Gender Based Violence and Resilience in India: Co-Producing Interdisciplinary Network through storytelling and applied theatre (GenViR Network India)

This highly collaborative, cross-disciplinary network details a novel applied theatre methodology which will both explore and mobilise resources to mitigate gender-based violence (GBV) against young and older adult migrant women in slum dwelling communities in India. GBV disproportionately affects women and girls who often suffer more serious mental and physical health and social consequences compared to men and boys. In all settings GBV against women and girls is recognised as a high-risk factor for poor health outcomes including mental health, adverse reproductive outcomes, poor sexual health, disability, chronic pain, traumatic brain injury and even death. There is a notable scarcity of research and insight into how women mitigate and develop resilience in the face of these adversities, and how they construct resilience for positive living. This represents an untold story which the network intends to explore. The concept of resilience is gaining traction as a research tool, and this is happening in tandem with a recognition that the complexity of human communities, conflicting intersectionality, and the challenges faced, are growing more acute. Our network intends to meaningfully address these challenges in their full complexity. Our proposal combines an intergenerational approach to exploring perspectives of women and men on addressing and reducing GBV for promoting mental health and resilience with an inclusive participatory model, novel applied theatre methodology and digital media approaches.

Through the application of applied theatre and storytelling as an umbrella concept, we envisage that these arts-based practice will create theatre with community groups with the aim of inviting change and investigating community-led solutions to the lived experiences of injustice, inequity, and violence. We will undertake this through: (1) Exploring how SDMW can be safely and ethically engaged in identifying critical areas for change in reducing GVB in their communities. (2) Eliciting stories from interested SDMW about their lived experiences of GBV and possible solutions. (3) Co-developing a series of workshops to mobilise lived experience experts and cross-sector stakeholders as agents of change for sustainable and culturally relevant research and impact agenda. (4) Building capacity in existing relationships and establishing new partnerships to strengthen and diversify the network's research base and funding applications.

Our network will extend existing partnerships and develop new collaborations between UK and Indian academics and researchers, members of marginalised slum dwelling communities, theatre practitioners and NGOs. We will explore the forms that violence against women may take, ways they can resist it, and where help can be sought. Our theatrical, storytelling and digital media engagement will offer opportunities over and above conventional research methods to elicit new stories and experiences and catalyse fresh thinking about possible solutions in a way which can engage both women and men from marginalised communities in addressing GBV.

Our network will impact on: (1) promoting peace, justice, dignity, wellbeing and resilience for this vulnerable community by facilitating effective and context-relevant solutions to GBV; (2) direct engagement in addressing GBV through co-creation of knowledge on resilience, and GBV prevention of strategies; (3) building capacity, facilitating preventative and resilience building measures to address GBV in slum dwelling internal migrant communities to promote gender equality, social justice and economic development; (4) inform national and international debates on culturally appropriate GBV prevention strategies for promoting peace, justice and resilience of marginalised slum dwelling communities in India/ South Asia.