Virutcham Magalir Munnetra Kalzangiam (VMMK)
ABOUT VMMK
Virutcham Magalir Munnetra Kalzangiam (VMMK) is a non-profit organization established by a group of socially concerned people in the year 1997 and registered under the societies act of Tamilnadu. The secretary of VMMK Ms. K.Vijaya has been a long-standing social worker in the district and she heads the organization as a founder and is supported by a core and voluteer team of 86 persons, including 20 males and 10 Transgender persons.
The vision and mission of VMMK reads as follows:
Vision:
VMMK visualizes a society where marginalized and disadvantaged women will be a force for their own socio-economic empowerment.
Mission:
To work among the marginalized and disadvantaged women to enable them achieve their socio-economic empowerment through a participatory process of organization, social education and training.
Protecting the Rights of Transgender Persons:
Transgender persons are the most vulnerable group who face lot of problems, such as sexual harassment, ill-treat, poor social status and other socio-economic problems. They are treated as vagrant and derelict to any dignified job and they are the neglected section in the society and are denied their rights as citizens of the country. They have no access to mainstream government programmes because they have no sexual identity in terms of prescribed norms – meaning Male or Female. They are also ill treated with Stigma and Discrimination not only by the society in which they live but also within their families. Hence VMMK has planned to reach out and evolve interventions for this socially deprived people. So far it has identified 700 such people in Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu. In order to sensitize the government machineries and the general public, these people are being organized as 20 Self Help Groups comprising of 265. Furthermore these organized groups stand as a platform to carry a range of social development activities
Protecting the Rights of women:
Trade Union for Unorganized Laborers: It is found that in the unorganized sector, the working community are quite vulnerable and have no mechanism to protect their rights. Women form the majority in the sector and are often subject to abuse and are basically denied their rights as not only workers but as women. Keeping this noble need in mind VMMK has organized 8000 members belongs to various unorganized laborer like construction workers, street vendors, head load vendor, domestic workers, match factory workers, Fireworks factory workers and other kind.
The members of the Trade Union, being organized, they are entitled to receive maternity benefits, death/accident compensation, Monetary support for marriage, Educational aid for their children. The Trade Union have been empowered by providing, various other services like of Human Rights Education, Legal Aid, capacity building training, advocacy, networking and Leadership training.
In supporting the Rights based initiative of women VMMK also carriesout the following activities:
Short Stay Home: VMMK facilitates a Short Stay Home for the women in stress and those are neglected by their family. This programme is supported by the Central Social Welfare Board (CSWB), Government of India New Delhi.
Family Counselling Centre: VMMK Facilitating an FCC mainly to address the unique problems faced by the Transgender persons and their families. This programme supported by Central social welfare Board, New Delhi plays a vital role hence it paves the way to good moral support to the women having stress owing to socio and psychological problems.
Self Help Groups (SHGs): Major focus of our work is on empowering the women, eunuchs and disabled persons in the communities’. Over the years Self Help Groups have became the main stay of this effort.
Vocational Training: A job oriented and skill development programme is an aid to the rural women, adolescent girls with less education or no educational background are the beneficiaries.
Protecting the Rights of Children:
Child labour Eradication & Education: It is one of the most needed programmes is in the district. Under the National Child Labour Project (NCLP), VMMK runs special schools for children who are forced by various socio-economic conditions prevailing.
Village Library: Village Library Scheme can be considered as an alternative to the traditional knowledge dissemination, oral tradition of sharing information passing the elders among the community, has declined owing to the fast changing socio- cultural scenario. Partnering with AID INDIA, VMMK has instituted 50 libraries in the target villages.
Sarva Sikhsha Abyan: Education for All it is a scheme initiated by the government of India. It focuses to provide education to all those children dropped out from the schools for various reasons and child laborers still working. Majority of the children stay and study here are orphan and semi orphans. Under this scheme there are 4 Residential Schools at Virudhunagar, Sivakasi and Sattur Blocks.
Given their vulnerability to sexual abuse and the resultant consequences of HIV/AIDS, VMMK has initiated a focussed programme on HIV/AIDS covering the Transgender persons, MSM’s, Women and Children with the support of TNSACS and PWDS.