About MAVA
MAVA is the first men's organization in India directly intervening against gender-based violence on women
MAVA’s Vision is to have gender-just society -- where men and women live in harmony and with self-respect, by providing spaces for mutual growth and well-being
MAVA’s Mission is to bring about social change, particularly in traditional, male-dominated attitudes and help stop or prevent violence and abuse of women by working primarily with men
To attain the Mission, MAVA will provide, undertake or promote any or all of the following activities at the sole discretion of the Managing Committee :
- To provide information, counseling, guidance and other services – either face-to-face, from person to person, in groups or on a mass scale -- to needy men and women, on matters of Gender & Sexuality
- To provide men specific need-based inputs like dealing with dilemmas, emotions like anger and conflict-management
- To organize seminars, symposia, workshops, conferences, meets, open forums (for men) and study circles for creating better awareness and promoting understanding on gender issues
- To sensitize adolescent boys and young men and enable them adopt positive models of masculinity
- To publish magazine, journal, newsletters, pamphlets, books, manuals, other literature and develop resource material on issues of gender, masculinities, sexuality and work done by MAVA
- To organize street-theatre, other forms of audio-visual mass communication, public service advertising either on TV, Radio, through newspapers or other media on gender matters
- To provide training and capacity building of men’s groups and other voluntary organizations working on gender issues
- To co-ordinate, network, tie-up with the police and other government, voluntary agencies including men’s and women’s groups
- To help initiate and develop other groups involved in the same work as MAVA and support them financially or otherwise as found necessary
- To set up and run telephone helplines for needy men and women in distress facing marital conflict and other gender-related problems
- To provide legal aid and other assistance for speedy redressal of various problems of abused women and men (including homosexual /gay / bisexual men, physically and mentally challenged men)
- To conduct research and studies on Masculinities, Sexuality and Gender-based violence including violence against women
- To arrange temporary shelters for women and men in distress and crisis situations
- To help in the process of bringing out legislations for the protection of women and stopping / preventing violence against women
- To organize specific programs for promoting men’s involvement on gender issues
As on date, MAVA has been able to reach out to over 3000 men and women facing various gender-related problems. MAVA has a team of veteran professionals in the field of psychiatry, law, sexology and social work who volunteer their services whenever needed.
Registered in March 1993 as a 'Society' under the Societies Registration Act, MAVA is run by a Managing Committee of 5 concerned and sensitive men from various professional backgrounds.
Genesis of the Organization
The organization came into existence in response to a small advertisement by journalist C.Y.Gopinath, in the 'Indian Express' daily and its sister publications, which called for men "who feel that wives are not for battering and they could do something to stop or prevent it". It is out of this advertisement, (to which 205 men from all walks of life had responded) an organization has been born and taken shape in the last ten years. The organization has women members as well.
All Donations to MAVA can be made by way of cash or cheque favoring MEN AGAINST VIOLENCE & ABUSE, MUMBAI. All contributions made to MAVA are exempt from payment of income-tax under Section 80-G of the Income Tax Act
MAVA’s Correspondence Address:
705 , Parishram Building,
Bhandar Lane,
L.J. Road,
Mahim,
Mumbai – 400 016
