# Welcome to the Solidarity Circle’s Wiki

The Kerala #MeToo movement reveals an urgent need for accessible, trauma-informed resources in both English and Malayalam that center survivors' experiences and empower communities to understand, support, and prevent gender-based violence. The following wiki is designed as a gentle, progressive framework that allows survivors and their supporters to:

- Move at their own pace through layers of understanding
- Find validation and recognition of their experiences
- Access practical tools for safety, healing, and advocacy
- Build collective knowledge without re-traumatization

This structure draws from trauma-informed care principles and survivor-centered approaches to create a compassionate, non-linear resource library. The Internet and social media remain market driven and chaotic as ever. For survivors seeking an understanding of their experience of violence and exploitation, there are few platforms that offer access to resources in a simple, accessible way.

**This curated resource platform is a foundation to build individual awareness on safety, consent and recovery. This is NOT a one stop solution, but a step towards bridging the gaps between survivors and systems.**

**Content Advisory:**<span> </span><span>Readers should be aware that this guide addresses difficult subject matter, including violence and rape. We encourage you to take breaks or skip sections as needed for your mental health.</span>

# HOW TO USE THIS WIKI

This wiki creates a compassionate, comprehensive, and culturally grounded library that respects the complexity of survivors' journeys while empowering communities to create lasting change. It is designed to grow organically through collaborative contributions, remaining responsive to the evolving needs of survivors and their allies in Kerala and beyond. The architecture moves from validation and grounding (Sections I-II), through practical tools for safety and healing (Section III), to community support and collective action (Sections IV-V), while addressing specific contexts and ongoing learning (Sections VI-VIII). This progression honors both individual healing and structural transformation, recognizing that personal and political liberation are deeply intertwined.

**To contribute, feedback or get in touch with us write a mail to solidarityshelf\[at\]proton\[dot\]me**

# SECTION I: GROUNDING & RECOGNITION

***This section will be updated shortly***

# SECTION II: UNDERSTANDING POWER & CONTEXT

# 2.1 Power, Patriarchy & Workplace Dynamics

*Primary references - Understanding Patriarchy and Gendered Hierarchies*

Leela Dube conceptualizes patriarchy as a multi-layered social system and removes it from the usual understanding of male dominance alone. Dube argues that patriarchal structures function in tandem with structures of household, workplace, kinship, community and governance. This helps us understand that patriarchy is closely embedded with cultural institutions and social norms. The resources made available below deal with patriarchal structures in different yet very similar workplace/cultural/social settings. Here we are attempting to understand how oppression employed by patriarchal settings tends to transform itself depending on the institutional dynamic.

**Important Resources**

- Bina Agarwal Structures of patriarchy state community and house hold in modernizing Asia: [https://archive.org/details/structuresofpatr0000unse\_g2i7/page/n9/mode/2up](https://archive.org/details/structuresofpatr0000unse_g2i7/page/n9/mode/2up)
- On Gender Justice and Sexual Harassment in the workplace: 
    - Hema Committee Report (complete): [https://feministlawarchives.pldindia.org/wp-content/uploads/justice-hema-committee-report-on-various-issues-faced-by-women-in-cinema-2024.pdf](https://feministlawarchives.pldindia.org/wp-content/uploads/justice-hema-committee-report-on-various-issues-faced-by-women-in-cinema-2024.pdf)
    - Discussion at Centre for Development Studies (September, 2024) - [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWexshi5pIQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWexshi5pIQ)
    - Short analysis - [https://medium.com/unframed-thinking/hema-committee-report-women-in-malayalam-cinema-843a58643e9b](https://medium.com/unframed-thinking/hema-committee-report-women-in-malayalam-cinema-843a58643e9b)
    - Short papers of Workplace Hierarchy: [https://www.ijariit.com/manuscripts/v10i4/V10I4-1206.pdf](https://www.ijariit.com/manuscripts/v10i4/V10I4-1206.pdf) [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/00380261241310012](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/epub/10.1177/00380261241310012)
- Indian Labour Movement and Oral History Documentation of Indian Labour Movement - Anil Rajimwale - This document was published by the V.V. Giri National Labour Institute is focused on oral history documentation of India’s labour movement. It collects testimonies of labour leaders and workers involved in trade union activities. [https://www.indianlabourarchives.org/bitstream/20.500.14121/2646/1/Oral\_History\_Documentation\_of\_Indian\_Labour\_Movement.pdf](https://www.indianlabourarchives.org/bitstream/20.500.14121/2646/1/Oral_History_Documentation_of_Indian_Labour_Movement.pdf)

# 2.2 Consent, Boundaries & Bodily Autonomy

Here we try and understand **Consent** from a far more nuanced perspective rather than reducing it to functions of vocabulary and speech. There are several judgements and social movements that invoke this way of reading consent. Consent transforms in various forms in the personal, public and professional space. The conclusion to this discourse should be that bodily autonomy is the primary facet from which one needs to approach the concept of consent.

