Cehat - Centre for Enquiry Into Health and Allied Themes

21/07/2025

An article by our Researchers, Narayanan & Sangeeta Rege on .
Despite progressive changes introduced by the MTP Act, procedural rigmarole and biases remain obstacles to access. A case study by CEHAT raises the most important questions.

Despite progressive changes introduced by the MTP Act, procedural rigmarole and biases remain obstacles to access. A case study by CEHAT raises the most important questions.

28/05/2025

On the International Day for Action on Women's Health, we at Cehat - Centre for Enquiry Into Health and Allied Themes reaffirm our commitment, we strive to advance sexual and reproductive health rights ( ) by engaging, strengthening, and transforming health systems together.
We collaborate with government health departments across multiple regions to establish evidence-based models that promote health as a human right.

What are we doing?

In-service health professional engagement:
We work with doctors and nurses in public hospitals across multiple states to expand their understanding of health rights for women and LGBTQIA+ communities. This includes enabling health workers to recognize the diverse socio-cultural identities, vulnerabilities, and needs of women, and how sexual and reproductive coercion impacts health.

Pre-service engagement with medical educators and students:
We collaborate with medical colleges to integrate non-stigmatizing, gender-sensitive care for women and gender-diverse individuals into medical education, aiming to more effectively address their sexual and reproductive health needs and rights.

Together, we’re building a health system that respects autonomy, recognizes all forms of control, and upholds the right to safe, inclusive, and affirming SRHR for everyone.

29/03/2025

State-level consultation and dissemination meeting on strengthening gender-based violence prevention and response ecosystem in Goa

Cehat - Centre for Enquiry Into Health and Allied Themes and UN Women India India collaboratively organised a State-level consultation and dissemination meeting on strengthening gender-based violence prevention and response ecosystem in Goa on 27th March, 2025. This consultation was the culmination of a year-long program focused on collaborative ideation and action against the issue of gender-based violence in the state. We hoped to encourage discussion on best practices and multi-stakeholder strategies to address gender-based violence prevention and response. More than 50 representatives from government and civil society joined the consultation. Through two panels centered around prevention and response, we explored current successes, gaps, and opportunities to foster an environment that will continue to enhance the safety and inclusion of women in the years to come. On this occasion, CEHAT also felicitated its Gender Champions and Safety Champions, state representative and civil society leaders who worked closely with us for the past one year in this engagement.

The Honourable Director of Directorate of Women and Child Development, Goa, Shri Manuel Barreto, delivered the keynote address. Smt Poonam Bharne (Director of Department of Prosecution), Smt. Sucheta Dessai (SP Training, Goa Police), Shri. P. Pravimal Abhishek (Director, Directorate of Transport), Shri Peter Borges (Assistant Professor of Social Work, Goa University), Ms. Archana Singh (Center In-Charge, OSC Lucknow), Ms. Mini Ribeiro (Journalist and Former President of WICCI Rural Tourism), SHG Leaders Smt. Chitra Kshirsagar, Smt. Shanta Bedi Bhave, and Smt. Smita Shinde graced the consultation as panelists.

29/03/2025

Women's Safety Audit in Goa from 17th to 21st March 2025

Cehat - Centre for Enquiry Into Health and Allied Themes in collaboration with UN Women India India recently undertook a pilot women's safety audit at Taleigao, Goa. 17 SHG leaders from Taleigao participated in a 2 day training where we explored the issue of women's access and safety to public spaces, and introduced the concept and tools to conduct safety audits. These leaders then implemented the safety audits through a range of methods such as street survey, safety walks and key informant interviews across the Taleigao area. We took away both learning and joy from the process!

25/03/2025

When Niyati—a 15-year-old rural girl living in Mumbai, India—stated that she wanted to terminate her pregnancy, health workers informed her that, under Indian law, they were required to report the pregnancy to the police, as she was a minor. Niyati feared that her boyfriend could be arrested.

