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>View discussions about this entry Country: India
Organization: Society for Women's Action and training initiative
Focus of activity: Community Involvement
Year the initiative began: 2003
Positioning in the Mosaic of solutions
Description of Initiative: ‘The Men Engage: Empowering women to involving men as allies, in Combating Violence Against Women’, is a network based initiative being implemented by a group of agencies in the Saurashtra kachchh region ( covering five districts) of Gujarat state , India. The program is based on the premise that, Violence Against Women ( VAW hence forth) has such vast dimensions- to succeed in combating it, the effort needs to be equally vast and broad based. Towards this end the initiative has focused on placing VAW on the agenda of organizations working for women’s development, bringing the issue of VAW out of the culture of silence that surrounds it and bring it into the public domain for debate. Empower women to combat VAW through building women’s leadership and capacities, set up alternate redress mechanism –in the form of Women’s Nyaya Samitis -the women justice committees, that are community based , women led forums that function in a socio-legal and gender just framework. The initiative has taken up for advocacy, the implementation of Domestic Violence act as well as government recognition of paralegals as associates of the justice giving mechanism.
The initiative recognizes that women are not single gendered and men’s subjectivity is central to gender domination. The Men Engage and women’s Empowerment program, works extensively with men and youth in building male partnership and community opinion against VAW. It has critically examined through systematic research the extent and forms of violence against Women, in the region and the limits and potential of working with men in partnering to prevent VAW and shaped our interventions based on the understanding . The program intervenes and impacts through offering holistic support including legal aid , counseling , couple counseling, gender and VAW orientation trainings for men, involving students, youth and community leaders as change makers in VAW, mass based campaigns for building public opinion against VAW, influencing the media and policy advocacy on implementation of legislation on violence against women, work with key stakeholders such as the law enforcement agencies , village panachayts ( local self governance bodies) and health functionaries on VAW. A large part of our work is also beginning to entail research, policy level intervention, wider network building and capacity building of other civil society organizations . Innovation: The Men Engage through women’s empowerment program is different and unique because it marks a shift from the pure service delivery model approach of providing support to women victims of violence, to building a multi pronged strategy approach that involves support to women victims, but also at the same time addressing the root cause i.e. the social acceptance of violence against women in the family and the structural nature of women’s secondary status that forces them to stay in exploitative relationships.
The program thus focuses on creating awareness and bringing about attitudinal changes in the community, men in particular on VAW. The initiative of women’s justice committees , is an extra legal strategy provides an alternate plat form that is proving much more effective in aiding women in their quest for justice. Rooted in cultural and community norms, the alternatives, actively engage the women and the community in a dialogue on what is just and right. Such a process manages to take the discourse to a higher level and challenges and changes community norms. Born out of a process of empowerment and a consciousness of rights among women the Nyaya Samiti’s are quasi legal platforms that are proving to be fitting alternatives to violence against women. Delivery Model: The Men Engage and Women’s Empowerment program’s target population is the general community , women , women victims of violence and men and youth. The program has its basis in large scale women’s collectives which are membership based forums. Together the membership of these collectives in five districts is toady over 25,000. The program reaches out to the target population through these collectives, community out reach workers, campaigns, training programs, publicity, helpline phones and the women Nyaya samitis forums.
Through posters and pamphlets the initiative creates awareness on VAW and changing community attitudes and behaviour. We publish a newletter ‘Paraspar’ meaning mutuality which reaches out to over 4000 familes , civil society groups and NGOs Key Operational Partnerships: The program has established partner ships at four levels;
a) Those that strengthen our grass roots and community advocacy on VAW: Grass root level governance bodies the village panchytas, the local youth groups and community leaders b) Those that help strengthen and build capacity : Research and capacity building Institutes, Other networks etc. Examples of these are, The Gujarat Institute for Developmnt research ( Our research on VAW was conducted with their support, )Indian Iinstitute for Paral Legal Studies (IIPLS), Aekal Nari Sangathan- a collective working on social security concerns of women, Women and land rights network. HIVOS, OXFAM, Community Aid Abroad are the long term donors that support the program. c) Those that help us to network, broaden our vision and make the micro to macro linkages :The Men Engage coalition – a global alliance committed to working with men on VAW, UNFPA, UNIFEM, and the women’s movement, WE CAN (end all violence Against Women) Campaign by OXFAM, the White Ribbon Campaign, National Alliance of Women ( NAWO) d) And finally those that strengthen our objective of strengthening the policy and it’s implementation :department of women and Child, The Judicary, National Women’s Commission , The National Human Rights Commission Financial Model: The program works on grants from the donors and offers free or highly subsidized services to its clients. We have provisions for extending skills, capacity building and seed money support to women who would like to become economically self reliant in a relationship