- **Consent: A Fearful Asymmetry Nilofer Kaul:** *“Nilofer Kaul critically examines the concept of consent, unpacking its underlying assumptions of equality, rationality, and clear communication. But how do we navigate consent in a world that is inherently and unequally structured, where power imbalances are persistent and deeply entrenched? While consent may seem like a simple, straightforward principle, Kaul argues that it is anything but. Through her analysis, she highlights how the dynamics between two individuals are rarely equal – social, emotional, and structural power imbalances inevitably shape their choices, whether consciously or unconsciously. By focusing solely on consent as an isolated act of agreement or refusal, we risk overlooking the deeper violence embedded within these asymmetrical relationships.”* [https://scroll.in/article/1082516/consent-how-does-one-define-consent-when-systemic-inequalities-define-gendered-interactions](https://scroll.in/article/1082516/consent-how-does-one-define-consent-when-systemic-inequalities-define-gendered-interactions)

- **Judgement on the Mahmood Farooqui Case:** *The Mahmood Farooqui case concerned the conviction of a well-known cultural figure for forcibly performing oral sex on a woman who had repeatedly said no, with the court relying on the survivor’s consistent testimony, corroborating digital evidence, and Farooqui’s own apologetic response. The judgement is important because it marks a decisive shift in Indian rape jurisprudence: it rejects older ideas of rape as primarily about honour, physical injury, or “real” penetration, and instead recognises sexual violence as the violation of a woman’s bodily autonomy and control over her sexuality, even when the assault is brief, non-penetrative, or committed by a trusted acquaintance. By affirming that consent is central and that freezing in fear does not imply consent, the judgement strengthens survivor-centred interpretations of the law and signals a broader ethical and political rethinking of sexual violence in Indian courtrooms. [https://kafila.online/2016/08/14/the-mahmood-farooqui-rape-conviction-a-landmark-verdict-j-devika-nivedita-menon/](https://kafila.online/2016/08/14/the-mahmood-farooqui-rape-conviction-a-landmark-verdict-j-devika-nivedita-menon/)*

- **Queer understanding:** How does consent function in the gay male space and what straight men can learn from the gays - [https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/deep-focus/what-straight-men-can-learn-from-gays/articleshow/27054410.cms](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/sunday-times/deep-focus/what-straight-men-can-learn-from-gays/articleshow/27054410.cms)

- **“Being in love doesn't imply sexual consent” - Kerala High Court:** The article reports on a Kerala High Court judgment clarifying that being in love or in a relationship with someone does not automatically mean they consent to sex. The court was hearing an appeal in a rape case where a man had taken his 17-year-old girlfriend to a hotel and forced sexual intercourse without her consent. The court upheld the conviction, emphasising that consent must be voluntary, informed, and real — not assumed just because two people are romantically involved. It also noted that someone’s passive submission under compulsion (like fear or threats) isn’t legal consent. [https://www.theswaddle.com/being-in-love-doesnt-imply-sexual-consent-kerala-hc](https://www.theswaddle.com/being-in-love-doesnt-imply-sexual-consent-kerala-hc)

- **Feminist responses to sexual violence - Consolidating Feminist Collectives:** The article challenges the celebratory image of the Kerala model of development by highlighting the persistence of sexual violence and deep-rooted patriarchy in the state. It argues that despite high human development indicators, women in Kerala face systemic injustice sustained by an indifferent state, compromised institutions, and powerful perpetrators. Using high-profile cases such as the Malayalam actress assault, the nun rape case, the infant snatching case, the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), and Haritha’s conflict with the IUML, the article traces a shift in feminist politics—from silence and victimhood to public resistance and survivor-led activism. It emphasises the emergence of new, youth-led feminist collectives, digital activism, and cross-group solidarities that challenge patriarchal authority while navigating internal differences and neoliberal constraints. [https://www.epw.in/engage/article/consolidating-feminist-collectives-gleaning](https://www.epw.in/engage/article/consolidating-feminist-collectives-gleaning)

# 2.3 Why Systems Fail Survivors

Contrary to several landmark judicial pronouncements in the Indian context on rape and sexual assault, post Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013, legal practitioners representing survivors have consistently argued that any act involving bodily invasion for the sexual gratification of the perpetrator must be recognised as rape. However, this interpretation has frequently been either rejected or diluted by Indian courts, often being treated as a matter of legal contention rather than a settled principle.

Two high-profile cases, the rape of a nun by Bishop Franco Mulakkal and the conspiracy involving the kidnapping and sexual assault of a prominent Indian actress, illustrate instances where the legal system has failed not only the survivors but also the broader jurisprudential understanding of sexual violence in the country. Such judicial outcomes risk establishing problematic precedents, potentially discouraging future survivors from seeking justice and undermining the progressive intent of sexual assault laws.

- **Understanding Consent from a Feminist Legal Standpoint** [https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract\_id=3968427](https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3968427)

- **India: Investigating sexual abuse allegations in Kerala’s film industry** [https://youtu.be/8qkfK6EBsg8?si=VjKNxSTsNr-r6ui5](https://youtu.be/8qkfK6EBsg8?si=VjKNxSTsNr-r6ui5)

- **Interview with Adv. Vrinda Grover on why Bishop Franco Judgement is flawed and constructs unethical ideals of an ideal victim** [https://youtu.be/gCoMujaqZgA?si=25XOEu1LXJytyoij](https://youtu.be/gCoMujaqZgA?si=25XOEu1LXJytyoij)

- **Interview with Adv. TB Mini(Malayalam) on the actress kidnap and rape case, and comparison with previous cases in Kerala** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doT-zdauRS0&amp;t=1614s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=doT-zdauRS0&t=1614s)

- **Article on Rape Culture in India, looking at the act of rape in India, its causes and discourse around it** [https://ijlmh.com/wp-content/uploads/Rape-Culture-in-India.pdf](https://ijlmh.com/wp-content/uploads/Rape-Culture-in-India.pdf)

- **Human Rights Watch: The stigma and blame attached to rape survivors in India** [https://www.hrw.org/news/2013/01/08/stigma-and-blame-attached-rape-survivors-india](https://www.hrw.org/news/2013/01/08/stigma-and-blame-attached-rape-survivors-india)

