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Gender Equality & Social Justice
Women are the losers in a society with such
deeply engrained patriarchal attitudes. Powerless, marginalized and
vulnerable, they face discrimination and violence at the hands of the
community and their family, and are deprived of even the most basic human
rights.
Neglect of the girl child is commonplace here. Girls are denied the same
food, healthcare and education given to boys, as a result of which they
have a much slimmer chance of survival. A girl in Rajasthan is three times
more likely to die before her fifth birthday than is a boy, even though
medical research has long shown that girls are generally biologically
stronger as newborns than boys.
Life doesn't get any easier for a typical Rajasthani girl as she gets
older. Married long before she is an adult, she has no control over her
fertility and faces a high risk of early pregnancy, at the end of which
she and her child may not survive. With hardly any money in her name she
is unable to make her own decisions about her healthcare, nutrition, and
the well being of her children. She not only works long hours in the
fields but also has to do all of the housework with no help from her
husband. She must fetch fuel and water (both of which are often several
kilometers walk away), cook, clean and care for her family. If she fails
in any of these tasks or performs them too slowly, it is likely that her
husband will beat her.
Every year the police record more and more incidences of violence against
women - everything from wife beating and mental torture to rape,
witch-hunts and dowry deaths. Countless other cases go unreported, with
women suffering in silence behind closed doors. What's more, many females
in Rajasthan fall prey to violence even before they are born. In a society
where girls are seen as a strain on scarce resources because of the
crippling expense of paying dowry for their marriage, some families take
tragic steps - either killing their newborn daughters, or selectively
aborting female foetuses. These all too frequent occurrences are major
causes of the low sex ratio in Rajasthan, where there are only 922 women
for every 1000 men.
Objectives
To bring about change in the attitudes and
behaviour of people towards gender equity and equality. |
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To create a mass movement to prevent sex
selective foeticide and infanticide. |
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To encourage the government to form policies
and laws which reduce gender discrimination and increase women's
participation in decision-making processes. |
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To study, examine and analyze the
implementation of various policies and acts in favour of women, and
to advocate more effective delivery by the stakeholders. |
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To support community groups and promote
advocacy efforts to fight violence against women. |
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To initiate community-based programmes which promote the socio-economic-political and cultural empowerment of women. |
1. Programme to Address the declining Sex
Ratio
Rapport-building with communities to put Prayatn in a position to tackle
sensitive issues relating to gender discrimination.
Training and workshops for men, women and children on gender equality and
the rights of the girl child.
Organizing women's groups to provide an opportunity to develop skills in
leadership, marketing, alternative health care and negotiations with
public authorities.
Development of a cadre base of women activists (called 'Balika Sathi' -
Friends of the girl child) to take up the cause of gender discrimination.
Establishment of resource centres in villages, providing information about
reproductive health, gender equality and women's legal rights.
Alliance-building with like-minded organizations and individuals.
2. Programme to Stop Violence Against Women
Women's groups set up in over one hundred villages to support victims of
violence and campaign for the perpetrators to be brought to justice.
Training programmes for group leaders on women's rights and laws against
gender violence.
Facilitating a network of women's groups so that women can share
information and experiences and strengthen their negotiating power.
Capacity-building of the Balika Sathi women activists, with training
sessions covering topics such as leadership skills, community organization
and campaign planning.
Life skills workshops for adolescent girls to increase their confidence
and work towards a dignified existence in society.
Village forums for adolescent boys, with the aim of creating a more
positive attitude towards women and the girl child among future
generations.
Village meetings organized with men to sensitize them to women's issues
and to encourage them to take a pro-active role in changing the attitudes
of their peers towards women.
Rallies against alcoholism - a major cause of domestic violence.
3. Capacity Building of Women Groups
The insights gathered from the programme to stop violence against women
helped us to identify the areas where the groups working on violence
against women needed support and capacity building. These were:
Addressing and Reducing Domestic Violence
Combating female feticide and PCPNDT Act
Addressing HIV/AIDS related issues
Anti Trafficking
Understanding the Panchayati Raj System
Gender Just Budgeting
The capacity building inputs emphasized on building up of knowledge base
of the issue; evolving community based strategies to address the issue and
development of action plan and measurable goals.
4. Training Programme for Assistant Public
Prosecutors
A large number of Public Prosecutors lack gender sensitivity in in-depth
analysis of cases related to women which is reflected in their expression
of legal arguments, reasoning and conclusions. The training programme by
PRAYATN is the first comprehensive training of Public Prosecutors on
latest legal developments, gender issues, laws and interactions with
various stakeholder agencies.
The core objectives of the training are:
Gender sensitization focusing on appreciating problems faced by women
in rape trials, recognizing the inadequacy of law in providing adequate
relief in cases of crime against women, controlling court interaction that
prejudice the victim and spreading legal provisions regarding crime
against women;
Enabling Public Prosecutors to coordinate with police, medical jurists,
forensic experts and litigants etc;
Till now ten training courses have been facilitated in the various
districts/ divisions of Rajasthan.