Effectiveness: Some of the concrete outcomes of the program have been:
The SK-VAW, began their work in 2002 from a point where: we felt that few groups worked on VAW their was lack of acceptance of VAW as a key issue VAW was rampant in the region Through sustained activities, the Saurashtra Kachchh network today has successfully placed the issue of violence on the agenda of several NGOs and many more today are in agreement that Violence against Women is a key concern in the Saurashtra Kachchh region. At the government level too, the Gender Equity Policy document, prepared through a multi-stakeholder dialogue process has a thematic section on VAW and VAW also figures prominently in its legal section. We are today taking the lead in advocacy for effective and efficient implementation of the DVA, 2005 ( DVA was passed by the Government of India in 2005 and has come into force in October 2006). We have succeeded in engaging in this dialogue over fifty women’s groups from all over the state of Gujarat. Some of the significant achievements of the group are: Set up alternate, gender just, redressal mechanisms – the Mahila Nyaya Samitis, to address the issue of VAW. The Nyaya samitis altogether in five districts resolved directly or through litigation 30-to 35 cases of domestic violence per month, i.e over 1800 cases. Over 6000 people were counseled. Nine cases of rape were supported through police and court. In four cases perpetrators have been punished with imprisonment. Involvement of men and youth in combating VAWnWorkshops with men on the issue of Violence Against Women. We have so far trained over 600 youth in training programs and involved at least 1,00,000 men and women through campaigns .. A campaign on zero violence zones has led to individuals, families and groups taking the non violence pledge. Seven village panchayts passed a resolution on VAW and pledged tomake their village a zero violence zone. The networks efforts in the past five years have placed Violence on the agenda of several agemcies. Many more workon VAW issues , where almost none worked before. Advocacy on the issue of VAW through research studies and work with the print and electronic media.
Scaling up Strategy: Our priority for the next three years is up-scaling the work of the Nyaya samitis, getting them legitimacy in the justice giving mechanisms and advocacy on effective implementation of Domestic Violence act passed in 2006. Broad base our program to include all forms of violence against women – caste, communal, violence at the work place. And make violence against women a public health and civil society concern. We would like to strengthen the rights based aspect of our work on women’s empowerment to combat VAW .
Origin of the Initiative: In the initial stages my work with SWATI-Society for Women’s action and raining Inititives, we worked with a socio economic empowerment perspective that focused on mobilising women for their primary needs of water health, economic control etc.. , As our work progressed, we soon began to realize that violence is a hard reality of most women’s lives and is a single biggest impediment to any kind of empowerment for women. Unless we work on curbing this scourge, the goal of women’s empowerment remains a mirage we may keep chasing.
VAW is such a deep rooted , complex and broad issue that working on changing social attitudes required a concerted and multi pronged effort by civil society and NGOs. The initiative to involve civil society had to come from NGOs. I on behalf of SWATI, took the initiative to call for a meeting in 1999. 27 NGOs fro the region attended the meeting . The Group called itself Saurashtra Kachchh network on VAW . The SK-VAW network today works in over 350 villages in five districts, is the only network in Gujarat on VAW and is an active force in influencing, linking up and advocating against VAW. Main Obstacles to Scaling Up: The main obstacle to scaling up is:
Dependence on grants and donors exigencies of which at times determine organizational priorities and programs. Lack of skilled and competent persons. The Social sector though increasingly becoming a carrier option, is getting project oriented . Not too many people are interested in joining grass roots level rights based work . Main Partnership Challenges: The most important challenge is to keep the network character of the initiative alive. Thus collective ownership, participation , contribution , responsibility and accountability are the challenges we constantly grapple with. Building member capacities, maintaining quality work and retaining a process and outcome orientation, promoting self reliance and relationship management are the key challenges that we face in working together as a network.
Contact Information:
poonam kathuria
executive secretary Society for Women's Action and training initiative (NGO) pswati@satyam.net.in pswati@satyam.net.in India Tel: 09825084601 Website: www.swati.org.in Discussions about this entry |
Men Engage: Empowering women to involving men as allies, in Combating Violence Against Women
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Dear Frankel:
Hi and thank you for your most insightful comments on our work. You capture the essence of our work really well.
The issues you raise are fundamental and you are right we some times tend to become coarse in the pursuit of our seemingly lofty goals. The issue you raise is related to processes / methodology that we follow to achieve our objectives. In today’s world where development thought is dominated by mass mobilization and pace.. these issues do take a back seat.. The paradigm is efficiency, achieved some times at the cost of some of the issues you mention.
