Shakti Shalini

Shakti Shalini is a New Delhi NGO that supports survivors of gender and sexual violence and works with communities to prevent everyday violence. It was founded in 1987 by Satyarani Chadha and Shahjahan Begum, who both lost their daughters to dowry-related domestic violence. Its vision is a world with zero tolerance for violence, where a person's gender does not become a basis for violence, oppression or exploitation. The organisation works from the belief that "change begins in the mind" and openly opposes patriarchal social systems. It supports people of all genders and sexual orientations and respects their right to make their own choices about identity and life.

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Headquarters: New Delhi, Delhi, India

Major Areas of Work

• Survivor support: Counselling, crisis intervention, rescue, legal aid, healthcare referrals and rehabilitation for survivors of physical, sexual, emotional, financial and institutional abuse.

• Shelter and rehabilitation: Safe, confidential residential care for women in distress, with or without children, along with training and reintegration support.

• Child protection: Trauma-informed counselling for children affected by violence, plus prevention work with adolescents and caregivers.

• Community prevention: Grassroots feminist mobilisation in marginalised communities of South-East Delhi to shift attitudes towards gender equality and zero tolerance of violence.

• Skills and art for activism: Vocational training and creative workshops that combine livelihoods, healing and feminist action.

Major Initiatives and Programmes

• Crisis Intervention and Counselling Centre (CICC): Runs a 24x7 helpline and provides counselling, rescue support, shelter referrals, pro bono healthcare, legal counselling and litigation aid, with a minimum one-year follow-up for each survivor, for survivors of any gender or sexual orientation across India.

• Pehchan Shelter Home: A shelter in a confidential location for up to 10 women at a time, with or without children, offering food, healthcare, counselling, legal aid, vocational courses and creative programmes, with no fixed length of stay.

• Child Protection Unit Programme: Offers one-to-one and group counselling for children who have faced direct or indirect violence, alongside psycho-emotional education for adolescents and trauma-informed parenting sessions for caregivers.

• Kushalta Vikas Kendra (KVK): A skills centre for residents of five marginalised communities and Pehchan, offering certified courses in cutting and tailoring, beauty culture, basic computers and basic literacy, plus non-certified courses run by volunteers.

• Community Outreach Programs: Works in Jal Vihar, Nehru Nagar Block 7, Nehru Nagar Block 10, Shriniwas Puri and Aadiwasi Camp through protection committees for men, women, adolescent boys and girls, health and legal awareness camps, life skills training and community events.

• Artivism: Uses theatre, dance, music, fine art, photography and craft workshops as sites of feminist action and therapeutic healing, with shelter residents and community members.

The Crisis Intervention and Counselling Centre is the organisation's core survivor-facing service. It connects survivors to the rest of Shakti Shalini's work, from shelter at Pehchan to skills training at KVK, and draws on a network of legal and mental health partners to handle cases from first call through to rehabilitation.

Impact

Shakti Shalini states it has supported more than 15,000 women and engaged more than 2,000 residents of marginalised communities in grassroots feminist mobilisation, with more than 500 people taking part in its skills training or art for activism workshops. Its community outreach page separately cites more than 8,000 individuals directly mobilised, 20 protection committees formed and 80 to 100 survivors linked to support services over a three-year period. It maintains partnerships with Pandies' Theatre, iProbono, Human Rights Law Network, SAARTHAK and Project Baala.

Leadership

• Suddha Tiwari, Chairperson

• Dr. Bharti Sharma, Honorary Secretary

• Tamanna Basu, Core Lead

• Anjali Thakur, Operations Lead, Delhi

Working at Shakti Shalini means direct, frontline work on gender and sexual violence, from helpline calls and survivor casework to shelter care, child protection and community mobilisation in South-East Delhi. The team is small, so staff see how crisis response, rehabilitation, livelihoods and prevention connect in one organisation. Roles span counselling, social work, community outreach, training and communications. It suits people with a feminist, rights-based outlook who want grounded field experience and are ready for emotionally demanding work with survivors and marginalised communities.