http://www.voanews.com/content/in-bangladesh-grassroots-efforts-to-end-violence-against-women/2793800.html
This article works to bring attention to the issue of widespread domestic violence towards women and girls throughout the country of Bangladesh. However, there is difficulty in eradicating this problem, due to the ingrained cultural norms that have been established. But, a campaign of non-profit organizations have teamed together to bring change to the country.
The group of non-profit organizations, referring to themselves as Shokhi, consists of 1,500 “change makers”, who offer various levels of support including: legal aid, health and reproductive health services, as well as counseling and community information sessions on topics like conflict resolution or anger management. These efforts work to create a domino effect of reducing violence and abuse, which work to create a new behavior and newly accepted cultural norms.
Those who volunteer to be apart of the organization of change have their own stories of defeat and deliverance. One woman who volunteers as a community ambassador, Rashida Begum, tells her story of being in a domestic abusive relationship; however, after attending Shokhi’s awareness meetings for over a year he has not beat her once, and he is now also a member of the organization, teaching other men the damage behind their actions.