An evening with Dr Mamatha Achanta
On Friday, Dec 26, we had an inspiring session by Dr Mamatha Achanta. She is a women & child rights Activist, Pro-bono Advocate and founder of the NGO, Tharuni (www.tharuni.org). Over the years, Dr Mamatha has made a tremendous impact on the lives of women in general and the girl child in particular. She has stopped hundreds of child marriages, rescued girls from child labour & trafficking, and mentored over 22,000 rural girls into leaders of tomorrow through Balika Sanghas (Girl child clubs).
About Dr Mamatha Achanta
Dr Mamatha Achanta is a biologist, lawyer, social worker, psychologist, mediator, expert trainer, martial artist, musician, global fellow and above all, a fearless defender of human rights.
As an advocate, Dr Mamatha Achanta has filed 128 Public Interest Litigation (PIL) cases to protect women and children. She has stood beside survivors of violence in their darkest hours. She has even created India’s first NRI Women Safety Cell, collaborating with the Telangana Police, to protect Indian women abroad. Dr Mamatha was instrumental in bringing into force a new Federal Law on Child Marriages in 2006 through her PIL.
Dr Mamatha is the brain behind ‘Bharosa Support Centers’ for rape survivors, which provide counselling, medical, legal services under one roof. Presently there are 36 Bharosa centres running in the state of Telangana, India. These centres have supported more than 25,000 women and child rape victims since 2016.
Dr Mamatha runs Tharuni Swalambana Rehabilitation and Skill centre for child sexual abuse victims giving them a new life. Dr Mamatha also runs a Rehabilitation centre for women providing De-addiction and psychiatry services in Hyderabad through a sister organization ‘Swanthana’.
Dr Mamatha has launched Pride Place to protect and empower the LGBTQIA+ community, chaired the Child Welfare Committee, reformed systems, and trained thousands of employees across government, defence, and private sectors on women’s safety. She is an expert in Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplaces Act and is a member of the Internal Complaints Committee to over 50 organisations.
The Bharosa centres and Balika Sanghas are being replicated and scaled up by the Telangana Government. Other states like Rajasthan have also taken note of Dr Mamatha’s exemplary work.
Purpose-driven leadership
Purpose-driven leadership is not just about vision. It is about anchoring every action (including policies, collaborations, partnerships, etc.) in a deep commitment to equity, dignity, and justice. Passion and commitment are needed for purpose-driven leadership. In Dr Mamatha’s work at Tharuni, this approach has been the foundation for building inclusive systems that empower the most marginalized, especially adolescent girls and women. It is due to her passion and commitment that Dr Mamatha has been able to work successfully on a wide range of issues.
Role of NGOs
Dr Mamatha believes that NGOs should act as the bridge between the government and society. NGOs should not think they are indispensable. Once they have built the bridge, the community becomes empowered to fight for its rights, to approach the government and to solve problems. Then, the NGOs can move on to solve other problems.
Gender inequality
About 50% of adolescent girls miss out on the fundamental right to education. They find it difficult to go far to attend school, more so as safety is a big concern.
An even bigger concern is that since 2022, cases of conflict-related sexual violence have risen sharply. A woman or girl is killed every 10 minutes by a partner or member of her own family.
Between 1995 and 2024, 1,531 legal reforms around the world have sought to advance gender equality. But women still only have 64% of the legal rights of men. It will take another 40 years to reach gender parity in national legislative bodies given current trajectories. With current rates of improvement, full gender parity may be reached only around 2158.
The origin of Tharuni
There are several hurdles for the girl child: foeticide, infanticide, child abuse, child marriage, child labour, human trafficking, lack of opportunities. While working for GHMC (Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation) in slum areas, Dr Mamatha had seen that small initiatives could make a great impact on the life of a girl child. So she thought of starting an NGO.
Dr Mamatha had the full support of her mother and husband, when she launched her NGO, Tharuni in 2000 to empower adolescent girls & women. Dr Mamatha and her family thought that by working for the girl child, there would be change. The girl child would bring change in the family, the community and in the country.
In these 26 years Tharuni has dealt effectively with the hurdles of the girl child and helped thousands of girls. Tharuni has worked on the legal side, run campaigns to improve social indicators, and also done a lot of advocacies with the government to make it understand the hurdles the girls were facing.
Dr Mamatha also realized that running campaigns alone is not enough. Getting the voices of the marginalized heard is very important. The girls should themselves come out and say: “We don't want child marriage. We want to continue our education.”
Tharuni believes that those closest to the problem are closest to the solution. It believes in creating platforms where survivors are not just beneficiaries but co-creators of change.
Earlier, the girls felt helpless. They could not even discuss their concerns with their parents. Now these girls have platforms where they can voice out their grievances. For example, the mother's committee enables mothers to realize that their daughters should not lose out on so many things that they lost in their own life.
Balika Sanghas
Balika Sanghas – Rural Resource Centres have mentored 22,000 rural girls to be the change agents. They have been distributing bicycles and tabs. They have also been providing livelihood and life skills training. Balika Sangha Members have created awareness on social evils like child marriages, good health practices through kitchen gardens, and menstrual hygiene. They have reported violence & abuse and raised voice on lacunae in the systems. They have provided a safe space and played an important role in solving problems. They have acted as change agents and prevented child marriages. They have improved nutrition and health for the girl child. They have also dealt with infrastructure issues. One Balika Sangha has even enabled the construction of a bridge, costing Rs 36 crores.