- **Pushing feminism’s frontiers in Kerala - On the Me Too wave in Kerala and how it is more than just an elite reactionary movement.** Author argues that we need to look at the ‘non-feminist’ space where women react in both social and digital spaces against male violence and patriarchal oppression. [https://frontline.thehindu.com/social-issues/gender/kerala-women-revolution-feminism-cinema-collective-state-feminism-patriarchy-social-change/article68625024.ece](https://frontline.thehindu.com/social-issues/gender/kerala-women-revolution-feminism-cinema-collective-state-feminism-patriarchy-social-change/article68625024.ece)

- **Interview with parents of Suryanelli Rape Survivor** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDs9VB3wj04](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDs9VB3wj04)

- **Interview with Suryanelli Rape Survivor** on PJ Kurien a prominent Congress leader and former Rajya Sabha MP being named as one of the perpetrators. Kurien was added as a defendant in the case, nor did this affect his political career. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl8pa8BtMwg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wl8pa8BtMwg)

- **Interview with Adv. Subhalekshmi on Vithura Rape Survivor and denial of Justice**  
    [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qj\_XbQ3SyJM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qj_XbQ3SyJM)

# SECTION III: PATHWAYS TO SAFETY & HEALING

# 3.1 Safety & Crisis Response

1. **Creating a safe space:** Mental health professionals provide a secure and confidential environment where survivors can openly express their feelings and emotions. They offer empathy, understanding and validation, allowing survivors to feel heard and supported during their healing journey.
2. **Providing psychological treatment:** Mental health professionals utilise various evidence-based therapeutic approaches to address the psychological effects of trauma. Techniques such as cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) and trauma-focused treatment can help survivors reframe negative thoughts, process traumatic memories and develop coping strategies.
3. **Facilitating emotional healing:** Survivors of sexual assault often grapple with intense emotions such as anger, fear, sadness and guilt. Mental health professionals can help survivors navigate these emotions, develop self-compassion and work toward emotional healing and resilience.
4. **Addressing PTSD symptoms:** Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common consequence of sexual assault. Mental health professionals can help survivors identify triggers, manage symptoms and work through traumatic memories to reduce the impact of PTSD on their lives.
5. **Empowering survivors:** Mental health professionals aim to empower survivors by helping them regain control over their lives. They work with survivors to set realistic goals, rebuild self-esteem and develop healthy coping mechanisms to foster a stronger sense of self-worth and autonomy.
6. **Connecting with resources and support networks:** Mental health professionals can also connect survivors with additional resources and support networks. For example, they may recommend support groups, legal assistance or medical care to ensure a comprehensive approach to healing.

Creating support systems for Sexual Assault survivors should also include methodologies to accommodate social and cultural markers that demarcate trauma in a particular social setting.

- Survivor support and trauma and trauma care toolkit by Michigan State University [https://centerforsurvivors.msu.edu/resources/how-to-help-a-survivor/](https://centerforsurvivors.msu.edu/resources/how-to-help-a-survivor/)
- What do mental health professionals do? Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute [https://ppimhs.org/newspost/the-crucial-role-of-mental-health-professionals-in-healing-sexual-assault-survivors/](https://ppimhs.org/newspost/the-crucial-role-of-mental-health-professionals-in-healing-sexual-assault-survivors/)
- The rape of India’s Dalit women and girls [https://equalitynow.org/news/news-and-insights/the\_rape\_of\_india\_s\_dalit\_women\_and\_girls/](https://equalitynow.org/news/news-and-insights/the_rape_of_india_s_dalit_women_and_girls/)
- LSE Article on Media coverage and hypocrisy of covering rape of Dalit women [https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/southasia/2018/04/13/blame-and-shame-examining-the-media-coverage-of-dalit-rape-victim-in-india/](https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/southasia/2018/04/13/blame-and-shame-examining-the-media-coverage-of-dalit-rape-victim-in-india/)
- Dalit Survivors Of Sexual Violence Deal With Blocks To Justice At Every Step [https://behanbox.com/2022/04/12/dalit-survivors-of-sexual-violence-deal-with-blocks-to-justice-at-every-step/](https://behanbox.com/2022/04/12/dalit-survivors-of-sexual-violence-deal-with-blocks-to-justice-at-every-step/)
- How to respond to disclosures of abuse [https://thirtyoneeight.org/blogs/how-to-respond-to-disclosures-of-abuse/](https://thirtyoneeight.org/blogs/how-to-respond-to-disclosures-of-abuse/)
- Reacting to disclosure of abuse [https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/2/primarycare/childrenfirst/resources/responding-to-a-disclosure-of-abuse.pdf](https://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/2/primarycare/childrenfirst/resources/responding-to-a-disclosure-of-abuse.pdf)

# 3.2 Understanding Your Options

- **PREVENTION, PROHIBITION AND REDRESSAL ACT, 2013** Acts, Clauses and Glossary [https://doe.gov.in/files/inline-documents/DoE\_Prevention\_sexual\_harassment.pdf](https://doe.gov.in/files/inline-documents/DoE_Prevention_sexual_harassment.pdf)
- **25 Myths about POSH Act 2013** [https://www.shrm.org/in/topics-tools/employment-law-compliance/debunking-myths-about-india-posh-act](https://www.shrm.org/in/topics-tools/employment-law-compliance/debunking-myths-about-india-posh-act)
- **Explainer and briefing on POSH Act 2013** [https://elearnposh.com/posh-act/](https://elearnposh.com/posh-act/)
- **Understanding Virtual/Digital Rape:** Navigating Consent and Accountability in the Digital Age - CLPR Blog 2025 *Preventing virtual/digital rape requires a multi-faceted approach that involves law on virtual rape, education, advocacy, and systemic change. Teaching digital literacy and emphasizing the importance of consent in online interactions can help foster respectful digital spaces. Empowering victims by providing accessible resources, including legal aid, counseling, and helplines, to support their recovery is crucial. Advocacy for policy reform that pressures governments to enact and enforce comprehensive laws addressing digital sexual violence is equally important. Victims must also be encouraged to seek help without fear of judgment.* [https://clpr.org.in/blog/understanding-virtual-digital-rape-navigating-consent-and-accountability-in-the-digital-age/](https://clpr.org.in/blog/understanding-virtual-digital-rape-navigating-consent-and-accountability-in-the-digital-age/)
- **UNaccountable: A New Approach to Peacekeepers and Sexual Abuse** [https://ejil.org/pdfs/29/3/2893.pdf](https://ejil.org/pdfs/29/3/2893.pdf)

