Vidhayak Sansad has struggled since its inception to battle abuse and discrimination against women, both in the community and at home, through self-empowerment. We work with women through a program called Mahila Thingi (Women’s Spark), which organizes them to enforce their rights.

The program raises awareness among women about their rights and how to fight for them. It provides women with practical knowledge about the police, the law, and local governance. For instance, the program holds block-level camps for widows, divorcees, and destitute women to understand their problems, provide counseling, and create awareness about their rights.

Vidhayak Sansad advocates for the social rights of women at the local and state levels. It promotes their economic rights by working with women to begin employment generating activities and enterprises through government schemes, such as Self-Help Groups and other forms of micro-finance.

Vidhayak Sansad works with Shramjeevi Sanghatana to strengthen the role of women in governance by encouraging their election to Panchayat Raj institutions, such as self-governing committees at the village, block, and district levels. The co-organizations struggle to ensure women are adequately represented in all of these decision-making bodies.

546 women have been elected to village Panchayats in Thane district with the support of Vidhayak Sansad and Shramjeevi Sanghatana. Vidhayak Sansad has organized 126 women into Self-Help Groups in the district.