Aparajita at Jaipur Literature Festival 2025: Launching the Conversation on GBV
Aparajita at Jaipur Literature Festival 2025
In February 2025, Aparajita and J-PAL South Asia brought the conversation about gender-based violence to one of India's most influential literary platforms - the Jaipur Literature Festival.
Why JLF?
The JLF platform was chosen because its audience includes authors, students, media representatives, critics, researchers, and social and political leaders and activists - ideal for igniting discussion on GBV and sexual harassment.
Panel Objectives
The panel served multiple purposes:
- Share Survey Findings: Present findings from surveys conducted in Jaipur and Delhi, revealing that 1 in 2 women in Jaipur and 2 in 3 women in Delhi experienced harassment in the past year
- Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue: Put findings in conversation with perspectives from politicians, policymakers, civil society actors, and authors
- Critical Discussion: Ignite critical discussion on the scope and scale of GBV and sexual harassment in India
- Identify Gaps: Discuss what is missing in current approaches to addressing gender-based violence
- Explore Solutions: Explore how key ecosystem players can come together to solve the problem
- Launch GBV Solve: Formally launch the open call for funding innovative solutions
The Conversation
The panel brought together diverse voices to discuss:
- The urgent need for better data on gender-based violence
- The hidden costs women bear - from choosing lower-quality colleges to spending more on safer routes
- Barriers to reporting and why 68.7% of women don't file formal complaints
- The role of evidence-based solutions in addressing the problem
- How different stakeholders - from government to civil society - can collaborate
Impact
The JLF platform provided an opportunity to reach a wide and influential audience, sparking conversations that continue beyond the festival. The panel helped raise awareness about the scale of the problem and the need for evidence-based solutions.
Most importantly, it marked the formal launch of GBV Solve - our open funding call for innovative ideas to address sexual harassment and violence in India.
Moving Forward
The conversations at JLF reinforced the urgency of Aparajita's mission: to bridge the data gap and support evidence-based solutions that can make a real difference in women's lives.
As we continue this work, we remain committed to bringing together diverse voices, sharing evidence, and supporting innovations that can create a safer India for women.
GBV Solve: Open Funding Call for Innovative Solutions to End Gender-Based Violence
Announcing GBV Solve: Open Funding Call
Aparajita and J-PAL South Asia are hosting an Open Funding Call to identify and fund innovative ideas to address sexual harassment and violence in India.
What We're Looking For
INNOVATIONS: Anyone passionate about addressing the problem is invited to send their best ideas. Through this call, we will identify and support innovative, practical, and sustainable ideas that can also be rigorously tested for impact through randomized evaluations.
What You Get
- CATALYTIC FUNDING: Selected awardees will receive funding up to INR 50 lacs to pilot and implement their ideas in the field
- EVALUATION INCUBATOR: Selected awardees will also receive support on designing impact evaluations
- RIGOROUS TESTING: Potential for your innovation to be rigorously tested for measurable impact
Focus Areas
We welcome innovative ideas across these key areas:
- Supporting Grassroots Interventions: Build capacity of case workers, constables, front-line workers, and paralegal volunteers. Support solutions from the grassroots with unrestricted, long-term funding for women-led organizations.
- Building Capacity and Legal Services: Mobilize lawyers as a cohort, provide legal services, create fellowships for women lawyers at district level, and strengthen paralegal volunteers.
- Engaging Men and Boys: Make men part of the conversation on inclusion. Engage through multiple platforms with counselling and mental health programs.
- Bystander Interventions: Government-encouraged intervention programs, social media campaigns, and training for witnesses including friends, colleagues, and family.
- Training Service Providers: Train transport and delivery workers on bystander intervention. Involve vendors, bus conductors, and auto drivers - leveraging their networks.
- Awareness and Behavior Change: Creative campaigns using film, media, and social platforms to shift attitudes and challenge harmful social norms.
- Mental Health Support: Counseling services, trauma-informed care, and psychological support for survivors and those at risk.
- Online GBV Solutions: Combating harassment through digital platforms, collaborating with tech companies, and addressing online anonymity.
- Workplace Interventions: Prevention policies, safe reporting mechanisms, and supportive environments in formal and informal workplaces.
Who Can Apply
The competition will invite applications from anyone passionate about creating a difference in this space. Whether you're an individual, organization, researcher, or innovator - if you have an idea that can address sexual harassment and violence, we want to hear from you.
Next Steps
Applications are now open. Selected awardees will work closely with Aparajita and J-PAL South Asia to pilot their solutions and measure their impact.
Together, we can build a safer India for women.