Impact of HiWEL learning stations on women living in shelter homes

Background India, despite growing tangentially in global economic stature, has a population of over 78 million homeless people. While the phenomenon of homelessness violates the most basic of human rights for all populations, it influences every facet of women’s life affecting their physical, emotional, cognitive, social, and behavioural growth. The prevalent attitude and stereotypes in Indian society towards vulnerable categories such as abandoned women, single women, widows, women who have been sexually exploited, abused victims of rape and intimate partner violence lead to deep rooted sociocultural and psychological impact on them. Most of these women are constantly at risk to several forms of traumatic reminders such as physical and sexual assault, abrupt separation from their children and partners which further impede the recovery from trauma. Bhat et al, 2007, have stated that, “1 in 3 women aged 15–49 years has experienced physical violence; and 1 in 10 has experienced sexual violence.”