5. Micro Credit Groups
Prayatn believes that women's lack of access to cash and loans is an
important reason for their low status in society. With this in mind, we
have facilitated the establishment of self-help groups for women.
The groups set up joint savings schemes and decide collectively how much
money they will put aside from their incomes, to whom they will make loans
and for what purpose. Women learn how to manage funds, assume leadership
and develop collective strategies to change their lives. The financial
independence they gain from their husbands increases their self-esteem and
helps create more respectful relations between them and their community.
At Policy Level
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In Madhya Pradesh 11 Clinics were raided with the help of the district administration and 4 clinics were seized and FIR was done against one for illegal functioning of the clinic (without registration). |
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In Madhya Pradesh PIL (Public Interest Litigation) was launched in the year 2005 against the clinics and the district administration, which was expanded to 8 districts in operation and awarded for the whole Madhya Pradesh in the year 2009. |
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In the year 2006 a study on “Status and effectiveness of PCPNDT Act implementation in Rajasthan” was done and findings were shared with state. |
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In 2007 the state government of Rajasthan accepted the findings of the study report and based on the recommendations a separate structure was developed in the state for implementation of the PCPNDT Act in Rajasthan and State level PCPNDT Cell was formed and |
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State Level PCPNDT Cell Coordinator was appointed (Who is lawyer by profession and was one of the fellow under the fellowship programme of the organization). |
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The state further formed district level PCPNDT Cell and appointed district level PCPNDT Cell Coordinators. They are also lawyers by profession to further smoothen the PCPNDT Act implementation process. |
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Formation of state level committee for monitoring of the clinics in the state in which (Asha Singh, Legal Expert, CHJK) is also one of the member. |
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Implementation of demands of PIL in the state i.e. filling of form – F, registration of clinics, renewal formalities, monitoring of clinics etc. |
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Medical audit in all districts of MP by the state involving partners. |
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Regularity of district and state level PCPNDT Committees |
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90% of the births are being registered in the project area. |
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14 Govt. Doctors have been suspended as a result of public campaign. |
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During a state level meeting of the Rajput Community in Morena, Madhya Pradesh, the leaders along with 5000 people and youth were facilitated to take oath not to practice sex selective abortion, gender based violence and dowry in Rajput community. |
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Complaints against 8 medical clinics have been launched during monitoring by the state level committee. |
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Formation of a National level committee to ensure effective implementation of PCPNDT Act across nation and CHJK is having its presence in that committee (Ms.Asha Singh, Legal Expert, CHJK) has been nominated as one of the member. |
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The initiative has demonstrated models of convergence with government structures thereby establishing Women Resource Centre and Mahila Salah Evam Suraksha Kendra at Dholpur district headquarter. Both the centres were established at Collectorate campus and City Kotwali respectively. |
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Formation of district level forum involving judiciary, police, administration, civil society organization, media etc. to take up issues of Women and Dalit. |
At Community Level
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In the project target villages a total of 3285 cases of violence and abuse against women has been reported and addressed by the projects with the help of JSS and Women Support centre in Police Station. |
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In 63 families the incidences of sex selective abortion was identified and stopped by the JSS members and project team members. |
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182 women have been linked with the government schemes for widow pension scheme. |
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12 cases of rape were raised in the community and taken to the police and fought till the decision. |
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6 cases of property right were raised and possession on land was given to women. |
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19 women from the project location are selected for mat to work under the MGNAREGA scheme. |
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258 cases of child marriage have been stopped by the project with the help of the JSS and children’s collective. |
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4612 children have been enrolled in the formal school out of which 3226 girls have been enrolled with the help of the JSS members and children’s collective. |
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In 114 villages the JSS members have facilitate improvement in the quality of mid day meal through regular monitoring and supervision. |
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1253 women have been linked under the JananiSurakhaYojana and got the benefit. |
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381 women have been benefited under the old age pension schemes. |
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In 39 villages community based systems and mechanisms have been formed against alcohol consumption, gambling, child marriage, child abuse, gender based discrimination and sex selective abortion. |
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In almost all the villages the JSS is regularly monitoring the quality of education by visiting the schools. |
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634 physically challenged children and youth were benefited with the help of the JSS in the camps by the social welfare board and DPEP. |
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In 27 schools the JSS members facilitate appointment of new teachers by approaching the district education department on a regular basis. |
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In 153 JSS members are in school management committees. |
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168 girls are pursuing higher education due to motivation and support of the JSS members and project team. |
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129 drop out girls has been enrolled under the Kasturba Gandhi Schools in all the project villages. |
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2611 BPL cards have been sanctioned with the efforts of the project and team. |
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In the implementation of MGNAREGA more than 10,000 people were registered for employment under the scheme through filling job cards |
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In two districts (Jhalawar and Karouli) 3 social audit process were facilitated under the MGNAREGA. |
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The active members of the Adolescent girl’s forums (AGG) who have received WENLIDO (basic self-defence training), now have been recruited as constables in Police. |