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Policy Change and Advocacy
What we do
Our advocacy work is aimed at making larger systemic changes in the legal and policy frameworks governing violence against women, and domestic violence in particular, with the intention of ensuring proper and timely implementation of legislation.
Our Projects
Following a study conducted in 2017, we are currently working at building an advocacy campaign focused on Sections 85 and 86 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (erstwhile Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code), which criminalises cruelty towards a married woman by her husband and/or his relatives. Our campaign is designed to counter the dominant and inaccurate narrative of misuse that is weaponised to weaken the law’s implementation. We also plan to file a Public Interest Litigation at the Karnataka High Court in order to urge the courts to challenge the dilution of these laws.
Burns Policy is a holistic policy drafted as a result of many years of work. Since 1997, we have visited Victoria Hospital's burns wards which were in an abysmal condition. In order to improve the condition of the burns survivors and the wards themselves, we have drafted the comprehensive Burns Policy and submitted to the Karnataka government.
The Policy focuses on increasing the staff-to-patient and doctor-to-staff ratios, strengthening the treatment, adopting a holistic approach to care, recognizing burns related, and including burns survivors under the disability law. The bill was passed as part of the 2025-26 Karnataka State Budget. With this, Karnataka becomes the first State to have a standalone comprehensive policy for burns survivors. The State will subsequently introduce a burn injury prevention and treatment policy. As the Burns Policy falls under the Health Department, Aweksha will submit the draft policy to the department and continue advocating for its implementation.
498A Campaign
Burns Policy
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