Aks Foundation

Aks Foundation is a Maharashtra based organization working in the area of gender based violence, primarily domestic violence and sexual assault. Aks Foundation is registered under the Societies Registration Act 1860 (Central) and under the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act 1950. Aks launched its 24/7 crisis lines in 2013 with 6 volunteers and today has a team of over 20 volunteers supervised by the core team. Aks aims to spread awareness about gender based violence and assist in the prevention and intervention in cases related to domestic violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment and stalking. Barkha Bajaj is a trained psychologist with a specialisation in trauma and family therapy. Armed with two Masters in Clinical and Counseling Psychology, she has worked with gender based violence and trauma related issues for over 10 years. She is currently the Executive Director and overlooks the counselling unit of Aks, supervising and training the crisis intervention volunteers and providing face to face counseling to perpetrators and victims. She is also an independent consultant and works with individuals, schools and corporates. Advocate Heena Panjabi has been practicing mainly in the field of legal intervention and advising around family matters, DV and POSH. Over and above her degree in law she has also attained an executive certification in sexual harassment and workplace diversity offering by the NUJS, Kolkata. Heena also supervises a legal team of 10 at Aks Foundation. Neerja Bajaj, a corporate trainer and facilitator, is the Director of Community Education and conducts trainings and coordinates other activities of Aks Foundation. Neerja and her team have conducted Gender Sensitization Sessions in various schools and colleges across Pune. She is also the Immediate Past President of Soroptimist International, Pune Metro East,(SIPME) an International NGO of working and professional women.