“There is a need to start looking at women as human beings first rather than victims. Women are capable of looking after their own issues if the government gives them the right to governance, which has been on the back burner for decades”, said Director Ranjana Kumari at CSR’s National Conference 2011 on Why Gender Matters on Monday.

The conference, held at the India Habitat Centre in Delhi on 21 November, brought together leaders from India’s government agencies, civil society and renowned academic institutions to discuss action-based solutions to the issues of gender inequality and women’s rights and empowerment. Various speakers took to the mic throughout the day to address some of the key problems troubling women and girls across the country: pre-natal sex selection, domestic violence, human trafficking and gender and governance.

Kicking the event off during the inaugural session, Bharati Saliwal from UN Women said, “Changing the status of women needs a mindset change. Violence against women is not excusable, acceptable or pardonable.”

Three brave survivors then recounted their experiences of gender discrimination and of overcoming incidents of domestic violence and trafficking. One of the victims was forced to undergo the abortion of her second child since she already had one girl. When she subsequently fell pregnant with a third girl child, she was forced to leave her home and was abandoned by her husband. Another victim, a 48-year-old woman from Western Uttar Pradesh, talked about being married to a HIV positive man who died a year later. She tragically suffered domestic violence at the hands of her in-laws. However, with the help of CSR, the woman has since been able to obtain widow pension and register her daughter for the government’s Ladli scheme.

Nonetheless, the work to be done extends far beyond individual efforts and empowerment. Speakers of all four sessions at Why Gender Matters spoke passionately of the need for better laws and better implementation of those laws in order to improve Indian women’s lives. They also stressed the need for more interaction between media and the government.

Focusing on the promotion of action-based change through experience sharing and participatory discussion, Monday’s conference aimed to establish policy, programme or budget input for government agencies and representatives. The relaxed environment provided a strong platform for collective action amongst non-government organisations and civil society, and resulted in innovative recommendations for new approaches and activities for those working at the grassroots level on gender.

Attendees included key figures from the government, civil society and academic sectors. Esteemed speakers included Smt. Bharati Silawal, EVAW Specialist, UN Women, Dr. Roma Debabrata, President of STOP, Ms. Varsha Despande, a Lawyer from Satara, Maharashtra, Ms.  Bijayalaxmi Nanda,  University of Delhi, Ms. Poonam Kathuria, SWATI, Ms. Lotty Aloric, Lok Sabha TV, Ms. Padma Devasthali, CEHAT, Ms. Indira Jaisingh, President of Lawyers Collective, Ms. Madura Dutta, Resident Manager of Banglanatakdotcom, Mr. N. Sanyal, Additional Sec. MOWCD, Professor Simhadri, Institute of Constitutional and Parliamentary Studies, Ms. Arti Dogra, District Magistrate Bundi, Rajasthan, Ms. Anupama Jha, Transparency International, Ms. Sunita Sehrawat, Ex-Sarpanch, Haryana and Dr. Praveen Kumari Singh, Ministry of Home Affairs and ACP Pratima Sharma of the Special Police Unit for Women and Children.

HEALTH CAMP IN SANGAM VIHAR, DELHI: We are looking for volunteers for CSR’s latest project ‘Shuruaat: A new Beginning’ in Delhi. Can you help?

Shuruaat is running a Health Camp at our Sangam Vihar Crisis Intervention Centre (CIC), Delhi on  8th & 9th November to provide vital medical treatment to women and children from the local community. One doctor, one nurse and one assistant from Fortis Hospital will be joining us for the two-day health camp and free medical check-ups, vitamins and de-worming tablets will be made available to all patients attending.

We’re looking for young, enthusiastic, caring volunteers who can spare one morning or afternoon on Tuesday 8th or Wednesday 9th November to assist with running the Health Camp. Volunteers will assist in registration of patients, patient care, distribution of medication, and to provide basic healthcare information to the women and children of Sangam Vihar.

Volunteers are requested to bring one packet of multivitamins (iron/calcium/vitamin-E) or pack of glucose powder. Volunteers can sign up for either a morning shift (10.30am-1pm) or afternoon shift (2-5pm) and refreshments will be provided for at Sangam Vihar CIC.

If you are interested in this unique opportunity to give something back to the local community, and would like more information, please email Anubhuti at anubhuti@csrindia.org or leave your number by calling 011 26899998 and we will call you back the same day.

