Raj Kummar Rao, acclaimed Bollywood actor, today released a video message highlighting that ‘violence against women is no longer a private matter’. The message is to support Breakthrough’s ongoing campaign ‘Dakhal Do’. Dakhal Do, meaning ‘intervene’ is a multi-year campaign on bystander intervention designed to inspire young people between the ages of 19-25 to intervene and call out acts of violence against women and girls both in public and private spaces. Breakthrough India has joined hands with Rajkummar Rao to take the campaign to the masses. Breakthrough uses the power of arts, media, pop culture and community mobilization to build a world in which all people live with dignity, equality and justice. 
The campaign seeks to inspire young people to intervene when they witness acts of violence against women and girls, either in their own lives or in public places. The idea is to reinforce and highlight the role of a bystander in creating safe spaces for women and girls in India. The campaign will be an integral part of Breakthrough India ongoing programmes in UP, Haryana, Bihar, and Delhi.
Commenting on the collaboration, Rajkummar Rao said, “I am very excited to join hands with Breakthrough India for the ‘Dakhal Do’ campaign. I strongly believe that efforts such as this will help us end violence against women and girls. I have observed that most people act or raise their voice only when physical violence occurs. But there is no understanding around the fact that violence exists in different forms and shapes such as emotional, mental, and financial. This needs to change. There needs to be a continuous discussion and sensitization on the various forms of abuse and their impact on women. This is a conversation that is still happening in limited spaces and we need everyone’s support to take it to a larger number of people across the country. I believe that violence against women and girls is everyone’s problem and we need to speak up, stop and intervene.”
Commenting on the campaign launch, Sohini Bhattacharya, President and CEO, Breakthrough, said, “Breakthrough is dedicated to creating an environment in which violence and discrimination against women and girls becomes unacceptable. The ‘Dakhal Do’ campaign is designed to drive awareness, inspire action, and encourage more Indians to say “no more” to gender-based violence and bystander apathy. The campaign will push people to understand their own role as changemakers for building safer public spaces. We are pleased to have partnered with Rajkummar Rao to take this message to a larger number of people across the country.”
The ‘Dakhal Do’ campaign is being hosted on social media platforms in order to connect with more and more people and mobilize support for the campaign. The campaign will also announce a contest later which will be open for those between the ages of 15-25. The participants will be required to share their video stories through WhatsApp, stating how they intervened and prevented a potentially violent incident.” More details on this will be available on or visit Breakthrough’s social media handles:
Facebook: @BreakthroughIN (Breakthrough India)
Instagram: @inbreakthrough
Twitter: @INBreakthrough
