DIRECTOR'S NOTE

Dr. Ranjana Kumari Dear Friends,

A new year heralds new responsibilities and new resolves. 2014 has begun with an agenda to take on another decade by striving for the cause of women and gender-equality in the country. I commit on behalf of the organisation ceaseless and non-compromised action.

Our efforts this year began with the continuation of a high-pitched campaign to push for the Women's Reservation Bill. Lobbying efforts were on by meeting members of Parliament, organizing rallies and press conferences with other women's rights organisations. This led us a notch higher in terms of our movement for the cause of political inclusion of women in India. We released a Gender Manifesto with WomenPowerConnect, which was a comprehensive listing of women's concerns and demanded redressal through inclusion of women in politics. In fact, with other activists I courted arrest for voicing our demands outside the Parliament, two days before the dissolution of the Lok Sabha. The 15th Lok Sabha dissolved without tabling the Women's Reservation Bill but our resolves have been strengthened for a more active debate in the next Parliamentary session.

We took our initiatives further and released the report of a year-long study in India, Nepal and Pakistan on Violence Against Women in Politics. The study found that more than 60% of women do not participate in politics due to fear of violence.

CSR's determination to address the social malaise of pre-natal sex selection has made a fresh start in the state of Haryana, which is infamous for being the worst hit in terms of declining sex ratio in the country. The Meri Shakti Meri Beti project has found new audience and appreciable reception in the state. We have already formed four Community Watch Groups (CWGs) and one Committee Against Sex Selection (CASS) in Haryana.

Our flagship project on 'Water Conservation and Climate Change' in rural Rajasthan has moved on to its next phase. We have begun conducting the series of pilot testing of our modules for elected and to-be-elected women representatives in five villages. The Gender Training Institute's newly designed training modules and a calendar can be accessed on www.gendertraining.in.

This April I was also invited to an international Conference organised by the Doha International Family Institute (DIFI) where I presided over a productive discussion on "Gender Equality: Not Just About Equal Rights".

I am pleased that CSR has completed a year's commitment to its project 'Engaging Men & Boys in Countering Violence Against Women' by conducting 108 trainings across schools, communities and police stations in Delhi.

I now look forward to a fruitful year with my team and wish to thank you all for your continued support to us!

Dr. Ranjana Kumari

INITIATIVES IN GENERATING AWARENESS ABOUT VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Threading Building Blocks

Gender sensitization of the law enforcers CSR with support from Literacy India held the first Meri Shakti, Meri Beti community meeting at Daultabad, Gurgaon on 6th March, 2014 to form a Community Watch Group (CWG). The participants of this meeting comprised approximately 20 women and girls belonging to the Daultabad village. The gathering was addressed by Dr. Manasi Mishra, Head of Research, and CSR.

The meeting commenced with a brief introduction wherein Dr. Mishra introduced herself and the work of CSR. Two interactive videos were screened which drew an emotional and positive response from the audience. Dr. Mishra then asked the ladies to give their views on the videos. Majority of the ladies related to the videos and shared similar stories of managing all the household work on their own, in addition to working in the public sphere for an additional income.

Dr. Mishra demonstrated that a skewed sex ratio leads to disturbance in the natural balance of society. She then spoke about the PC & PNDT Act. Not surprisingly, most women were not aware of the law or the relevant authorities that the crime could be reported to. They were briefed by Dr. Mishra about the actualities of the law and were encouraged to come forward and spread the message further.

Three more community meetings were conducted on March 14, April 23 and May 11 by Dr. Manasi Mishra, in assistance with Ms. Vidisha Mishra, Research Associate and Ms. Meghna Shrivastava, Research Intern, in Harijan Basti, Bajghera village and Kherla village, in Haryana.

Uniting Change Makers

Under the project, Meri Shakti Meri Beti, CSR formed a Committee Against Sex Selection (CASS) with support from the Resident's Welfare Association of Sector 4-7, Gurgaon on April 26. This meeting was attended by a large audience comprising the President of RWA, Mr. Jai Narayan Yadav as well as over a hundred senior men and women members of the RWA. CSR was represented by Dr. Manasi Mishra, Head of Research; Vidisha Mishra, Research Associate and Meghna Shrivastav, Research Intern.

