Men Against Violence and Abuse

Men Against Violence and Abuse, commonly known as MAVA, is an Indian organisation focused on preventing gender-based violence by working with men and boys as participants in gender-equality efforts. Its work is associated primarily with Maharashtra and combines public education, counselling, youth engagement, relationship guidance, and community-based gender-awareness activities. Rather than treating violence against women solely as a women's issue, MAVA's approach asks men to examine the social expectations, power structures, and ideas about masculinity that can enable harassment, domestic abuse, and other forms of gender-based harm. The organisation emerged from a public appeal placed by journalist C. Y. Gopinath in several Mumbai journals in 1991. The appeal sought men willing to oppose violence against women and attracted 205 responses. The participants met for approximately a year while developing a core group, with Harish Sadani becoming its leader. MAVA was formally organised in Mumbai in March 1993. Its founding perspective held that both men and women should be freed from the constraints of patriarchy, making the organisation an early example in India of a men's initiative explicitly oriented toward preventing violence against women rather than defending male privilege. MAVA's activities have included counselling and guidance for couples preparing for marriage, a telephone help-line, spaces in which men can discuss personal and relationship problems with other men, gender-sensitisation work in educational settings, and self-defence classes for women. In Mumbai colleges, MAVA has worked with the women's organisation Akshara to distribute information about gender-based violence and gender issues. These activities reflect a prevention-oriented model: public awareness and direct support are combined with efforts to influence attitudes before abusive behaviour occurs. A major component of MAVA's programming is Yuva Maitri, a youth initiative developed as a pilot project after Harish Sadani received a Population Council fellowship in 2006. The programme uses camp-based discussions and reflection on gender roles, relationships, and expectations affecting young people. By 2014, the programme was reported to have reached about 80,000 young men and to have developed approximately 500 youth mentors. MAVA also publishes the Marathi journal Purush Spandana, or Men's Expressions, which began in 1996 and is issued annually around the Diwali period. The journal provides a forum for men to write and think about gender, masculinity, relationships, and social change. MAVA's work has also received documentary attention. The 2018 documentary Boys Who Like Girls, directed by Inka Achté, profiles aspects of the organisation's activities. MAVA is best understood as a civil-society advocacy and support organisation rather than a conventional consumer brand: its recognisable identity is built around gender-justice education, male engagement, counselling, and violence-prevention programmes. Publicly available reference material identifies its Maharashtra base and core programmes but does not establish a corporate ownership structure, listed status, current executive roster, or a definitive account of its present scale of operations.

Men Against Violence and Abuse developed from a public mobilisation effort in Mumbai. In 1991, journalist C. Y. Gopinath placed an advertisement in several journals asking men who opposed gender-based violence to come forward. The appeal received 205 responses. The respondents met for roughly a year as they discussed the purpose and structure of a possible organisation and formed a core group. Harish Sadani became its leader. The group concluded that challenging violence required attention to the social system of patriarchy and that men, as well as women, needed liberation from restrictive gender expectations. MAVA was formally organised in Mumbai in March 1993. It became one of India's early men's organisations whose central purpose was the prevention of violence against women. Its orientation distinguished it from organisations focused primarily on men's rights: MAVA sought to make men active participants in gender equality, encourage self-reflection about power and masculinity, and create spaces where men could discuss emotional, personal, and relationship concerns. In 1996, MAVA began publishing Purush Spandana, translated as Men's Expressions. Written in Marathi, the journal has been published annually around Diwali and has provided a platform for discussion of gender roles, relationships, masculinity, and social change. Publication extended MAVA's work beyond direct counselling and workshops into locally grounded public communication. MAVA's programme portfolio has included counselling, guidance for couples preparing to marry, a telephone help-line, gender-issue education, and self-defence classes for women. Together with the women's group Akshara, it has distributed information on gender-based violence and gender issues in Mumbai colleges. The organisation has also presented itself as a setting where men can speak openly with other men about difficulties in their lives, relationships, and social expectations. A significant later development was Yuva Maitri. In 2006, Harish Sadani received a Population Council fellowship to create a pilot project for MAVA. The initiative brought young men into camp settings where they could discuss gender roles and reflect on relationships between genders. Yuva Maitri continued as part of MAVA's programming; by 2014, published material stated that it had reached approximately 80,000 young men and created about 500 youth mentors. The scale reported for the programme indicates an effort to move from small-group activism toward broader youth-based prevention and peer leadership. MAVA's work was profiled in the documentary Boys Who Like Girls, directed by Inka Achté and released in 2018. The film brought wider attention to the organisation's work with men and boys. Public reference material continues to describe MAVA as operating in Maharashtra, with activities spanning advocacy, counselling, education, youth engagement, and support services. Information available in the cited sources does not provide a complete current organisational chart, legal ownership structure, financial history, or a definitive statement about the organisation's present operational scale.