There are no pat answers but as I reflect on what you say , I make a note to become more conscious of these but also feel that otfen women are natural at recognizing and confronting these issues. In fact we find that we question ourselves and our processes much more than others do.. This often slows us down, as we often get confused half way through and question the path we have taken.. The women’s movement in India with all its gains , is questioning itself over the active role women have played in communal riots in Gujarat and in other parts of the country. The Dalit women are today raising there voice over their marginalistion in the women’s movement. So are women of alternate sexualities. As I look at these processes I gain hope.
With in my on organization SWATI-Society for Women’s Action and Training Initiative we make it a principal to work with the poorest and the marginalized and most exploited. But feel ill-equipped to deal with exploitation and corruption with in. I tend to fall back on Pedagogy of the Opressed,- Paulo Freier, who said that there is an exploiter inside the exploited. For the exploited to be a ‘man’ is to become like the exploiter . We need to recognize this and make conscientisation a part of our education and more important our proceses need to be monitored.
Thanks for posting this reflective querry..
Best wishes
Poonam Kathuria
SWATI-Society for Women's Action and Training Initiatives
pswati@satyam.net.in
Frankel wrote:
A fundamental issue comes immediately to mind.
In your work as a teacher, how do you deal with the central question that faces all of us who are committed to ending violence and changing the world by working with people in non-violent ways: How shall we be directive in our work without being authoritarian or manipulative? To put it in other terms, in the intersection between theory and practice, if we want to help people develop a commitment to interacting in collaborative rather authoritarian ways, how shall we structure our learning groups so that everyone understands our goals and no one is dominated, demeaned, or domesticated by our practice? What guidelines do you propose in your learning groups, for example, for dealing with a situation in which one member interrupts another? In dealing with an instance of domination by one group member over another, how shall we model the precept to do naught unto others that we would not have them do unto us (Mahabharata 5, 15, 17), or the teaching that we must be the change that we wish to see in the world (M.K. Gandhi)?
Again, please accept my expression of appreciation for what you are doing and for sharing what you are doing. I shall be grateful for the opportunity to continue learning from you.
Warmly,
Herman M. Frankel, M.D.
Building Caring Families
frankelh@earthlink.net
16 March 2007
Dear Poonam Kathuria:
Thank you for sharing this inspiring account of your determined and effective work in five districts of Gujarat state over the past four years, and its beginnings in the meeting that you initiated with 27 NGO’s in the region in 1999. Your activities to end violence against women stand as beacons for all of us: large-scale women’s collectives, support for women, legal aid, women’s justice committees, counseling, mass campaigns, work with local self-governance bodies, research, workshops with men and youth, interactions with community leaders, establishment of gender-just redressal mechanisms, “campaign on zero-violence zones,” collaboration with existing non-governmental and civil society organizations. You work shows what is possible when committed people work together to provide support to women victims of violence, and, at the same time, address what you describe as “the root cause: i.e. the social acceptance of violence against women in the family and the structural nature of women’s secondary status that forces them to stay in exploitative relationships.”
Posted on your website is a deeply moving and insightful report of your Focus Group Discussion studies of men’s attitudes, values, and practices: “Involving men as allies in violence against women: Are we pursuing a mirage?” (http://www.swati.org.in/publication.html). The roots of your commitment to considering men as allies in education for liberation are evident in your answer to the question, “why do we want to pursue such an approach?” (a) The success of the male involvement approach is linked to our belief in changing the world, of the human ability to transform one’s reality and the world around us. (b) It is important to us as human beings, and as women to think of (most) men as allies so as to keep our faith and hope in this synergistic relationship alive.
We all can learn a great from you.
A fundamental issue comes immediately to mind.
In your work as a teacher, how do you deal with the central question that faces all of us who are committed to ending violence and changing the world by working with people in non-violent ways: How shall we be directive in our work without being authoritarian or manipulative? To put it in other terms, in the intersection between theory and practice, if we want to help people develop a commitment to interacting in collaborative rather than authoritarian ways, how shall we structure our learning groups so that everyone understands our goals and no one is dominated, demeaned, or domesticated by our practice? What guidelines do you propose in your learning groups, for example, for dealing with a situation in which one member interrupts another? In dealing with an instance of domination by one group member over another, how shall we model the precept to do naught unto others that we would not have them do unto us (Mahabharata 5, 15, 17), or the teaching that we must be the change that we wish to see in the world (M.K. Gandhi)?
Again, please accept my expression of appreciation for what you are doing and for sharing what you are doing. I shall be grateful for the opportunity to continue learning from you.
Warmly,
Herman M. Frankel, M.D.
Building Caring Families
http://www.changemakers.net/en-us/node/167
frankelh@earthlink.net