FORWORD: Forum for Women’s Rights and Development is a Women’s Organization committed to the establishment of human dignity and social justice in women. It is a response in action to the negative effects of patriarchy in the lives of women in India. Personal is political! Being a domestic violence survivor and a singled-woman, M. Shiamala Baby started FORWORD in February 1992, as a strong platform to address the domestic violence issues of women, to challenge the patriarchal setup and to reconstruct human dignity and economic independence in the lives of women. By serving as a basic forum, it has empowered the ‘silent’ women to identify their gender issues and raise up an united voice against them.
Women’s sangams were organized since its beginning. FORWORD oversees around 500 of these groups where participatory leadership among women is promoted. It ran five training centers where unskilled women are skilled in viable economic skills like sewing, cot-embroidery, artificial jewellery, food processing, house hold items, health mix etc. Trained women are provided with seed money to jump-start their economic possibilities. Many of them have gone on to start their own small business where they are financially stable. Working groups of men are organized where men along with local women groups work for ensuring the human dignity of women.