cannot speak the language.
About Gawain
International NGO founded in Japan that aims to end rape in slums. Since its establishment in 2019, Gawain has been developing the world's first methods to prevent rape crimes that prevail in slums. Rape is one of the most common crimes, and even accurate statistical data is unknown. In India, where Gawain's focus is on, 28,046 women were raped in 2020, which is equivalent to about 80 women being raped every day (according to NCRB). Gawain has its own field team to develop and improve community-based methods by building good relationships with women and children living in each slum. In order to carry out the project safely, Gawain has formed an alliance with the local police and conducts joint research with university institutions to ensure accurate impact evaluation. We will continue to strive to build a "life infrastructure" where everyone can live safely, regardless of gender, caste, or wealth.
Official website: https://www.sirgawain.org/