Rape is one of the most distressing and prevalent forms of violence against women in India today, with as many as two women being raped every hour across the country, according to the latest National Crime Bureau statistics. Owing to an alarming increase in the number of rape cases in the Capital, in July of this year our Development division undertook a study which examined the First Information Reports (FIRs) registered at CSR’s Rape Crisis Intervention Centre from early 2010 to July 2011. A total of 58 cases were examined, and additional field visits to South Western district police stations were conducted to review the quality of the implementation of Delhi High Court directives dealing with child sexual abuse cases.

So far, to date, the study has been covered among national and international outlets including the Times of India, Daily Pioneer, Asian Age, and Outlook India. While much of this media attention focussed on timing and location of the incidents, the study also revealed a trend in the age of victims and perpetrators. The majority of rape victims seeking assistance and filing reports at the CSR Crisis Intervention Centre are below the age of 20 (66%, with 22% of victims under the age of 10). On the other hand, 67% of accused were over the age of 20.

Additionally striking, was the discovery of a high prevalence of sexual assault committed by persons known to the victim: 51 out of 58 persons accused were relatives, neighbours, friends, teachers or acquaintances; only 7 out of 58 persons accused were either strangers or were not further specified by the victim.

By Kara Brown, a Centre for Social Research Intern in the Media & Communication Division. Kara is a recent graduate from the University of Glasgow, Scotland.

To be honest, I really didn’t know what to expect before moving to New Delhi to join the Centre for Social Research team. Although I secretly feared that I’d find the extent of poverty and crime against women here discouraging, I was also determined to avoid forming any pre-conceptions. Two months into my internship, I had the privilege of visiting one of CSR’s four Crisis Intervention Centres (CICs) in Delhi, where grassroots-level work to end violence in families and communities takes place.

Accompanied by friends and family visiting from as far as Scotland, England and Germany, a handful of CSR staff headed to Chattarpur, in the southwestern most reaches of New Delhi, for the monthly Parivartan Mahila Swawlamban Samiti (Women’s Change Committee) meeting on Tuesday 30^th August. Women and girls, some as young as 8 years old, from all four of our CICs across the city had gathered in Chattarpur to greet us. A few introductory songs and dance performances later, and Chattarpur head counselor Rekha opened up the floor to a question and answer session between our guests and community members. After one teenaged girl raised her hand to ask my own mother if she’d had an arranged marriage, the entire crowd cheered, squealed in excitement and applauded when my mother shyly answered that she’d had a love marriage.

Next, we ran an art workshop where we asked everyone to paint or draw their hopes and dreams for the future. All of the women who come to our CICs for assistance have been through unthinkable traumas in their past, and many are still suffering in the present. On that Tuesday afternoon, however, in a little shaded corner of Chattarpur, after finishing their jobs and household chores, hidden away from the hustle and bustle of Delhi life and the hardships they face every day, the women and girls were all sitting there smiling, singing and laughing as they dreamed up futures of happy families, brilliant careers, palm trees, beaches and endless good weather.

One young woman in particular caught my attention. During the earlier discussion, she rocked back and forth with her arms wrapped tightly around her knees. She showed signs of someone who had experienced the kind of difficulties I have only read about in books: the type of childhood stories that would no doubt reduce you to tears. However, as guests and community members alike took turns to introduce themselves, she had confidently introduced herself to the group and told us that she has been coming to the Chattarpur CIC for a long time. As everyone separated into smaller groups and jostled for a portion of the art supplies, this girl began to draw one of the most colourful and expressive pictures of all. If I did have any pre-conceptions of a bleak future for the women and girls of India, or the frustrations that come with working to change mindsets in a society steeped in patriarchy, they disappeared at least for a while that afternoon in Chattarpur. These young women, with the help of an invaluable support network around them, are finding the strength to believe in themselves and gradually working towards making Delhi a safer place to live. They give me hope for the future generations of men and women in India and organisations working in the field of human rights and development, like CSR.

As some of the middle-aged women and primary school girls began approaching our guests in order to explain and eventually gift us their artworks, a few of the teenagers grabbed a set of drums and broke into song. Some of the younger girls pulled the CSR office staffers and our guests out of our seats to dance and insisted that we couldn’t leave before they’d painted mehndi (henna) designs on our hands and feet. While the henna on my own hands has since faded, it remains clearly etched in my mind just how supportive the women and counsellors in the CICs are of each other, and how warmly and selflessly they welcomed a group of strangers into their community.

