New Delhi, July 29 -- As the Ministry of Panchayati Raj (MoPR) concluded the second batch of its Nirbhay Netri Training of Trainers (ToT) programme on Wednesday, participants and trainers said the three-day exercise was aimed as much at changing mindsets as at imparting legal knowledge, with a focus on preparing Panchayats to respond to gender-based violence through empathy, institutional support and community engagement.

The workshop, held at the Indian Institute of Public Administration (IIPA) from July 27 to 29, was organised under the Ministry's "Freedom from Violence: Capacity Building of Elected Women Representatives on Legal Provisions on Safety and Security of Women" initiative.

"The first step is self-reflection. Before we can ...