Dr. Mishra commenced the address and with the help of statistics explained the purpose of implementing this project in Gurgaon this time. While the national average, as per 2011 Census, recorded a child sex ratio of 919 girls to 1000 boys and the Haryana state had a sex ratio of 834 girls to 1000 boys, the situation in the Gurgaon district was one of the worst with the child sex ratio of 830 girls per 1000 boys. She also pointed out that the district has the highest literacy rate of 84.7 per cent. Hence, she explained that to arrest the declining sex ratio an action research project such as MSMB would need the kind support of conscientious citizens in the audience.

Violence against Women in Politics

Violence against Women in Politics CSR and UN Women held a press conference on 30 April to release their report Violence against Women in Politics. The study was conducted in India, Nepal and Pakistan and analyses incidents of violence that occurred from 2003 to 2013. It addressed the nature, extent and reasons for violence that inhibits women's political participation. 800 respondents were interviewed including election commission officials, police, contestants, and families in urban and rural areas.

The study found that more than 60% of women do not participate in politics due to fear of violence. And for almost 90% of women in these countries violence breaks their resolve to join politics. It recommends that urgent action is taken to:

  • Expand political reservations for women, with an extension of a minimum 33% reservation at all levels
  • Analyze party manifestos, and ensure that no tickets are given to those who have criminal cases, particularly against women
  • Increase the number of women party members in central and selection committees and in Parliamentary committees
  • Recognise, protect, promote and institutionalize women’s participation in politics
  • Create positive pressure groups for political funding and raising awareness amongst women voters

NEW INITIATIVES FOR EMPOWERING WOMEN

Awareness can be fun

Awareness can be fun The Research division, led by Dr. Manasi Mishra, in collaboration with the Department of Law, ITM University in Gurgaon, organised a youth awareness activity for students on 26 March, as part of the project 'Meri Shakti, Meri Beti'. The two respective events included a quiz competition and a street play which was created and performed by the students.

The quiz competition engaged broadly with the theme of gender issues through questions designed around legal knowledge of Acts and Provisions in place to counter violence perpetrated against women. A particular focus was there on the various trajectories around the PC-PNDT Act in India as well as globally.

The programme commenced with a brief talk by Dr. Mansi Mishra about the practice of pre-determined sex selection and the social realities attached to this in our country. A Street Play (Nukkad Naatak) was also showcased in the amphitheatre of the University. It was titled "Nanhi Si Chidiya", written by Mayank Jain, and performed by the university street play group "Abhimanch".The play was a visual depiction of the patriarchal mindsets of people within our society regarding women's role, safety, health and social statuses. The play demonstrated the brutal yet accurate realities about discrimination and violence perpetrated on women and girls.

Show you care, be aware

Show you care, be aware A health camp was organized in the Sangam Vihar Crisis Intervention Center on 4 March 2014. It was committed towards providing marginalized social groups with greater awareness of health care. This health camp was an opportunity to positively impact the lives of the community members, particularly focusing on women and girls by directly addressing their unique health concerns.

In order to ensure that this Health Camp serves as many women and girls in need as possible, CSR had arranged free medicines to be provided to the women and girls.

Amongst other objectives, the initiative tried to identify the existing gynecological issues and concerns being faced by the community women and girls and recommend treatments. Free, confidential and easily accessible medical consultations were provided to the women and girls. The team comprised a doctor, a pharmacist and staff from CSR and CIC.

Evaluating Resources

Evaluating Resources Based on the feedback on the pilot testing/training, conducted in December 2013, and on the resource material used for the Water Conservation and Climate Change Project, the team was able to assess the effectiveness of the modules and the resources developed. Two meetings were organised in New Delhi and Jaipur respectively to have a detailed evaluation of the resource material used during the pilot testing/training. The resources which were discussed during this meeting were – activities on understanding gender, gender relations frame-work, three-generational changes, gender mapping of water users and a board game. Each of these resources was discussed in detail such that improvements could be made. This meeting also helped in finalisation of the dates for the upcoming pilot testing/training of the women elected or to-be elected women representatives of Sanganer Block.

Celebrating The Day

We rise for Womanhood International Women's Day is a global event celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women’s past, present and future. The 2014 theme for International Women’s Day was: "Equality for women is progress for all".

