In India, AJWS supports activists and social change organizations supporting women and adolescent girls, LGBTQI+ people and sex workers. The country’s dramatic wealth gap, patriarchal values and social stigmas against non-traditional lifestyles create major challenges for these populations. Women and girls are often coerced to drop out of school and marry before they’re old enough to consent; LGBTQI+ people are targeted with violence and discrimination; and sex workers are pushed to the fringes of society.
AJWS partners in India work tirelessly so these populations can realize their human rights and live the lives they choose. Our partners fight for legal protections for trans people, build safer communities for LGBTQI+ people, expand women’s rights by increasing access to education, reproductive healthcare and employment, and support collectives of sex workers to stop discrimination and violence. Our grantees have had major successes, including helping to overturn a law criminalizing homosexuality in 2018.