📝 In this blog post, the Cehat - Centre for Enquiry Into Health and Allied Themes—SVRI Grantee 2019—explores the implications of the POCSO Act for adolescent girls' health and rights. The Act criminalizes all sexual activity under the age of 18, making no distinction between consensual relationships and sexual violence.

Fortunately, Niyati received guidance from Dilaasa counsellors—hospital staff trained to provide support and psychosocial care to survivors of violence and related concerns—who helped her navigate the contradictory legal requirements.

⚠️ CEHAT highlights the harm caused by an over-protectionist approach, which disregards adolescents’ evolving sexual autonomy, and calls for a more contextualized legal approach to protecting children from sexual violence.

✍️ Written by Prarthana Lohia and Ansh*t Baxi both Senior Research Associates at CEHAT.

➡️ Read more about Niyati’s story: https://www.svri.org/navigating-sexual-and-reproductive-healthcare-for-adolescent-girls-in-india-cehat/

22/03/2025

Cehat - Centre for Enquiry Into Health and Allied Themes and North East Network - 1995 held a 2 Day Capacity Building training on responding to VAW/G for DMHP counsellors, Nongpoh, Meghalaya on 18th to 19th March 2025

A training session was conducted for DMHP counsellors to enhance understanding of various forms of violence against women (VAW), including domestic violence (DV), intimate partner violence (IPV), and sexual violence (SV). Participants explored prevalence data from NFH5 and its sources, along with the health impacts of violence through case studies. The session also covered feminist counseling principles, debunked myths surrounding DV, and introduced Psychological First Aid (PFA). Practical exercises included discussions on survivor support, the cycle of violence, mock counseling sessions, and the use of an intake sheet. Additionally, participants were oriented with first-line support using the LIVES approach—Listen, Inquire, Validate, Enhance safety, and Support.

13/03/2025

International Women's Day activities with Dilaasa Team

Throughout the year, our superheroes at Dilaasa tirelessly champion the cause of women and children. But on International Women's Day, it was only fitting to celebrate their own growth, journey, and resilience.
From tales of overcoming the trauma of growing up in violent households to navigating the challenges of arriving in an unfamiliar city like Mumbai, to sharing joyous memories with colleagues and experiencing the deep satisfaction of helping survivors of violence, our teams shared how their work at Dilaasa has profoundly transformed them as individuals.
It was a day brimming with smiles, touched by a few heartfelt tears, and filled with joy and laughter.

10/03/2025

International Women's Day activities at Dilaasa's

On 8th March 2025, the Dilaasa teams observed International Women's Day by honoring the strength of women, the courage of survivors of violence and the dedication of our nurses and doctors. The teams engaged in street plays, awareness drives, speeches, fun activities and celebrations with survivors and healthcare providers.

05/03/2025

2nd Goa State Gender Champions Program - 24 & 25 February 2025

Cehat - Centre for Enquiry Into Health and Allied Themes, in collaboration with UN Women India, conducted the second Goa State Gender Champions' Workshop at Panjim on 24th and 25th February, 2025. Representatives from 7 government departments immersively engaged in conversations about gender-sensitive responses to sexual and domestic violence, emphasizing the role of different agencies in ensuring quality care. The participants did hands-on exercises to understand medical evidence in cases of r**e, contemporary ethical challenges in responding to sexual violence, and best practices on documentation of evidence in cases of domestic violence. The participants discussed steps that can be taken at their department level to strengthen survivor-centered GBV response.

24/02/2025

Article on "Marital R**e", showcasing Cehat - Centre for Enquiry Into Health and Allied Themes & Dilaasa work, Sangeeta Rege

Neither the courts nor the legislative are willing to address the issue of marital r**e because of the misapprehension that it will be weaponised by women

28/01/2025

Guest column by Sangeeta Rege in The Week, special feature on Health

A helpline's former head writes about navigating around the limitations of a helpline

28/01/2025

Help... just a call away. How people working at helplines across India are providing comfort and clarity to those on the brink.

📞 CEHATs gender-based violence helpline no. - 90290 73154 (24*7 support and assistance)

The inside story of people who work at su***de and crisis helplines and how they provide succour to callers