Summary
Project Kriya (with Jan Sahas, Dewas) reframes the experience of survivors of sexual violence as a nonlinear recovery journey, and designs behavioral interventions to make the legal justice process less psychologically and socially damaging.
The work starts from a core tension: increasing reporting and legal justice can strengthen deterrence, but the path to justice can be financially, emotionally, and physically draining for survivors and their families. Jan Sahas provides legal and counseling support, yet identified a persistent gap: survivors’ recovery is shaped as much by family/community dynamics and everyday behavior as by formal legal outcomes.
Approach
- Conducted immersion and interviews across 18 cases spanning different segments (minors/adults; married/unmarried).
- Engaged multiple stakeholders: survivors, family members, and Jan Sahas frontline workers.
- Mapped the emotional, social, and practical journey through legal proceedings and recovery.
Core insight: a three-state journey
The project frames recovery as movement through (and between):
- Victimhood: active suffering and destabilization
- Survivorship: emerging agency and action
- New Normal: identity no longer defined by the violence
This journey isn’t linear: people move forward, fall back, and move forward again. The interventions are designed for that reality, not for a neat, steady climb.
Outputs: five behavioral intervention tools
- Gestures of Care: rituals/acts that signal support and safety
- Narratives for Coping: reframing frameworks to process the experience
- Reframe for Purpose: activities that rebuild agency
- Milestones for Progress: visual markers to make recovery legible
- Guide to Journey: a roadmap to set expectations and reduce uncertainty
Key takeaways
- Recovery support must extend beyond legal/medical services into everyday behaviors and family dynamics.
- Small, repeatable gestures add up; they can meaningfully shift how supported (and how agentic) someone feels.
- Designing for a nonlinear journey reduces shame and “failure” framing when setbacks occur.
Credits
Client: Jan Sahas (supported by EdelGive Foundation)
Consulting Partner: Final Mile Consulting