• 2018

  MAVA is profiled in Boys Who Like Girls

  [1]Men Against Violence and Abuseen.wikipedia.org

  Inka Achté's documentary Boys Who Like Girls presented aspects of MAVA's work on gender, masculinity, and violence prevention.

• 2014

  Yuva Maitri reports broad youth reach

  [1]Men Against Violence and Abuseen.wikipedia.org

  Published material reported that Yuva Maitri had reached approximately 80,000 young men and developed about 500 youth mentors.

• 2006

  Yuva Maitri is developed as a pilot project

  [1]Men Against Violence and Abuseen.wikipedia.org

  A Population Council fellowship received by Harish Sadani supported the creation of MAVA's Yuva Maitri youth programme.

• 1996

  Purush Spandana begins publication

  [1]Men Against Violence and Abuseen.wikipedia.org

  MAVA began its Marathi journal Purush Spandana, or Men's Expressions, which is published annually around Diwali.

• 1993

  MAVA is formally organised

  [1]Men Against Violence and Abuseen.wikipedia.org

  The organisation was formally established in Mumbai in March 1993, with Harish Sadani leading the core group.

• 1991

  Public appeal brings together men opposed to gender-based violence

  [1]Men Against Violence and Abuseen.wikipedia.org

  Journalist C. Y. Gopinath published an appeal in Mumbai journals seeking men who wanted to oppose gender-based violence. It received 205 responses and led to the formation of a discussion and organising group.

A Maharashtra-based gender-justice organisation that engages men and boys in preventing violence against women, questioning patriarchal ideas of masculinity, and building healthier relationships.

• Youth gender-equity programme · 2006

  Yuva Maitri

  Yuva Maitri is MAVA's youth-focused programme for engaging young men in discussions about gender roles, relationships, masculinity, and violence prevention. Its format has included camp-based learning and reflection, with an emphasis on developing youth mentors who can carry gender-equity ideas into peer and community settings.

• Advocacy publication · 1996

  Purush Spandana

  Purush Spandana, meaning Men's Expressions, is a Marathi journal started by MAVA in 1996. Published annually around Diwali, it provides a communications platform for examining men's experiences, gender roles, relationships, masculinity, and the broader social conditions connected with violence and inequality.

• Support service

  Counselling and relationship guidance

  MAVA provides counselling and guidance related to gender issues and couples preparing for marriage. The organisation also creates spaces where men can discuss personal and relationship concerns with other men, linking individual support with its wider violence-prevention and gender-equity mission.

• Education and advocacy

  Gender-awareness and violence-prevention programmes

  MAVA conducts educational and public-awareness activities addressing gender-based violence and gender relations. In collaboration with Akshara, it has posted or distributed information in Mumbai colleges and has used community engagement to encourage discussion of gender norms and prevention.

• 2006Yuva Maitri

  Maharashtra, India

  A youth engagement initiative that uses camps and facilitated discussion to help young men examine gender roles, relationships, and expectations.

  Outcome. By 2014, the programme was reported to have reached about 80,000 young men and produced approximately 500 youth mentors.

  Source
• College gender-violence awareness activities

  Mumbai, India

  MAVA and Akshara have shared information in Mumbai colleges on gender-based violence and gender issues.

  Source

1. 1Men Against Violence and Abuseen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Men Against Violence and Abuse official websitemavaindia.org