<span style="text-decoration: underline;">Survivor Interviews and Testimonies</span>

- **Unfounded Sexual Assault:** Women’s Experiences of Not Being Believed by the Police - Women’s perspectives about their experiences with police are not represented in research. This qualitative study explored women’s experiences when their sexual assault report was disbelieved by the police. Data collection included open-ended and semi-structured interviews with 23 sexual assault survivors. Interviews covered four areas including the sexual assault, the experience with the police, the experience of not being believed, and the impact on their health and well-being. [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9136376/](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9136376/)
- **Being Silenced:** The Impact of Negative Social Reactions on the Disclosure of Rape - Survivors are also likely to receive negative reactions from formal support providers. Negative reactions from professional sources may be particularly harmful for survivors. When “experts” doubt survivors, hold them responsible for the assault, or refuse to provide assistance, survivors may question both the effectiveness of such services and the usefulness of reaching out for help to anyone at all. Unfortunately, negative reactions from community system personnel appear to be all too common. Rape victims frequently report receiving negative or unhelpful reactions from legal and medical personnel. [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1705531/](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1705531/)

# 3.3 Healing Justice & Self-Care

*Brief explainer on non medical/non legal healing practices*

Somatic or body-based healing, creative expression, and spiritual, religious, and cultural healing practices foreground forms of recovery from sexual violence that move beyond narrowly clinical, psychological, or juridical frameworks. They recognise trauma as embodied, social, and culturally embedded, often exceeding what can be processed through speech or formal therapy alone. Practices that engage the body, including movement, exercise, breath-work, and sensory grounding, support survivors in restoring bodily autonomy, regulation, and a sense of safety after profound violation, this also involves the will of the survivor or the close ones to the survivor and a support system.

Creative modes such as writing, visual art, music, performance, and storytelling offer non-linear ways of processing trauma. They allow survivors to externalise pain, work through fragmented memory, and reclaim authorship over their experiences without pressure to conform to dominant narratives of victimhood or recovery. Spiritual and religious forms of healing, including faith-based rituals, prayer, collective worship, and support from religious communities, offer moral guidance, hope, and a sense of communal belonging. Within this, liberation theology and justice-oriented spiritual traditions can be especially significant, reframing survival not as private suffering but as part of broader struggles against structural violence, patriarchy, and impunity.

Healing through community conversations, shared testimony, and awareness-building initiatives further situates recovery within collective processes. Dialogues, support circles, and public engagement challenge silence and stigma while enabling survivors to be heard on their own terms. Together, these embodied, creative, spiritual, and community-based approaches centre dignity, agency, and relational care. They function alongside legal and therapeutic interventions, expanding the possibilities of healing in ways that are culturally resonant, politically conscious, and grounded in collective solidarity. These practices are mostly considered in addition to the legal processes of creating accountability or for survivors who make the choice not to complain or come out about the abuse.

**Resources**

- Self Care Practices for Survivors 
    - [https://clevelandrapecrisis.org/resources/resource-library-2/featured/creative-writing/](https://clevelandrapecrisis.org/resources/resource-library-2/featured/creative-writing/)
    - [https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1933482/](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1933482/)
    - [https://www.svri.org/mind-body-approaches-for-healing-after-sexual-violence/](https://www.svri.org/mind-body-approaches-for-healing-after-sexual-violence/)
- Columbia University's Compilation [https://sexualrespect.columbia.edu/resources-healing-resilience-readings](https://sexualrespect.columbia.edu/resources-healing-resilience-readings)
- University of Illinois Resource Toolkit [https://wrc.illinois.edu/survivor-support/survivor-resources](https://wrc.illinois.edu/survivor-support/survivor-resources)
- Career guidance for school dropouts and sexual abuse survivors [https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/career-guidance-for-school-dropouts-and-sexual-abuse-survivors/article35362503.ece](https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/career-guidance-for-school-dropouts-and-sexual-abuse-survivors/article35362503.ece)
- Kerala Government - Standard Operating Procedure For The Effective Implementation Of Sexual Assault Survivor Scheme And Prison Mentoring Scheme Of Victim Rights Centre [https://kelsa.keralacourts.in/rules/VictimRightsCenter.pdf](https://kelsa.keralacourts.in/rules/VictimRightsCenter.pdf)
- Kerala Government - Medico-Legal Protocol for examination of sexual assault survivor [https://arogyakeralam.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Kerala-Medico-legal-Protocol-for-Examination-of-Survivor-of-Sexual-Offences-2019-compressed.pdf](https://arogyakeralam.gov.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Kerala-Medico-legal-Protocol-for-Examination-of-Survivor-of-Sexual-Offences-2019-compressed.pdf)

