‘The Little Girls We Were…and the Women We Are’

RAHI Foundation is a centre for women survivors of incest and child sexual abuse. Based in New Delhi, and now in Kolkata, it has been working since 1996 to end incest and child sexual abuse and address its long-term impact on women survivors. It is India’s first incest and child sexual abuse response organization and the only one focusing exclusively on women survivors and their unique recovery needs. RAHI is a trauma-informed and trauma-sensitive organisation. After creating and executing RAHI ‘s creative campaign Out of the Shadows in 2016, Artsforward was engaged to organise the Kolkata premiere and other screenings of RAHI’s National Award winning film “The Little Girls We Were … And the Women We Are!” .

The film is a documentary where five Indian women survivors of incest and child sexual abuse share their journey from abuse to recovery. They talk about how and where they were abused, who their abuser was, responses they got when they disclosed, the effects of abuse on their lives, what recovery means to them and why they agreed to be part of this project. The film is a poignant blend of personal testimonies, information and expert comments. It gives the message of hope and recovery to survivors and is meant to be used for education and intervention purposes.

The Kolkata premiered happened at INOX Quest Mall followed by screenings at Harrington St Arts Centre, Loreto College and IISWBM. The screening was followed by a panel discussion with Anuja Gupta, founder and director of RAHI Foundation, Ashwini Ailawadi, founder and director of RAHI Foundation, Nandana Sen, cause ambassador of RAHI Foundation along with the survivors, Koel Chatterji, business entrepreneur and Ayesha Sinha, social worker and founder of a NGO called Talash.