Balika Sanghas are now being replicated across the state of Telangana. In every village, they are being set up. Tharuni is the technical partner. The Telangana Government has also come up with SNEHA (Security, Nutrition, Empowerment & Health for Adolescents) Clubs.
Girls who thought that they could not even complete their 10th grade are now forensic experts, engineers, nutritionists and psychology lecturers. Girls who had been working as child labour in hazardous environments working 12 hours in a day for Rs 50 are all doing very well by using the rural resource centers. After attending school, girls come to these centers and equip themselves with life skills and vocational skills.
Bharosa centres
As a child welfare committee chairperson, Dr Mamatha has seen how victims suffer. One incident was particularly revealing. A doctor had to examine a one-and-a-half-year-old severely abused child. The doctor told Dr Mamatha: “Why should I examine her? She's such a small kid. She doesn't have any repercussions because of the abuse.” But Dr Mamatha could see that the child was not even going near any male person. Such was the trauma.
Dr Mamatha realized that there should be a conducive child friendly system where the child can come and give her statement and come out of the trauma feeling free and happy. That is how the Bharosa centres came into being.
Tharuni is the Technical Partner for Bharosa which acts as a one-stop support centre for women and children who are victims of rape and violence. Victims get support in filing police complaints, going through medical examinations and giving evidence in courts. Tharuni has conceptualized the idea & supported more than 21,000 cases in 9 years in 33 Centres. Very good results have been achieved.
The Bharosa initiative has improved the conviction rate from 2.5% to 65% in Hyderabad. Judges are now competing to award convictions. The initiative has been appreciated by the Supreme Court of India.
Dignity
An inclusive system must uphold dignity at every touchpoint. Victims should be treated with respect. Whether it’s through trauma-informed services at Bharosa Centres or Swalambana Rehabilitation Centres, Tharuni ensures that systems restore agency and hope to the victims.
Skilling
Eery year Telangana receives 4,000 cases of child sexual abuse. These are all registered cases. If we consider unidentified cases, the number will be much larger. Almost 80 to 90% of child abuses are done by known persons. There are father abused girls also. So, one can imagine the trauma the girls go through. They completely lose their faith in life. So it is important to bring them back into society, tell them that everything will be okay and help them to start earning their livelihood.
A 50 bedded rehabilitation & skill center for child abuse victims was started in August 2024. The first skilling center in India was started for CSA Victims. The girls are given a choice to learn different types of courses – Fashion Designing, Glam & Beauty, Bangle Making, Crochet, Baking, etc. along with Computer skills, Education, Yoga & Meditation, Karate and Art & Craft. Tharuni has supported 98 victims till date and facilitated 9 child births for girls below 16. All the victims have received vocational training, trauma counselling.
Tharuni is running the NIVRUTHI De-addiction Counselling centre in Women Prison, Chanchalguda in collaboration with Department of Prisons & Correctional Services. More than 250 women have been given counselling in 6 months. The women prisoners are given group counselling and individual counselling. Now, deaddiction centres are being planned for teenage girls.
Partnerships
Dr Mamatha admitted that it is not possible for one NGO to address all the challenges. Tharuni’s success, reach and scaling have been enabled by networking and collaborations and strategic partnerships particularly with enforcement agencies and educators. In fact, teachers were the first volunteers for Tharuni. Other NGOs have also chipped in. Tharuni has trained their staff members and also created training modules and the documents required for running the campaigns. Tharuni is part of many global networks. Tharuni has been representing India in mental health and various networks around the world and also on women empowerment. The NGO has been able to bring in international agencies to run their programs in Telangana.
Perseverance
Perseverance is necessary to make the government realize the problem. Dr Mamatha had to give 36 representations to get an order from the government on child marriages. She had to visit the Principal Secretary’s office 36 times. At the end she could get the government order issued.
Legal activism
Dr Mamatha has also used extensively legal activism. Her father was from the judiciary. He guided her on how to file an appeal. She also completed her law degree. Dr Mamatha’s PIL in 2004 in the National Human Rights Commission eventually lead to a New Law in 2006. But she had to work for four years to get the Rules passed for this Law in the state. Similarly, she could completely eradicate child labour in 100 Ginning Mills in Warangal by filing the PIL in the State Human Rights Commission.
Concluding remarks
Purpose gives Tharuni the moral clarity to challenge the status quo and the resilience to persist. Perseverance is important.
In essence, purpose-driven leadership is the compass that guides us through complexity. It ensures that systems are not only efficient but also rooted in empathy, informed by evidence, and accountable to those they serve. At Tharuni, this is not a philosophy; it is a daily practice.
Q&A
Dr Mamatha believes that the work should speak for itself. If we do good work, the results will come. Then the people and the government will take notice. The issues are more important than the NGO.
