Ultimately, it’s all about being heard. Whose voice matters? Who gets heard? Who counts? In a democracy, all citizens should have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives: men, women and trans people. But does everyone have an equal say? Is democracy truly the babel of tongues it is meant to be? Whose voice is heard in families, in communities, and societies? Whose words count most? Whose views dominate policies, programs, services – or the public domain?
‘Having a voice’equals being heard, being considered, being counted, being part of, being able to influence. Being human. Many women’s voices still remain silent, silenced, marginal, unheard, discounted, or illegitimate. Many women’s lips still remain zipped, their lives and realities unspoken. In this context, Point of View promotes the points of view of women – or their voices – through media, art and culture.
If power hierarchies among men, women and trans people determine whose voice matters, the same hierarchies determine which women’s voices are heard more than others. We promote the voices of women who are marginalized due to their caste, class, ability, sexual orientation, work, gender identity – or simply because they are women. Sex workers. Survivors of domestic violence. HIV-positive women. Women with disabilities. Dalit women. Women in slums.
We enable women’s voices to be heard through a variety of media, art and culture platforms, both offline and online Film. Video. Theatre. Books. Games. Adverts. Media workshops. Events. Photography exhibits. Community campaigns. Public education campaigns. We work with grassroots or community partners to actualize our core belief: that each one of us has a right to a voice, in our lives, in our workplaces, and within ourselves.
Since 1997, we have helped women find their voices, speak out, or be heard – through direct and indirect means. Being heard is a key step in transforming lives and realities.
We have enabled:
- women in low-income urban slums to speak out about domestic violence (breaking the silence around abuse is the first step in preventing it)
- women in sex work to reposition their realities through a different lens (counting women in sex work as 'women', 'human' ‘citizens’ is a critical step for them to access rights)
- women who are HIV-positive or mentally disabled to share their life experiences (understanding women's realities is a key step in ensuring that women get the care and support they need)
- marginalized women to tell their own stories in their own voices (empowering grassroots women to express or represent themselves is a vital step in ensuring lasting social change)