Sunday, June 29, 2025

Project Launch: Empower Survivor – From Testimony to Transformation

 

🌐 Project Launch: Empower Survivor – From Testimony to Transformation

Website: http://empowersurvivor.com
Date: June 29, 2025

Honoring Gwangju’s Spirit, Healing Today’s Wounds

In 1980, the citizens of Gwangju, South Korea, rose against state oppression in what became known as the May 18 Democratic Uprising. Though met with brutal force, their sacrifice ignited a movement for democracy, peace, and human rights that transformed the soul of a nation.

Forty-five years later, their legacy crosses continents, finding resonance in India through the Empower Survivor initiative—a victim-centered platform led by Jan Mitra Nyas (JMN), with support from the Gwangju Human Rights Peace Foundation (GHRPF).

🛡️ About Empower Survivor

Project Title: Empowering Victims of Torture by Strengthening Victim Support and Building Information Bridges
Hosted by: Jan Mitra Nyas (JMN)
Supported by: Gwangju Human Rights Peace Foundation (GHRPF)
Platform: http://empowersurvivor.com
Project Duration: January–December 2025
Location: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

🔍 Why Now?

Despite constitutional guarantees, survivors of torture and state violence in India—especially from Dalit, Adivasi, minority, and marginalized communities—continue to face silence, stigma, and systemic neglect. Empower Survivor provides a platform that transforms that silence into solidarity, testimony, and healing.

With India facing growing scrutiny from international human rights bodies and a shrinking space for civil society, this initiative is both timely and transformative.

🧩 Key Components

  • 🌐 Connect+ Platform – ICT-powered support and learning hub

  • 🎓 Capacity Building – Training for human rights defenders

  • 🗣️ Testimonial Ceremonies – Healing through story

  • 📚 Research & Policy Advocacy – Survivor-led knowledge production

🤝 About Jan Mitra Nyas (JMN) & PVCHR

Jan Mitra Nyas (JMN), established in 1999, is a grassroots trust working to uphold justice, human dignity, and constitutional values for marginalized communities in India. It is the institutional wing of People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR)—a mass-based movement founded by Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi.

  • 🌍 JMN holds Special Consultative Status with the United Nations ECOSOC, enabling it to advocate for victims at global human rights platforms.

  • 📢 PVCHR has directly intervened in over 10,000 cases of torture and injustice since its founding.

  • 🤝 Collaborations include UN Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture, IRCT, and international networks across Asia, Europe, and North America.

👤 About Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi – Project Coordinator

Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi is a globally recognized human rights defender, Ashoka Fellow, and founder of PVCHR. He has pioneered the testimonial therapy model in India and led international advocacy against torture and caste-based violence.

  • 🏅 Recipient of the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights (2007)

  • 🌐 Former member of the NGO Core Group of India's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)

  • 📚 Editor of Reformist Approaches to Human Rights (2024), launched in collaboration with Shoolini University

👥 Project Advisors

✍️ Shruti Nagvanshi

Managing Trustee, JMN
Award-winning human rights activist and gender justice advocate. She has led programs on maternal health, child rights, and caste equity for over two decades. Recognized with the Rex Karmaveer Chakra (Silver) and Public Peace Prize.

🧠 Dr. Mohanlal Panda

Advisor, Jan Mitra Nyas
PhD from Jawaharlal Nehru University, Dr. Panda is an expert in human rights, governance, and conflict resolution. Formerly with PHDCCI and Friedrich Naumann Stiftung, he now leads JMN’s strategy, research, and monitoring initiatives.

📰 Abhishek Srivastava

Associate Editor, India Quarterly
Published by the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), India’s oldest foreign policy think-tank. A leading voice on international affairs and a strategic advisor on the communications dimension of this project.

✊ About the Gwangju Human Rights Peace Foundation (GHRPF)

Established by the legacy of the May 18 Uprising, GHRPF supports global initiatives in human rights, peace, democracy, and solidarity.

  • 🌏 Funds projects worldwide that promote transitional justice, survivor empowerment, and memory activism

  • 🕊️ Engages with grassroots partners like JMN to amplify survivor voices

  • 💡 Inspired by the idea that “democracy grows through sacrifice” and that remembrance is the first step toward reconciliation

🙌 Our Youth Volunteers (Pro Bono Team)

  • Khushi Yadav – B.A. LLB, Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith

  • Aditya Mishra – B.A. LLB, Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith

  • Sanjana Shukla – MSW, University of Lucknow

  • Ankit Singh – MSW, Delhi School of Social Work (University of Delhi)

🌟 The Vision Ahead

Empower Survivor is more than a project—it's a movement for healing, justice, and resilience. By combining digital platforms, survivor narratives, trauma care, and legal action, it paves the way for a future where victims are not abandoned, but empowered to rebuild.

“We aim to ensure that every survivor becomes a voice for justice, a leader in their community, and a symbol of human dignity restored.”
– Dr. Lenin Raghuvanshi

🔗 Learn More

🖥️ Visit: http://empowersurvivor.com
📧 Email: shruti@pvchr.asia
🔎 Jan Mitra Nyas: https://janmitranyas.in

#EmpowerSurvivor #GwangjuUprising #HumanRights #StopTorture #JusticeForSurvivors #ConnectPlus #LeninRaghuvanshi #ShrutiNagvanshi #PVCHR #ECOSOC #May18Spirit #TransitionalJustice #IndiaKoreaSolidarity #YouthForJustice

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