By Dr. Ranjana Kumari, Director of Centre for Social Research.

Despite the fact that the safety of women is an issue raised time and time again, for women in India fear is a constant companion. A recent survey by Trustlaw Women has re-affirmed those fears after ranking India as the fourth most dangerous country for women in the world. As they strike out on their search for economic and social independence, such a dangerous environment can become akin to terror on women.

Worryingly, Indian women are often treated as the catalyst of violence and sexual assault rather than the victim. Cases of rape provide a good example. For instance, rather than find out the details of the case or ask why the police didn’t arrive at the scene on time, blame is usually placed on the aggrieved girl herself – ‘why was she out in an unsafe place at night?’, ‘why was she alone?’, ‘why was she wearing provocative and revealing clothes?’. This reflects not only the attitudes of a few, but also the mindset of Indian people on the whole. Victim blaming exists within the general public, within families, and even within the institutions which are supposed to be keeping our cities safe. This kind of thinking perpetuates crime against women and is an obstacle in the road for organisations like CSR who are working to create a safer environment for women and girls within their own homes and their own country.

Statistics compiled by the National Crime Record Bureau show that the number of reported rapes across the country has increased substantially from only 
2,487 in 1971 to 21,176 in 2008. An incredible number of additional, unreported instances of rape are missing from this picture. And, while it is fair to point out that Indian population has risen during this period but so too has the strength and number of policemen deployed for citizens’ safety. The answer to these problems does not lie in the more old-fashioned approach of prohibiting the freedom of mobility of women, but in educating people about the wrongs of violence against women, and convicting the perpetrators who are unfit to live in our society. We must strive to ensure women’s freedom and make the streets and households of Delhi safer for all.

It is saddening that even in urban India, people do not feel safe. In a 2004 survey of 13,000 people for the Delhi Human Development Report (HDR), only 19% of those asked said that they felt Delhi is safe for women. The HDR recommended a shift from a more traditional, restrictive approach to women’s safety to one that concentrates on ‘women’s right to a life free from fear and violence’. This is exactly the kind of approach we should be promoting. Earlier this year the Delhi Police Commissioner outraged people by saying “you (women) cannot drive alone at 2am 
on Delhi roads and then claim that the Capital is unsafe”. Why did his comment tick people off? Largely because, instead of vowing to think up new and innovative ways to protect the city’s women, he advised them to do something which in fact impinges upon their freedom and only adds to their fears. This kind of attitude is detrimental to efforts being made to change conservative Indian mentality. While approaches to women’s safety in the past revolved around concepts of fear, restriction and self-preservation, we now need to focus on empowering women and giving them the confidence to walk the streets, ride public transport and enjoy everything that this city has to offer. This confident outlook will only be achieved by making the Capital a safer place for women, men, and children alike.

Ever wondered who is updating the CSR Facebook page, searching for the latest statistics on crimes against women, or assisting our core team in envisioning, coordinating and facilitating our projects and programs?

We are always very proud of our enthusiastic young interns in the CSR office. Over the years we’ve had interns join us from both across the country and across the world – from Punjab, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra in India to Scotland, Germany, Canada and Georgia. They’ve worked on a variety of projects such as Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, the I Stand for Safe Delhi campaign, Human Rights Defenders training workshops and numerous research projects. We’d like to introduce you to some of our current hard working interns!

Meet Maia Barkaia, Research Intern at Centre for Social Research, from Sokhumi, Georgia.

Research Intern Maia working hard at work in the CSR office

What brought you to New Delhi?

I am currently working on a Ph.D in Gender Studies (looking at the intersections of gender and religious identities) through Tbilisi State University. Over the past few years, my studies have been related to India and, as I read more about women’s struggles and feminism in India, I decided to immerse myself in some practical work in additon to my more theoretical experiences. I had the privilege of joining Centre for Social Research as an intern this August.

Describe a typical day at CSR for you…

My day at CSR is quite busy, but interesting. During the day I’m looking through different academic articles related to the project that the  research team works on, processing data, and writing reports on the studies that have been carried out.

What is the most shocking thing you’ve learned about women in India since starting your research at CSR?

