News & Updates

Written by Audrey Dmello in Indian Express Opinion on 2 June 2026 The dominating mother-in-law occupies a prominent place in India’s social imagination. She is the villain of television serials, the subject of jokes, and a recurring character in domestic violence cases. Giribala Singh’s comments about Twisha Sharma’s personal life — policing her body, sexuality, and behaviour — have reinforced the trope. There is an uncomfortable paradox at the heart of this stereotype: The m

Written by Audrey Dmello for NDTV May 22, 2026 A daughter's desperate cry for help is responded to with "adjust", "compromise", or "save the marriage". Her parents even promise to give more dowry, but refuse to bring her back. Girls are repeatedly sent back into abusive homes till one fine day, they are dead. Twisha Sharma, a former Miss Pune and an MBA graduate, is dead. Her parents allege she was murdered by her husband and his family over dowry. This case will dominate the

Written by Audrey Dmello for Indian Express Mar 28, 2026. Just like maternity leave, it can help normalise the reality that women are long-term assets who require temporary accommodation for significant biological events. Saying “it’s just a period” belies a medical event of staggering intensity. Periods are a rehearsal for childbirth. Each month, the uterus contracts to expel its lining. These contractions are powered by the same prostaglandins that induce labour. For many w

At Majlis, we are often asked what the role of a Support Person* is, and we say… to help a victim, as far as possible, with anything she needs. On the first day of February 2026, we received a new case from the Child Welfare Committee (Majlis gets an average of 25 to 30 new cases per month). The custody of the victim was handed over to her mother, which usually means there is no threat or urgency. When we perused the papers, we were alarmed to note that the victim was just 15

India Today Magazine Feb 2, 2026. Justice, too, is being quietly shored up.... The Majlis Legal Centre for Women and Children, founded by Flavia Agnes in 1991, recognised that survivors of violence needed empathetic legal help, and not a system that caused further harm. By combining individual legal aid with training and policy reform, Majlis helped reshape courtroom procedures.

Written by Audrey Dmello for Outlook Magazine 20 November 2025 The Telangana High Court has reaffirmed that Muslim women can seek a unilateral divorce through khula without needing their husband’s consent, underscoring long-standing Islamic principles that protect women’s autonomy and ensuring Family Courts only verify and formally record the dissolution. Muslim marriage (nikah) is a civil contract, not a sacred sacrament like in Hindu or Christian traditions. For a nikah to

Majlis, calls on the media, lawyers and organisations to raise awareness about an often-overlooked but powerful provision of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (PWDVA) S. 31. PWDVA, is a path-breaking legislation to address the grave issue of domestic violence. The Act offers civil relief to women; however, if the Magistrate's orders are breached/violated, it becomes a criminal offence. S. 31 makes breach of a protection order a cognisable and non-bail

Majlis in collaboration with Akanksha Foundation conducted an interactive session with fathers on handling disclosures of Child Sexual...