Arshiya Dua’s Painted Lady Foundation Seeks Justice For Women Betrayed By Their Own

Arshiya Dua

The WHO mentions that around 736 million women across the world have faced violence from their intimate partners, including verbal, psychological and sexual abuse. This makes one on three women of this world a victim of domestic violence while the more disheartening fact, according to WHO, is that 30% of them are as young as 15 or more.

It doesn't take rocket science to feel that this devastation needs to be stopped immediately. However, not everyone is on board yet. Till that happens, organizations like the "Painted Lady Foundation" and its dynamic young Founder Arshiya Dua is on the job to ensure that the grave issue like sexual violence doesn't go unnoticed or un-responded. Arshiya's mission is to make every victim of partner violence smile through her tears. Arshiya is working mainly in the area of sexual harassment, which happens inside homes, as well as outside at the workplace, public places, etc. She is also concerned about the issue of gender equality, the absence of which is the main cause of variety of issues related to sexual harassment.

Arshiya is a 16-year-old high school junior at the United World College of South East Asia, Singapore, and her foundation, Painted Lady Foundation is committed towards bringing attention to the issue of sexual violence. Talking about her mission, Arshiya says, "Home is supposed to be the safest space for women and children. However, as the WHO figures project, the reality is far from that. Even outside the home, women, young, middle-aged and old, as well as children, remain vulnerable, at the hands of abusive partners, husbands, fathers, sons, brothers, friends, colleagues, even strangers, etc. We want to help bring a stop to sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape. We want to assist people in understanding these issues deeply."

The Foundation's name is inspired by the "Painted Lady" butterfly, a migratory species. Talking about the unique name, Arshiya explains, "The motive behind picking the name was to showcase the idea that all women, no matter what their struggles may be, have the ability to reach their highest potential." One of the primary goals of the Foundation is to help destigmatize the issue of domestic violence. Currently, owing to social parameters and prejudices, the victims of such abuse are often named, shamed and shunned by the society. Arshiya wants to put an end to victim-shaming and bring to justice the perpetrators by creating awareness through the Painted Lady campaigns as well as help the victims get legal help to fight. Despite moving to Singapore with her parents, Arshiya remains a true Indian at heart and continues to nurture her roots back home. In this regard, she is exploring opportunities to connect with several like-minded activists as well as NGOs in order to create more awareness about the cause.

As the Founder of Painted Lady Foundation, Arshiya spends a lot of time identifying, interacting and counseling women and girls who've suffered violence. Though her school life keeps her busy enough, she still takes out time to write blogs, articles and work with different organizations for women's rights and women empowerment. Arshiya is now planning to encompass her opinions and experience vis-à-vis sexual violence into a book form, which she intends to release worldwide through platforms like Amazon. The book will also contain interviews of people from different walks of life, including law, education and corporate worlds. The book would serve as a curriculum for gender sensitization, she hopes.

If you want to associate with the Foundation and bring social change, you can do so by becoming a volunteer, making donations or buying the Painted Lady Foundation merchandise.