The Centre for Women’s Studies, School of Social Sciences, University of Hyderabad (UoH), in collaboration with the Women Safety Wing, Telangana Police and Rubaroo, organised a two-day Training of Trainers (ToT) for the Stand With HER campaign on 26th and 27th October, 2026, at the Conference Hall, School of Social Sciences, UoH. The workshop brought together over 55 participants, a carefully selected group of non-teaching staff, students, and PhD scholars, so that a range of experiences would inform the training.
The program began with an inaugural session with Prof. K. Suneetha Rani, coordinator of the workshop, and the Dean, School of Social Sciences, welcoming the gathering and introducing the workshop. Prof. K. Suneetha Rani noted that questioning patriarchy also means extending the conversation beyond women to other marginalised gender identities, including trans and nonbinary persons, if systemic change is to be meaningful. She said that CWS has not only been teaching and researching Gender Studies but has also been actively engaged in collaborative, extension, and awareness-dissemination activities.
Prof. J. Anuradha, Vice-Chancellor, UoH, spoke about the Stand With HER campaign, urging that it be taken up as both a commitment and a duty. She remarked that initiatives of this kind call for a change in mindset across society.
Ms Charu Sinha, Director General, Women Safety Wing, Telangana Police, who is also an alumna of the University, explained that the Stand With HER campaign was formulated to address everyday sexism that sustains rape culture. She spoke about the disrespect women face in multi-spaces, including home, workspace, and public spaces, and stressed that men needed to be educated on the overt and covert forms of everyday sexism. The Stand With HER campaign grew out of the Safe Mobility Campaign, trying to centre men’s behavioural change to tackle patriarchal rules and double standards. She mentioned issues of acid attacks, voyeurism, stalking, and online harassment as some examples of issues that the campaign hopes to address.
Prof. Deepa Sreenivas, Head, Centre for Women’s Studies, spoke about the meaningful collaboration among educational institutions, civil society bodies, and the government to address systemic inequality against women. She also reiterated the importance of academia and groundwork going hand in hand for any lasting change. Dr. Devesh Nigam, Registrar, University of Hyderabad, welcomed the initiative.
The inaugural session stressed the need to create a cycle of safety not just for women but for all marginalised gender identities and set the tone for the two days by presenting the campaign as a long-term, community-based effort in which men are asked to move from bystanders to upstanders in creating safe spaces for women. This was followed by a briefing by Asiya Shervani, Head of Training and Content Development, SAHAS, who introduced the program, the commitments expected of participants, and the roadmap for the campaign.
Over the two days, the workshop engaged in intense discussions around topics such as understanding of gender socialisation, gender-based violence, shared responsibility, everyday respect, digital dignity, everyday sexism, emotional safety, healthy relationships, and boundaries. The workshop concluded with participant responses and the closing remark by Prof. Suneetha Rani that initiatives like this enable us to bring together gender knowledge and practice to challenge systemic hierarchies.
(Report by GADHA THACHAPPILLY, Doctoral Student, CWS)