CSR in collaboration with Wipro Care celebrated International Women's Day on March 8. The program stemmed from the understanding that the celebration of womanhood is about the empowerment of every woman in the society. The entire CSR staff with women and girls from two of our Crisis Intervention Centres and a Gender Resource Centre participated in the event.

The programme was graced with the dignitaries which included Dr. Ranjana Kumari, Director, CSR, Dr Anand Kumar, Professor, Jawahar Lal Nehru University, Mr Tarun Mehrotra, Assistant Manager-Wipro Care, Ms Jyotsna Roy, Director, TARAA and Mr Adab Singh Kapoor, Legal Consultant, CSR.

The participants were welcomed by Ms. Anshika Vajpayi with an enlightening poem about the adversities faced by a girl. It was then followed by Mr. Mehrotra’s address on how Wipro with a distinctive approach of social change aims to make compelling and channelized contributions in the areas of education, community service projects and social development. He also acknowledged the contribution of CSR for the women and girls in India.

The event came into full swing when the participants presented dance and song performances to mark the celebration of the day. This was followed by lunch and gifts to the participants.

CAPACITY BUILDING AND EMPOWERING THROUGH TRAININGS

Address barriers to women’s effective participation in Nepal’s peace processes

Creating a new generation of Gender Trainers CSR joined hands with The Asia Foundation to address the barriers to women’s effective participation in Nepal’s peace processes by building the gender-responsiveness of a core group within the bureaucracy and across party lines.

CSR is supporting this initiative by conducting a series of trainings to build the capacity of this group to enact change in Nepal’s structural system by incorporating gender perspectives in their work. This will support political leadership and governance that is responsive to and supportive of women's efforts to participate and lead in peace processes and decision-making.

In order to facilitate the training Centre for Social Research’s Gender Training Initiative partnered with TARAA Consultants, an organisation with expertise in designing and facilitating training, capacity building and skill building initiatives throughout South Asia. The training team comprised Ms. Jyotsna Roy (Director and CEO, TARAA Consultants), Dr. Rajini Menon (CSR) and Ms. Sophie Hardefeldt (CSR).

Under the first phase the Political Leaders Programme was held at Nagarkot on 20-22 February and the Bureaucrats Programme was organised in Kathmandu on 24-26 February.

NETWORKING FOR CHANGE

Catalysing Change

Creating a new generation of Gender Trainers "Children are like clay. They are molded by those who surround them. Their environment shapes them and they adapt." – Unknown

What reflects in society is what we are as individuals. Hence, it becomes essential for us to instill respect for individuality rather than allowing values such as patriarchy to reign over the self. It is with this motive that CSR believes in interacting with school children to discuss the importance of respect and sensitivity towards all genders.

Through the Engaging Men and Boys in Countering Violence against Women with The Asia Foundation, we have so far conducted approximately 45 trainings in schools in three communities of Delhi. A total of 108 trainings have been conducted in schools, communities and police stations together.

On 14 February, a Gender Sensitisation Session was held with 40 students of Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Sarvodaya Bal Vidyalaya, Tuglakabad. The training was facilitated by Mrs. Benazeer Alam.

Duty bound but sensitive

Creating a new generation of Gender Trainers CSR held a gender sensitisation session with the officers of Sangam Vihar Police Station as part of CSR’s initiative to sensitise police personnel with The Asia Foundation. So far 26 trainings have been conducted in police stations in three communities.

Facilitated by Ms. Rekha Dubey, issues like gender roles and discrimination against women were explained to 25 police officers with the help of hypothetical as well as real but anonymous case studies. This was an hour long interactive discussion with the officers participating actively in it. The participants communicated their perspectives and opened up on issues like gender stereotyping and the role of police in a gender just society was discussed.

Another full-day training, facilitated by Ms. Ishita Y Aggarwal and Ms. Ritika Bhatia was held with senior Provident Fund Officers in Janak Puri on 13 February.

Towards Sensitised Development

Creating a new generation of Gender Trainers GTI conducted a gender-sensitisation training with the Managers of Power Trading Corporation on 7 March. Dr. Rajini R. Menon (CSR) and Ms. Rachna Sachanbog (WomenPowerConnect) facilitated the training. Dr. Menon lectured on gender from a development perspective highlighting the trajectory of development approaches. Emphasis was given to empowerment approach and a discussion around the power relations and gender hierarchy in workplaces applied. A half an hour lecture was then delivered on the pathways to gender equality in workplace with focus on the sexual harassment at workplace legislation. CSR also facilitated a two-day gender sensitization workshop was held in New Delhi with environmentalists from Toxics Link.