# 3.4 Rebuilding & Reconnection

- A Bridge to Recovery: How Assets Affect Sexual Assault Survivors’ Economic Well-Being [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2158244015573966](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2158244015573966)
- Financial Freedom: Women, Money, and Domestic Abuse [https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1380&amp;context=wmjowl&amp;ref=smashboard.org](https://scholarship.law.wm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1380&context=wmjowl&ref=smashboard.org)
- Support Scheme Services To Victims Of Rape In India [https://feministlawarchives.pldindia.org/wp-content/uploads/financial-assistance-and-support-services-to-victims-of-rape.pdf](https://feministlawarchives.pldindia.org/wp-content/uploads/financial-assistance-and-support-services-to-victims-of-rape.pdf)
- Sunitha Krishnan: Rape survivor to saviour [https://aje.io/c482x](https://aje.io/c482x)
- Survivors of rape in conflicts share their inspirational stories to help other women [https://theirworld.org/news/conflict-rape-survivors-share-their-stories-to-inspire-women/](https://theirworld.org/news/conflict-rape-survivors-share-their-stories-to-inspire-women/)
- Letter by Rape survivor in conflict to her perpetrator [https://youtu.be/u3q1YO1gt0Y](https://youtu.be/u3q1YO1gt0Y)

# SECTION IV: FOR COMMUNITIES & ALLIES

# 4.1 How to Support a Survivor

- Supporting Sexual Assault Survivors Webinar [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkNt\_89FV6E](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkNt_89FV6E)
- Responding to Sexual Violence: A Guide for Professionals [https://www.kasap.org/proguide/](https://www.kasap.org/proguide/)
- Tarana Burke says 'healing is a forever process 
    - [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-20/metoo-founder-tarana-burke-healing-teaching-consent-going-viral/100551810](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-20/metoo-founder-tarana-burke-healing-teaching-consent-going-viral/100551810)
    - Video Link - [https://youtu.be/up5RN0k1HMI](https://youtu.be/up5RN0k1HMI)

# 4.2 Organisational Accountability

**Vishakha Guidelines** [https://cag.gov.in/uploads/cms\_pages\_files/Vishkha-Guidelines-against-Sexual-Harassment-in-Workplace-061de8308de91c7-65164897.pdf](https://cag.gov.in/uploads/cms_pages_files/Vishkha-Guidelines-against-Sexual-Harassment-in-Workplace-061de8308de91c7-65164897.pdf)

**Cinema Code on Conduct for Malayalam Industry by WCC** [https://wccollective.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2024\_WCC\_RECOS\_CCC.pdf](https://wccollective.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2024_WCC_RECOS_CCC.pdf)

**The Global Code of Conduct for Gathering and Using Information about Systematic and Conflict-Related Sexual Violence (the “Murad Code”)** [https://www.muradcode.com/murad-code](https://www.muradcode.com/murad-code)

**Sexual Harassment in Academia - The Raya Sarkar Debate** [https://scroll.in/article/856589/universities-respond-to-raya-sarkars-list-of-alleged-sexual-predators-mostly-silence-some-denials](https://scroll.in/article/856589/universities-respond-to-raya-sarkars-list-of-alleged-sexual-predators-mostly-silence-some-denials)

**Avital Ronnel Case - What Happens to #MeToo When a Feminist Is the Accused** [https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/13/nyregion/sexual-harassment-nyu-female-professor.html](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/13/nyregion/sexual-harassment-nyu-female-professor.html)

**When 'Feminists' Tolerate Sexual Harassment in Academia**  
[https://thewire.in/education/feminism-me-too-avital-ronell-nyu-academia-sexual-harassment](https://thewire.in/education/feminism-me-too-avital-ronell-nyu-academia-sexual-harassment)

# 4.3 Bystander Intervention & Prevention

**Brief explainer** [https://rainn.org/show-up-speak-out-step-in/stop-sexual-violence-step-in-with-care/](https://rainn.org/show-up-speak-out-step-in/stop-sexual-violence-step-in-with-care/)

**Short Video Explainer for College/University Students** [https://www.instagram.com/reels/DOGwqxIjjs7/](https://www.instagram.com/reels/DOGwqxIjjs7/)

**10 Core Concepts For Child Sexual Abuse Prevention By WCASA** [https://www.wcasa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/CS\_A2A\_10-Core-Concepts\_1474.pdf](https://www.wcasa.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/CS_A2A_10-Core-Concepts_1474.pdf)

**Sexual Assault Medical Care and Services Video** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYQqtmkfFDE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYQqtmkfFDE)

**Surviving Sexual Assault In India: The public health crisis no one is talking about (Short Documentary)** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28JJqfLhggs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=28JJqfLhggs)

**Mental Health impacts on the survivors, perpetrators, witnesses of Domestic Violence and Abuse (Presentation and Discussion)**

Part 1 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D84WjZ1ubSk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D84WjZ1ubSk)

Part 2 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOvTGkRbJCY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOvTGkRbJCY)

# 4.4 For Families & Close Relationships

**Imaara Survivors Toolkit**  
[https://www.imaara.in/we-empower-resources](https://www.imaara.in/we-empower-resources)?

- <span style="text-decoration: underline;">State Wise Helplines</span>  
    [https://www.imaara.in/resources-statewisehelplines](https://www.imaara.in/resources-statewisehelplines)
- <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Legal Resources</span>  
    [https://www.imaara.in/resources-legal-resources](https://www.imaara.in/resources-legal-resources)

**Kerala Government KAVAL PLUS COMMUNITY BASED REHABILITATION OF SURVIVORS OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE**  
[https://wcd.kerala.gov.in/DOCUMENTS/Publication/Reports/29196.pdf](https://wcd.kerala.gov.in/DOCUMENTS/Publication/Reports/29196.pdf)

**Responding to Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Violence Against Women: WHO Clinical and Policy Guidelines**  
[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK174250/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK174250/)

[https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK174251/](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK174251/)

**Rape Related PTSD and Typical Survivor Behaviour, Short Explainer for Companions and Close Ones** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kSHhJwFQU4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kSHhJwFQU4)

**Interview of Child Sexual Abuse Survivor** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4ie1bYa\_qM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4ie1bYa_qM)

