Although Indian family as a social institution is well known for the emotional and physical support that it provides to its extended members, many a time it fails to respond to the needs of women, specially for women in difficult circumstance like widows, destitute and deserted women, women ex-prisoners, victims of sexual abuse and crimes, including those trafficked and rescued from brothels, migr
ant or refugee women who have been rendered homeless due to natural calamities like flood, cyclone, earthquake, mentally challenged women, women victims of terrorist violence etc. Often the support of immediate or extended family are not available due to reasons ranging from economic instability of the family to provide such support to the breakdown of joint family system to the social bias against the marginalized women as also the attitude and value attached to such women. Sometimes society itself drives such women out of the system to lead lives of sub human existence. More often vulnerable women in distress end up as beggars or prostitutes for their own survival and at times for survivals and maintenance of their dependent children. Very limited State intervention available through old age home, short stay home, Nari Niketan etc, cover only a fringe of the problems of such women. Therefore Society for Empowerment Development Education & Culture has been founded with a more flexible and innovative approach to cater to the requirement of various types of women in distress in diverse situations under different conditions.