While reading CSR reports and  research projects about pre-natal sex selection and sexual harassment, I was  profoundly shocked by the sheer scale of discrimination against women in India.

What do you enjoy doing when you’re studying or working?

I like that there is such a wide variety of things to do in Delhi. I love attending different cultural programs and public meetings, roaming in the streets of Old Delhi, visiting friends in Jawaharlal Nehru University and exploring new and exciting places outside of the city.

Ever wondered who is updating the CSR Facebook page, searching for the latest statistics on crimes against women, or assisting our core team in envisioning, coordinating and facilitating our projects and programs?

We are always very proud of our enthusiastic young interns in the CSR office. Over the years we’ve had interns join us from both across the country and across the world – from Punjab, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra in India to Scotland, Germany, Canada and Georgia. They’ve worked on a variety of projects such as Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, the I Stand for Safe Delhi campaign, Human Rights Defenders training workshops and numerous research projects. We’d like to introduce you to some of our current hard working interns!

Meet Kara Brown, Media & Communication Intern at Centre for Social Research, from Edinburgh, Scotland.

M&C intern Kara on the CSR office balcony

How did you become interested in an internship with women and girls in India?

Before moving to Delhi in July to join the CSR team I was studying Law at the University of Glasgow in Scotland and working in the not-for-profit sector. I’ve always been passionate about human rights and international development but it wasn’t until the final year of my degree that I seriously began to consider a career in this field. That was when I discovered Challenges Worldwide – an international development charity that partners experienced volunteers with social enterprises worldwide. It’s safe to say, the rest is history!

What is your role at CSR?

I work for CSR’s Media & Communications Division (M&C). My main tasks include social media, writing new content for the CSR website, helping with the newsletter & annual report, plus researching and writing articles for the CSR blog.

What are you most looking forward to during the remainder of your time at CSR?

We have a blog piece in the pipelines on how corruption affects the lives of women in India. I’m also looking forward to collaborating with some film makers who have recently approached CSR to document the work being done at our Crisis Intervention Centres.

What is your favourite thing to do in Delhi?

I love so many things about Delhi, but one highlight is my morning commute. Every morning I walk past a Hindu temple where people are worshiping, singing, burning incense and presenting offerings. There are street children cooking corn by the side of the road, rickshaws tooting their horns loudly, and cows wandering through the traffic. Then I step out of the heat and into the office to begin my day’s work.

Ever wondered who is updating the CSR Facebook page, searching for the latest statistics on crimes against women, or assisting our core team in envisioning, coordinating and facilitating our projects and programs?

We are always very proud of our enthusiastic young interns in the CSR office. Over the years we’ve had interns join us from both across the country and across the world – from Punjab, Jharkhand, and Maharashtra in India to Scotland, Germany, Canada and Georgia. They’ve worked on a variety of projects such as Walk a Mile in Her Shoes, the I Stand for Safe Delhi campaign, Human Rights Defenders training workshops and numerous research projects. We’d like to introduce you to some of our current hard working interns!

Meet Prerna Dharni, Gender Training Institute Intern at Centre for Social Research, from Chandigarh, India.

GTI Intern Prerna Dharni taking part in the I Stand for Safe Delhi campaign 2011

What led to you joining the Centre for Social Research team?

I’m a single child and grew up hearing people tell my parents it was important to have a boy to “complete” the family. It unsettled me that people still thought like that. I’ve been interested in women and gender studies since an early age but it was really during my student life that my level of interest intensified. I graduated with a Masters in International Politics from JNU in 2010.

What does your role at CSR include?

I work in the Gender Training Institute (GTI). I mainly plan and execute workshops on gender sensitisation with college students, police, teachers and government officials. I am also the intern coordinator, which involves responding to applications and interviewing prospective interns. I also write articles for the CSR blog, work on awareness campaigns, and assist with our ‘Women in Democracy’ project.

What is the most interesting thing you have learned during your internship about women in politics?

I’m interested in the role reservation has played at the Panchayat level to empower women politically. These women exhibit confidence and provide hope for a more gender-inclusive political system in India.

What do you like most about living in Delhi?

I am a foodie and a history freak so Delhi is a perfect place for me to fulfill both of those passions! I love visiting old monuments and places of historical relevance, and trying all of the food that the city has to offer.