**For Survivor and Family Oriented Support Kerala Women and Child Development Department** RECOGNISED INSTITUTIONS  
Address and Contact [https://wcd.kerala.gov.in/institutions\_funded.php](https://wcd.kerala.gov.in/institutions_funded.php)

**A Guide for Friends and Family of Sexual Violence Survivors** by Pennsylvania Coalition of Advanced Respect [https://www.pcar.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdfs/friends\_and\_family\_guide\_final.pdf](https://www.pcar.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdfs/friends_and_family_guide_final.pdf)

# SECTION V: COLLECTIVE ACTION & SYSTEMIC CHANGE

# 5.1 From Personal to Political

**‘Paramilitary forces dance after killing Adivasis’: Soni Sori**

The Story of Soni Sori [https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/case-history-soni-sori](https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/case/case-history-soni-sori)

Caravan Article [https://caravanmagazine.in/vantage/soni-sori-attack](https://caravanmagazine.in/vantage/soni-sori-attack)

Frontline Interview [https://frontline.thehindu.com/social-issues/social-justice/interview-with-tribal-rights-activist-soni-sori-corporate-greed/article69332872.ece](https://frontline.thehindu.com/social-issues/social-justice/interview-with-tribal-rights-activist-soni-sori-corporate-greed/article69332872.ece)

**Interview with Adivasi rights activist CK Janu (in Malayalam)** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thN3ejtLTSk](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thN3ejtLTSk)

**Accessible Resources on Feminist Movement in Kerala**

Brief paper - [https://vc.bridgew.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2090&amp;context=jiws](https://vc.bridgew.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2090&context=jiws)

Feminist Archives by J Devika [https://swatantryavaadini.in/](https://swatantryavaadini.in/)

Wire Report [https://thewire.in/women/discovering-the-first-generation-of-feminists-in-kerala](https://thewire.in/women/discovering-the-first-generation-of-feminists-in-kerala)

**Landmark Movements by Women in Kerala** [https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2025/Mar/18/herstory-civics-a-look-at-some-landmark-movements-led-by-women-in-kerala](https://www.newindianexpress.com/states/kerala/2025/Mar/18/herstory-civics-a-look-at-some-landmark-movements-led-by-women-in-kerala)

**On ASHA Workers strike and Women’s wellbeing in Kerala** [https://thepolisproject.com/read/whats-at-the-root-of-asha-workers-protests-in-kerala/](https://thepolisproject.com/read/whats-at-the-root-of-asha-workers-protests-in-kerala/)

**Special Video Report on Suryanelli Rape Case (in Malayalam)** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gyEBFqX1WY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4gyEBFqX1WY)

# 5.2 Legal Literacy & Advocacy

  
**Social Action for Women? Public Interest Litigation in India’s Supreme Court**  
The Supreme Court of India has said that public interest litigation (PIL) is an effective tool for protecting the rights of the disadvantaged, especially women. However, is this really the case? This Law, Social Justice and Global Development article looks at the issues surrounding the practice of PIL in India and its impact on women’s rights, especially in the areas of rape, sexual harassment and prostitution. [https://gsdrc.org/document-library/social-action-for-women-public-interest-litigation-in-indias-supreme-court/](https://gsdrc.org/document-library/social-action-for-women-public-interest-litigation-in-indias-supreme-court/)

**Legal Rights And Protection For Rape Survivors** [https://stpeterslaw.com/blog/legal-rights-and-protection-for-rape-survivors/](https://stpeterslaw.com/blog/legal-rights-and-protection-for-rape-survivors/)

**Understanding Domestic Violence** [https://www.advdharmendraassociates.in/post/understanding-domestic-violence-and-your-legal-rights-in-india](https://www.advdharmendraassociates.in/post/understanding-domestic-violence-and-your-legal-rights-in-india) Domestic violence is not limited to physical abuse. It can also take the form of:

- Emotional abuse (manipulation, threats, and isolation)
- Sexual abuse (non-consensual sexual contact)
- Verbal abuse (insults, demeaning remarks, and humiliation)
- Economic abuse (controlling financial resources or depriving someone of money)
- Psychological abuse (threats of violence, coercion, or controlling behavior)

**A Critique of the Legal reading of Rape and Abuse** [https://ijlmh.com/paper/issues-with-rape-law-in-india/](https://ijlmh.com/paper/issues-with-rape-law-in-india/)

# 5.3 Media, Storytelling & Counter-Narratives

UNESCO Guidelines for reporting Sexual Violence [https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000381836](https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000381836)

\#GBVinMedia [https://feminisminindia.com/campaigns/the-gbvinmedia-campaign-media-reportage-of-gender-based-violence/](https://feminisminindia.com/campaigns/the-gbvinmedia-campaign-media-reportage-of-gender-based-violence/)

Here's how to depict gender violence sensitively [https://www.newslaundry.com/2020/02/23/heres-how-to-depict-gender-violence-sensitively-indian-media-take-a-cue](https://www.newslaundry.com/2020/02/23/heres-how-to-depict-gender-violence-sensitively-indian-media-take-a-cue)

Using social media for policy change and activism [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDyQJAKrM8Y](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDyQJAKrM8Y)

# 5.4 Imagining Justice: Alternatives & Futures

Abolition and Restorative Justice reading List  
[https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1b0QvbQ9bCddf\_bSqW\_xOot8joVlbmWye?usp=share\_link](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1b0QvbQ9bCddf_bSqW_xOot8joVlbmWye?usp=share_link)

Restorative Justice case study in the UK  
[https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10282580.2024.2330375#abstract](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10282580.2024.2330375#abstract)

Exploring restorative justice in cases of sexual violence   
[https://academic.oup.com/book/44856/chapter/385056266](https://academic.oup.com/book/44856/chapter/385056266)

# SECTION VI: INTERSECTIONS

# 6.1 For Specific Industries

**Informal sector work**

How the POSH Act and Women’s safety measures fail in the informal sector. The POSH Act’s resources for informal sector workers — the majority of employed women — have not been implemented, per Human Rights Watch.  
  
