Swayam interacts with different state agencies to influence policy level changes on issues relating to women’s rights.

We were actively involved in the campaign to correct anomalies in the Domestic Violence Protection Bill of 2001. We initiated debates and discussions with women’s groups in Calcutta on this issue and represented the objections, concerns and suggestions to the Bill before various parliamentary committees, the law minister, the home minister, the West Bengal Women’s Commission, women’s organisations and women’s rights networks.

As a result of the interventions by different groups across the country, the Bill has been reformulated incorporating most of the recommendations made by the women’s groups and is in the process of coming up in Parliament for discussion again.

We have also been involved in discussions related to the proposed Legislation on Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment at the Workplace.