Muktha Foundation - preventing inter-personal abuse and promoting mental health

Often swept under the carpet and discussed only in hushed whispers, mental health has for far too long been a taboo topic of discussion. While in recent times, individuals and institutions have been working towards breaking this taboo and addressing mental health concerns and educating the public, it was probably the unfortunate pandemic that brought more attention to this much needed discussion. News reports were many about an increase in mental health issues during the pandemic this year as we stepped into lockdowns the world over. The reasons may have been diverse, but rather importantly, it forced one to address the elephant in the room. 

Mental health continues to be understood in very superficial ways. To be able to address it, one must be able to understand what causes it- in a comprehensive manner. A counselling psychologist by profession, Ashvini.N.V. began to notice a trend amongst those who presented to her with anxiety disorders. A large percentage of them had been subjected to abuse in the past- abuse of different kinds ranging from neglect and bullying to physical or sexual abuse and violence. That interpersonal abuse and mental health disorders were not coincidental but in fact were closely linked as cause and consequence, began to appear distinctly. It became a matter of much concern when she realised that much of the focus amongst mental health practitioners continued to be on studying the consequential mental health disorder while there was very little understanding of the causal violence. And because this violence was not understood comprehensively, most mental health professionals had very little training to deal with violence or prevent it. 

The need therefore, Ashvini felt, was to understand the violence and effectively prevent it-if one had to effectively prevent mental health disorders. And thus was born Muktha Foundation in 2017. The work of the Foundation is targetted at preventing abuse at multiple levels. For someone who has encountered abuse, there is a need to prevent further instances of abuse and deal with the aftermath of the abuse that has already happened through psychological intervention, legal support and the like. At another level there are vulnerable populations that must be provided with the skills to protect themselves from abuse. Beyond these, there is another third level of prevention that Muktha Foundation believes as its major area of focus. This is at a primary level where there is no victim yet. But universal sensitisation is required to train people across various age groups, professions and sectors so that abuse is prevented altogether. While one would assume this to be a gargantuan task, Ashvini says "SMILE"! An acronym for a well-charted and structured module that Muktha Foundation has been driving forward successfully, SMILE stands for -imparting Safety skills and practical methods of dealing with violence and danger; Mental health, Inter-personal skills to enable effective communication and conflict resolution, Legal literacy to make people aware of the laws that are available to protect them and Ecological literacy to understand the context of behavior and violence from a sociological standpoint. SMILE isn't merely a tenet for Muktha Foundation, but by taking on an approach that is multi-dimensional and holistic, SMILE seems to be a strong foundation on which much of Muktha Foundation's work has been fashioned.

'With news of violence becoming an unfortunate norm across the world, the anger that it triggers in conscientious people must be channeled effectively. It is only then that the angry sloganeering can be converted into effective content that can influence communities positively.' It was with this seed of a thought that in 2019, Ashvini took on a campaign that broke records. She travelled to all 29 states and 3 union territories of the country over 90 days, conducting over 153 training programmes for doctors, child helpline professionals, teachers, counsellors and other major stakeholders in the movement against violence. The aim of such a large scale programme was to create empowered individuals who would be able to take the work of Muktha Foundation forward into their own communities. They would in turn empower others to become assertive individuals who would know how not to violate and how not to be violated. If 'Bhaya Muktha Bharath' aimed at an All-India campaign to educate individuals, Muktha Katha is a repository of stories of liberation. To bring to the fore post-traumatic growth that can be inspiring to others is essential to build motivation. To nurture communities that are intrinsically supportive, Muktha Foundation also launched Muktha Vridhas- listening circles to build a supportive community for survivors and Muktha Grantha- a community mental health library. 

Muktha Foundation has with much precision charted out the gaps that need to be filled where mental health and interpersonal abuse is concerned. With initiatives that aim to fill these gaps effectively, their reach will be instrumental in bringing about change that is essential and urgent.

Published in GRASSROOTS journal of the Press Institute of India. Do not reprint or publish without permission from the Editor.