Once a child development project officer did a survey which showed that Tharuni had made a tremendous impact on reducing child marriage sharply in an area where this had been a major problem. This enabled Dr Mamatha to approach the government for more residential schools (model schools, Kasturbha Gandhi Vidyalayas) for girls. As a result, the scenario changed dramatically.
Similarly, the girls who come to the Balika Sanghas have started talking about the impact in their schools. if we post an update about Tharuni's work on Instagram or Twitter it may reach 300, 500 or 5,000 people. But when the girls start speaking, it has a cascading, multiplier effect which is several times more.
Similarly, we should show the path to other NGOs as well. This kind of collaboration will magnify the impact. One NGO alone may not be enough.
Are women getting left out of development? How can we be more inclusive? Women’s education has made good progress (since the days, when Dr Mamtha would even see child couples in schools). Parents are ready to send their children for higher education. For example, Dr Mamatha’s dhobi has sent his daughter to the US for MS. His second daughter has completed engineering.
But today, highly qualified girls are sitting at home due to lack of opportunities. We need to create more employment opportunities for women. That will also boost the GDP growth.
We should also give women more financial freedom. We need to create market linkages and identify mentors for women entrepreneurs.
The patriarchal attitude in the workplace must change. Sexual harassment still continues. Women should get more respect and dignity in the workplace.
Tharuni is planning to start a gender hub to enable conversations with men who are facing problems in dealing with their wife or their daughter and train them on how to build healthy relationships. So that's why Bandhavia Academy, has been set up by Tharuni in 2017. Tharuni is also working with some of the business schools and law schools and helping students develop skills such as relationship building and negotiation. This is also offered as a certificate course in some of the institutions. With such initiatives, Dr Mamatha is hopeful that we can slowly get rid of the patriarchal attitude and make India a more inclusive society.
In India, a lot of importance is given to self-respect. Societal pressures are high. The victims who come to the rehabilitation centres are confused and despondent. We must make them see the brighter side. We must assure them that all is not lost. We must keep their minds busy and teach them new skills with which they can make products for example Thread bangles. Once they begin making products (like bangles) with their own hands, they will feel more confident and satisfied. They will start thinking: “I can also be of some use”.
Parenting plays an important role. The role of parents is not just to provide education and various comforts to their children. They should also spend time with the children and understand their problems.
When there is a conflict in the families or when there are ego clashes between parents or parents are abusive, their children are more likely to become the victims of violence because they are more vulnerable.
Recently, Dr Mamatha came across the case of a child brought up very well by the parents and trained in music, martial arts, etc. But she succumbed to her teacher, 20 years elder to her. He had abused her for one and a half years. That vulnerability was because she got to speak to her parents only once in two days. So, that shows that how much our parenting has changed. Parents are not spending enough time with their children.
A lot of training is needed for people. After her advocacy, the government is setting up pre-marital counselling centres in every district. The Government also started family counselling centres. These are all good initiatives. But it may take another generation to address all these issues.
In urban areas, the systems are in place. People are educated. So, it is easier to reach out to the Government and get the work done.
In rural areas, people are illiterate. There is lack of awareness. Dr Mamatha launched a 5 point program to deal with child marriage in rural areas:
Cultural programs to sensitize the i9lliterate parents.
Addressing the children and enabling them to voice their grievance in a powerful manner through Balika Sanghas. Unified voices can be a powerful catalyst for change.
Training the Government officials. Most don’t get training after their induction. It is important to train Govt officials en-masse.
Improve the implementation of existing policies and laws by building pressure on the implementing officials.
Legal activism: Court orders cannot be ignored. (To file a Public Interest Litigation does not need much money. One representation to the Chief Justice might be enough.)
In the western countries, there are systems. But family and community ties are weak. In India, they are strong. If we affect one support system, it has a ripple effect on others as well.
In India, people are supportive and will go out of their way, if we display passion and commitment. One person even provided a car with driver to Dr Mamatha for one year to go to the villages in good faith, hoping there will be change. So, Dr Mamatha feels proud to work in India than outside.
Educational institutions have an important role to play in dealing with societal problems. Character building is an integral part of educational institutions. In the past, teachers would focus on this aspect. Today, it is missing. It is important to sensitize students to societal needs. Teachers/ students have an important role to play in solving societal problems. Students should realize that they will get satisfaction if they work for society. That is why even rich businessmen are setting up their foundations for serving the community.
NGOs are the bridge between the Government and the community. So their existence is temporary. It is important to be humble and not get carried away when the results start coming.
We should never think that the people for whom we are working are lesser than us. We must learn from them about the issues concerning them.
We should give people what they need, not what they do not need. Work should be done according to the Demand.
The team plays a very important role in the social sector. A good team can work wonders. There is no hierarchy in the social sector. Dr Mamatha stayed in Warangal for many years to be part of the team and get involved in the various activities.
We should equip ourselves well. Listening, articulation and analytical skills are all important for running an NGO. Adequate knowledge is important. Otherwise, the Government officers will not entertain us. We should be familiar with law, psychology, social work, community development, etc. Knowledge alone gives us power. Some NGO leaders stop learning after a certain stage. This is a big mistake. Dr Mamatha is a role model. She has picked up 16 degrees.