Healing Wounds, Empowering Voices

  Folk School Field Report: Participatory Documentation of Community Experiences Following Police and Administrative Action Date of Field Visit: 22 September 2026 Day: Tuesday Location: Chandauli District, Uttar Pradesh Field Facilitator: Pintu, PVCHR Methodology: Folk School / Participatory Community Dialogue 1. Introduction On 22 September 2026, PVCHR conducted a Folk School in an affected rural community in Chandौली District, Uttar Pradesh, following reported police and administrative action in the area. The Folk School was facilitated by Pintu , who engaged with affected families and community members to document their experiences, concerns and immediate needs. The methodology was based on participatory dialogue, enabling community members to describe the consequences of the incident in their own words and collectively identify issues requiring further attention. The exercise forms part of PVCHR's broader approach to participatory human rights documentation , in w...

Sahiba Bano driving her auto-rickshaw in Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh. Following the custodial death of her husband Ibrahim, Sahiba received legal and psychosocial support through PVCHR/JMN and support through the Survivor Alliance with IRCT. Today, she is rebuilding her family's future through her own livelihood. This is what survivor-centred rehabilitation can look like: not only justice for the past, but agency for the future. From Loss to Livelihood: Sahiba Bano Reclaims Her Future A Survivor-Centred Story of Justice, Psychosocial Recovery and Economic Empowerment Supported through the Survivor Alliance with the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT) Jan Mitra Nyas (JMN) / People's Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh, India   A journey that began with loss—and continues with courage When Sahiba Bano lost her husband, Ibrahim, following his death in judicial custody, her life changed overnight. A resident o...

From Testimony to Dignity: Honouring Survivors Through Testimonial Therapy As part of the Testimonial Therapy process , a survivor honour ceremony was organised to recognise the courage, dignity and resilience of people who have experienced violence and continue their journey towards justice. The ceremony created a space where survivors were not seen only through the lens of their suffering, but were recognised, respected and honoured for their courage to speak, heal and stand with their voices . For survivors, such recognition can be an important part of reclaiming dignity and rebuilding confidence—transforming testimony into strength, silence into voice, and suffering into a journey towards justice . “We were robbed. We were broken… but now we stand with our voices.” #TestimonialTherapy #SurvivorDignity #SurvivorVoices #HealingAndJustice #HumanRights #SurvivorSupport #TraumaHealing #Justice #PVCHR #JanMitraNyas #FromTestimonyToTransformation “We Were Robbed, We Were Broken… But ...