Gender Justice Labs (GJL) is a systems-driven initiative designed to address gender-based violence (GBV), mental health, and access to justice through a community-led and institutionally integrated approach.
The program has been implemented in two districts of Madhya Pradesh - Mandla and Damoh, regions where women and girls, particularly in tribal and rural communities, face significant barriers in accessing legal, emotional, and institutional support systems.
While multiple mechanisms such as One Stop Centres, police systems (Urja Desks), SHGs, and Panchayati Raj Institutions exist, they are often underutilized due to:
Gender Justice Labs is designed as a holistic, multi-layered intervention, working simultaneously at:
Two fully functional Labs (one in each district) act as safe, accessible hubs for:
These Labs are designed as replicable models, embedded within district ecosystems.
These trainings are participatory, context-specific, and grounded in lived realities.
The program facilitates trauma-informed healing circles for 250 women, using arts-based methods to support:
These circles are complemented by legal support and referral pathways, ensuring women can access both emotional and institutional support systems.
Legal awareness is integrated through simple, accessible formats, covering:
Participants are linked with One Stop Centres (OSC), Police, and Legal Services Authorities (DLSA), enabling real pathways to justice.
Alongside this, digital literacy sessions build women’s confidence in accessing helplines, portals, and safety tools.
Gender Justice Labs actively engages communities in creating safer environments through:
These processes strengthen local accountability and ownership of safety.
Gender Justice Labs has been implemented in:
The dual-district implementation enables contextual adaptation while building a scalable model for replication across other districts.
Gender Justice Labs envisions communities where:
By combining healing, systems strengthening, and community leadership, GJL is building a scalable model of gender justice that can transform districts into safer, more equitable spaces for all.
Here’s a strong, polished addition you can plug directly into your Gender Justice Labs page—this includes:
Gender Justice Labs is supported by the Vital Voices Global Partnership and the Estée Lauder Emerging Leaders Fund (ELELF) under the Beautiful Forces Grant Program. This partnership positions the initiative within a global ecosystem of women-led change, while strengthening its ability to deliver deep, community-rooted impact in India.
Vital Voices Global Partnership is a leading international organization that invests in women leaders driving social, political, and economic transformation across more than 185 countries.
With over two decades of experience, Vital Voices provides:
Through programs like the Vital Voices Global Fellowship (VVGF), the organization equips leaders with the tools, visibility, and connections needed to accelerate systemic change.
The Estée Lauder Emerging Leaders Fund, in collaboration with Vital Voices, launched the “Beautiful Forces” Grant Program to support women leaders who are creating transformative change in their communities.
The initiative is grounded in the belief that:
When women lead with empathy, courage, and collaboration, they become powerful forces for social transformation.
Through this support, Gender Justice Labs is able to expand its reach, deepen its interventions, and build scalable models of gender justice and safety.
Srishti Pragat, Founder of Sky Social, is a Vital Voices Fellow and a recipient of the Estée Lauder Companies’ Beautiful Forces Grant.
Her work has been recognized for:
• Advancing gender justice and women’s safety
• Building trauma-informed, survivor-centered models
• Integrating mental health, legal empowerment, and technology
This recognition brings:
• Global mentorship and strategic guidance
• Increased visibility for grassroots innovations
• Opportunities to scale Gender Justice Labs as a replicable model across regions
Positioned at the intersection of local realities
and global feminist leadership, Gender Justice Labs represents
a model that is both deeply contextual and globally relevant.
Backed by global leadership platforms and rooted in community
realities, Gender Justice Labs is building a future where gender
justice is not just an idea, but a lived, accessible reality for every woman.