Gender Equality - Not Just About Rights

Gender Equality - Not Just About Rights The Doha International Family Institute (DIFI) held a conference "Empowering Families: A Pathway to Development" on 16th and 17th April 2014, in Doha-Qatar as part of the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the International Year of the Family (IYF). Dr. Ranjana Kumari, Director, CSR represented India and presided over a discussion on "Gender Equality: Not Just About Equal Rights".

The two-day conference in Doha touched upon the significance and the vitality of the families for healthy societies. In this context, gains and losses of the family institution in the process of modernization across different regions were examined using multiple lenses. The identification of further actions, including the incorporation of effective family policies into national development strategies and the use of research related to family issues, were also discussed.

CONNECTING THROUGH MEDIA

Joining Hands to End Malaise

Following the last meeting between the Deputy Commissioner and the Research Division of CSR, a second meeting was scheduled involving Mr. Shekhar Vidyarthi, Deputy Commissioner Gurgaon, Dr. Pushpa Bishnoi, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Deputy CMO, Dr. Ranjana Kumari, Director, CSR, Dr. Manasi Mishra, Head of Research Division and Ms. Vidisha Mishra, Research Associate, CSR. Dr. Kumari shared data on the current situation in Haryana. The CMO also shared child sex ratio data. There was mutual consensus on poor child sex ratio in the state of Haryana and the immediate need to implement public awareness programmes in Gurgaon as well as the need to further empower the PC PNDT Act.

Dr. Kumari and Dr. Mishra then shared the details of the MSMB project with the CMO and the Deputy CMO. Overall, there was much consensus over the need of a project such as MSMB in Gurgaon. At the conclusion of the meeting, Mr. Shekhar Vidyarthi, recommended CSR and the CMO’s office to work together.

The current phase of MSMB has taken off in the Gurgaon and Manesar areas of Haryana.

Knowledge Exchange Programme with Delegation from Nepal

Knowledge Exchange Programme with Delegation from Nepal CSR organized a "Knowledge Exchange" meeting with delegation from Nepal on 30 January. The main objective was to provide insight into CSR’s work and experience on Gender Sensitization Trainings (GST) and Police Training Programmes. Mr. Amitabh Kumar, Head of Media & Communications, briefly discussed the history of CSR, establishment of Gender Training Institute (GTI), and its activities. Mr. Kumar, who also works a lot in the field, highlighted the fact that those training programmes need to be carried out over a long period in order to be effective and successful. Amongst the achievements was CSR’s close cooperation with the Delhi police in creating an online portal to serve as a component of the Crime against Women (CAW) cell. Consequently, the experience of conducting a large number of police trainings helped to create the following publications: (1) Manual for Training Police on Anti-Human Trafficking, (2) Gender Module: Police Training and (3) Facilitating Change: Restructuring Gender Relations: A Manual for Police Trainers.

Women Groups Arrested

On February 20, representatives from approximately 12 women's rights organizations reached the gate of the Parliament, while it was in session, to demand for the passage of the Women's Reservation Bill which once again failed to be tabled in the Lok Sabha. The Bill had been listed to be taken up in the ongoing session and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, Kamal Nath, had also expressed his intent to extend Parliament to pass crucial bills. Women's groups staged a protest to ensure that this intent gets translated into effective action.

"The bill, which has been in the making since 1996, will again be pushed back if not passed in this Parliament session," said Dr. Ranjana Kumari, Director, Centre for Social Research, who was leading the protest.

A note from students from SIT Graduate Institute, Washington DC:

"We wanted to…thank you (CSR team) for your time and enthusiasm while meeting with us the other day. It was a wonderful experience for all of us, and truly deepened our understanding of the issues that your organization is fighting to improve... I was most impressed, and excited by, your clear personal investment in your work. We have met with several individuals from several organizations during our course. However, your dedication was clearly the most passionate and determined. The motivating factors that you shared with us were wonderful and very inspirational to us as we continue on our own paths in advocacy and social entrepreneurship. Thank you so much!

Sincerely,
Emily Keizer, and the SIT Graduate Institute students"

THANK YOU

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