Swaddle [https://www.theswaddle.com/indias-sexual-harassment-law-fails-94-of-working-women-report](https://www.theswaddle.com/indias-sexual-harassment-law-fails-94-of-working-women-report)

BehanBox [https://behanbox.com/2022/10/03/indias-workplace-harassment-law-has-failed-informal-marginalised-workers/](https://behanbox.com/2022/10/03/indias-workplace-harassment-law-has-failed-informal-marginalised-workers/)

**Film and Entertainment industry**

*Most resources for industries mentioned were added in previous sections on different stories*

The Hollywood Reporter Harassment in Hollywood: 5 Female Industry Forces Brainstorm How to “Change the Culture [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/what-hollywood-needs-do-combat-culture-sexual-harassment-1053463/](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/what-hollywood-needs-do-combat-culture-sexual-harassment-1053463/)

Ronan Farrow Harvey Weinstein Article [https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/from-aggressive-overtures-to-sexual-assault-harvey-weinsteins-accusers-tell-their-stories](https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/from-aggressive-overtures-to-sexual-assault-harvey-weinsteins-accusers-tell-their-stories)

# 6.2 Intersectional Experiences

Survivors’ access to justice is shaped by intersecting social locations such as caste, religion, gender identity, disability, migration status, and class. These intersections often result in partial, delayed, or discriminatory treatment within the criminal justice system, even when laws appear formally neutral. Caste-based sexual violence functions as a tool of social control. Dalit, Bahujan, and Adivasi women face systemic disbelief, police refusal to register FIRs, pressure to compromise, and intimidation by dominant-caste perpetrators. Judicial processes often depoliticise caste, treating violence as “individual crime” rather than recognising it as structural atrocity, despite protections under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. These survivors experience compound marginalisation: gendered violence layered with caste exclusion. Courts may dilute charges, delay trials, or grant bail easily to perpetrators. Language barriers, geographic remoteness, and lack of legal aid further obstruct meaningful participation in judicial proceedings.

For Muslim women, sexual violence is often embedded in communalised environments, including riots, targeted harassment, and moral policing. Judicial responses frequently display bias through heightened scrutiny of survivors’ character, silence around communal motives, and reluctance to recognise sexual violence as part of collective or pogrom-like harm. The sexual violence against Muslim women in communal riots are frequently documented by alternative media.

Transgender and gender non-conforming persons face legal invisibility and procedural exclusion. Police and courts may misgender survivors, refuse to file complaints, or deny applicability of sexual offence laws. The judiciary often lacks frameworks to recognise sexual violence beyond cisgender, heteronormative assumptions. The Trans Bill reduces punishment for sexual offenders of trans persons and has been facing serious protests and backlash from the community.

Class shapes access to justice through the ability to secure legal representation, attend repeated hearings, and withstand prolonged trials. Survivors from economically precarious backgrounds are more likely to face case withdrawal, forced settlements, or exhaustion-driven silence, while perpetrators with resources exploit delay as a strategy. Migrant workers, refugees, and internally displaced persons often lack documentation, stable residence, or local networks. These factors contribute to non-registration of cases, jurisdictional confusion, and heightened vulnerability to coercion, especially when perpetrators are employers, landlords, or state actors.

Survivors with physical, intellectual, or psychosocial disabilities encounter ableist barriers such as assumptions of incapacity, credibility deficits, and inaccessible court procedures. Consent is frequently misunderstood or denied altogether, leading to under-reporting and judicial dismissal.

The Story of Bilkis Bano

- [https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijrias/articles/bilkis-bano-case-study/](https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijrias/articles/bilkis-bano-case-study/)
- [https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/9/why-did-indias-supreme-court-send-bilkis-banos-rapists-back-to-jail](https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/1/9/why-did-indias-supreme-court-send-bilkis-banos-rapists-back-to-jail)
- [https://theleaflet.in/civil-justice/bilkis-bano-judgment-a-detailed-explainer](https://theleaflet.in/civil-justice/bilkis-bano-judgment-a-detailed-explainer)

India's New Criminal Law Offers Little Protection Against Sexual Assault To Men &amp; Trans Men [https://article-14.com/post/india-s-new-criminal-law-offers-little-protection-against-sexual-assault-to-men-trans-men--66d525fcde7a1](https://article-14.com/post/india-s-new-criminal-law-offers-little-protection-against-sexual-assault-to-men-trans-men--66d525fcde7a1)

Power and Abuse in the Trans Community [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/26318318241306267](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/26318318241306267)

Sexual Assault Against Transgender: The Definitional Void And The Absurdity Of Indian Penal Provisions [https://www.livelaw.in/lawschool/articles/sexual-assault-against-transgenders-and-indian-criminal-laws-285326](https://www.livelaw.in/lawschool/articles/sexual-assault-against-transgenders-and-indian-criminal-laws-285326)

# 6.3 For Children & Youth

POSCO Act [https://www.indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/2079/1/AA2012-32.pdf](https://www.indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/2079/1/AA2012-32.pdf)   
Explainer [https://complykaro.com/a-guide-to-the-pocso-act-legal-provisions-child-safety/](https://complykaro.com/a-guide-to-the-pocso-act-legal-provisions-child-safety/)

UC Davis Toolkit for Parents on Consent and Child Sensitive care [https://care.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk2951/files/inline-files/ParentConsentToolkit%20%281%29.pdf](https://care.ucdavis.edu/sites/g/files/dgvnsk2951/files/inline-files/ParentConsentToolkit%20%281%29.pdf)

