Women Empowerment

Women are considered a liability and weakness of men in Indian society. Indian women have been facing problems of gender discrimination, gender violence, and socio-political disempowerment. Women remain victims of feudalistic institutions and stringent customs in socially divided society. When the woman works since early morning till late evening and carry burden of household as well as outdoor works, they have no control over their incomes. They have least say in family decisions. Their participation in community’s public affairs including local governance is negligible. They are treated merely as passive workforce. Building the capacities of women in rural areas about their legal rights and entitlements and processes of accessing the rights/justice, and building their leadership in local governance and public affairs management were seen the ultimate solutions by GIT. With this perspective several interventions were made in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh and Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh.


Achievements }}

  1. Education to about 700 women of women rights was given in Kullu district of Himachal Pradesh jointly by GIT and SHARA. First of all the men and women of 360 villages in Banjar and Kullu tensils were sensitized about the gender problems in rural society. Rights education was then imparted on the topics like Rights of Women and Girl Child, Dowry Prohibition Act 1961, Indian Penal Code, Women & Local Self-Governance, and Power of Organized Women. Dalit women were specially targeted. They were given inputs on Dalit women rights as provided in Protection of Civil Rights Act 1955.
  2. About 200 women in 5 villages of Ghaziabad district in western Uttar Pradesh were sensitized for their merciful situations in the families and society. These rural Muslim women were taught especially on Rights of Women and Girl Child, and on Power of Organized Women. The rural Muslim women carry the double burden.


Adolescent Health Education

Adolescents are in a time in their life when they construct their own beliefs and values; they undergo emotional and physical changes; and they gain social awareness to form lasting relationships. Adolescents often turn to friends for information, making it fertile ground for myths and misinformation to spread. Momentarily the education on reproductive health in schools is classroom and lecture-centred. Some sensitive, but important, topics do not get tackled and the content is not based upon adolescent needs, but upon what the health worker believes should be told. GIT and SHARA identified the needs of adolescents especially girls in Banjar block of Kullu district.

Achievements }}

After understanding the needs of adolescents, GIT/SHARA learnt that the information should be easily available to all adolescents and delivered in a youth-centred fashion addressing their questions. So, it was packaged with youth empowerment, seeing the need to empower the adolescents and equip them with the necessary skills to deal with life and the problems life can bring. Based on such critical understanding and clear-cut strategies, GIT/SHARA has started intercative sessions with adolescents in Banjar town. 4 such sessions were organized in last quarters of 2007-08 by involving 78 adolecents. This set of activities is to continue and the results are yet to come.


Female Reproductive Rights

GIT has undertaken assessment of female reproductive rights in Jogindernagar tehsil of Mandi district in Himachal Pradesh with the field facilitation of PARA. A Dutch intern, Ms. Leonoor Wijnans, having studied from London School of Tropical Medicine undertook the assessment. She found that the reproductive health status of women is poor. Gynaecological morbidity is estimated to be high, and knowledge and understanding of HIV/AIDS and prevention and management of STIs is low. Societal values make it difficult for women to access information about their reproductive system and reproductive health. Menstruation forms a mystery for many, leading to the acceptance of derogatory practices. Through shame and a feeling of impurity menstrual practices are often unhygienic giving ways to infections of the female reproductive tract. Skilled birth attendance is unavailable for most, and although cultural practices surrounding childbirth are rich, they could adversely affect mother and child.

An extended extension work on reproductive rights is required to adequately address burgeoning issues in rural areas of mountains. Awareness and capacities of women will be improved to equip the women for accessing their reproductive rights and reproductive health.


Gender Violence

Violence against women is widespread in South Asian countries especially India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Women remain victims of feudalistic institutions and stringent customs in socially divided society. From home to crop field, from home to office, or from home to parliament, women continue to encounter violence. Over 37% of married women are victims of physical or sexual abuse by their husbands in India. More women face violence in rural areas (40.2%) as compared to those in the urban areas (30.4%). Bihar province ranks at top followed by Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, while Madhya Pradesh accounts for 45.8%. Domestic violence in Madhya Pradesh alone has increased 3 times in the last 5 years, police records say.  Domestic violence, as a manifestation of gender inequality, contributes to the failure of women to obtain education, drains the health services, and blocks the access of women to power and thus true democracy. Gender violence starts before birth of the child. In the quest of son, the family forces the pregnant mother to abort the girl child. So the killing of daughter in womb is practiced in well-off families. The daughters thus suffer from violent minds of father and mother and others. They are actually believed to be insignificant and undesirable.

India has got few laws such as Protection of Women’s Rights on Divorce Act 1986, Dowry Prohibition Act 1961, Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act 1986 and few clause of Indian Penal Code. Indian parliament passed the ‘Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005’. Despite these laws providing for protection of women, the gender violence is continuing unabated. Since 2006 the GIT started supporting work of Gender Resource Centre (GRC) in Panna district of Madhya Pradesh, which is run by Samvedna Integrated Development Association (SIDA), the local partner of GIT.

Achievements }}

  • GRC focuses on resolving the matters of women who are victims of VAW. GRC provides legal advice, counseling and moral support to the women or guardian families of girls, and does advocacy on their behalf. Till June 2007, total 255 cases embodying VAW and domestic violence had been registered. A long-term strategy has been formulated to sensitize and to educate the key government officials about the gravity of problem of violence against women in Panna district. Apart from police, revenue, judges and others, the lawyers are also sensitized. Such new GRCs are planned in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab.
  • Commonwealth Scholarships Commission, UK supported the placement of Mr. H. Arjjumend for 3 months at The Haven Wolverhampton in England. The Haven and Grassroots India jointly organized a TALK on the topic “Violence Against Women in India” on 28 November 2007. The Mayor of Wolverhampton, Councilor Ms. Trudy Bowen, inaugurated the event in which about 40 persons including District Judge of Wolverhampton took part. Further details can be seen at:  http://www.havenrefuge.org.uk/International/India.html
 
 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIVELIHOODS & FOOD SECURITY      

GENDER RIGHTS & DEVELOPMENT

HUMAN RIGHTS & SOCIAL JUSTICE

GOVERNANCE & ACCOUNTABILITY

COMMUNICATION IN DEVELOPMENT

CAPACITY BUILDING & NETWORKING

RESEARCH & PUBLICATIONS

STAFF TRAINING & PARTICIPATION

STRATEGIC PLAN 2008-11