Twenty one-year-old, Siddheshwar of Mariguddam village, Nalagonda district, Andhra Pradesh, says, “I never realised how grave the issue of violence against women is until recently. At a workshop on AIDS organised by an ally of the campaign, I was sensitised to the seriousness of the issue and the connections between AIDS and violence against women, particularly domestic violence. I have now begun speaking publicly on the issue; I am in touch with 300 people within my community. The result is that women are gaining courage to speak out on violence and AIDS. I stress the fact that women are not to blame for the sex of the baby. This has made a remarkable difference in the lives of women.”