Teaching Kids consent [https://childrescuecoalition.org/educations/growing-kids-and-boundaries-teaching-consent-by-age-and-stage/](https://childrescuecoalition.org/educations/growing-kids-and-boundaries-teaching-consent-by-age-and-stage/)

Video Animations   
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AArIv-tvxWE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AArIv-tvxWE)   
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBvD3sACS4o](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBvD3sACS4o)

# 6.4 Male Survivors & Masculinity

*Men and Sexual Violence, a reading list from different contexts (more resources added in previous sections on abuse faced by men, male survivor testimony videos, positive training)*

MeToo Wave Aziz Ansari Debate [https://mashable.com/article/aziz-ansari-me-too-social-media](https://mashable.com/article/aziz-ansari-me-too-social-media)

MeToo: The Difficult Truths About Gay Men And Sexual Assault [https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sexual-assault-gay-men\_n\_59e4badfe4b04d1d51834114](https://www.huffpost.com/entry/sexual-assault-gay-men_n_59e4badfe4b04d1d51834114)

The social psychological predictors of men’s backlash responses to the #MeToo movement. [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13684302231210492](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/13684302231210492)

Men now avoid women at work – another sign we're being punished for #MeToo [https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/aug/29/men-women-workplace-study-harassment-harvard-metoo](https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2019/aug/29/men-women-workplace-study-harassment-harvard-metoo)

Gay Men and Loneliness [https://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/gay-loneliness/](https://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/gay-loneliness/)

Why hasn’t the gay community had a #MeToo moment? [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/07/gay-community-metoo-moment-conversation-consent-sexual-assault](https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/mar/07/gay-community-metoo-moment-conversation-consent-sexual-assault)

# SECTION VII: KERALA-SPECIFIC RESOURCES & CONTEXT

# 7.1 Understanding Kerala's Context

Nationalism and Dalit Identity in Kerala Literature by Pratheepan Pambarikunnu [https://www.studocu.com/in/document/university-of-kerala/ma-english-language-and-literature/pradeepan-pampirikunnu-557-nationalism-and-dalit-identity-in-kerala-literature/131492029](https://www.studocu.com/in/document/university-of-kerala/ma-english-language-and-literature/pradeepan-pampirikunnu-557-nationalism-and-dalit-identity-in-kerala-literature/131492029)

Marginalised In A Model Of Development: Dalit Critique Of The Kerala Development Experience (PhD Thesis) [http://etd.lib.jnu.ac.in/TH17395.pdf](http://etd.lib.jnu.ac.in/TH17395.pdf)

Mruduladevi Sasidharan പ്രളയാനന്തര കേരളം ഒരു ദളിത് സ്ത്രീപക്ഷ വായന (Post-Flood Kerala: A Dalit Feminist Reading) Video Lecture [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVurOYzeLhc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KVurOYzeLhc)

Sanal Mohan interview with Dalit Camera: Kerala Modernity subtracts Dalits from it [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeWhBN8EaJA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeWhBN8EaJA)

Johar Rohith Vemula (A Song Series by Dalit Camera) [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BwnSWpXMKE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1BwnSWpXMKE)

Shit, Caste, and the Divine: What's Your Ism? Reflections - Raees Muhammad [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOnvzkxw74w&amp;list=PL-ffc00Qz6QbloZ3sX80x2rz3VufLupUw&amp;index=8](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOnvzkxw74w&list=PL-ffc00Qz6QbloZ3sX80x2rz3VufLupUw&index=8)

Dalit movement in Kerala after the Una incident [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R07aPe1nj0](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R07aPe1nj0)

ANNA DHRM Party Secretary Interview on Varkala Murder case [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45lKCXGQncA](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45lKCXGQncA)

# 7.2 Malayalam Language Resources

**To be updated**

# 7.3 Local Support Networks & Services

Kerala Registered Feminist NGOs [http://keralawomenscommission.gov.in/index.php/content/index/registered-ngos](http://keralawomenscommission.gov.in/index.php/content/index/registered-ngos)

Kerala State Women Development Corporation Official Website [https://kswdc.org/](https://kswdc.org/)

**HELPLINES *To be updated***

# 7.4 Cultural & Creative Expressions

10 Movies About Sexual Assault Survivors and the #MeToo Movement [https://dlawgroup.com/10-movies-about-sexual-assault-abuse/](https://dlawgroup.com/10-movies-about-sexual-assault-abuse/)

***To be updated***

# SECTION VIII: FOR ONGOING LEARNING & ENGAGEMENT

# 8.1 Foundational Concepts & Theory

- Dalit Feminist Theory: A Reader by Sunaina Arya and Aakash Singh Rathore
- Feminist Theory: From Margin to Centre by Bell Hooks
- 'കുലസ്ത്രീയും' 'ചന്തപ്പെണ്ണും' ഉണ്ടായതെങ്ങനെ? By J. Devika
- Hindu Wife, Hindu Nation by Tanika Sarkar
- Dalit Feminist Discourse: Voices In Dalit Narratives by Charu Arya, Nabanita Deka
- The Vulgarity of Caste: Dalits, Sexuality, and Humanity in Modern India by Shailaja Paik
- Muslim Women Speak of Dreams and Shackles by Ghazala Jamil

# 8.2 Research & Evidence Content

***To be updated***

# 8.3 Training & Capacity Building

**To be updated**

# 8.4 Community Hub & Contribution

**To be updated**

# SECTION IX: RESOURCES

# Quick Reference Guides

**To be updated**

# Glossary (English-Malayalam)

**To be updated**

# Bibliography & Further Resources

**To be updated**

# Templates & Tools

**To be updated**