CURRENT INITIATIVE: Mobilising Men to Challenge Sexual and Gender Based Violence against Women in Institutional

Mobilising Men to Challenge Sexual and Gender Based Violence Against Women in Institutions

This programme was started in Kenya, Uganda and India with support of Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, UK. The country level partners implemented this project in their countries at institutional level like Panchayat Institutions, universities, colleges with specific objective of building consciousness, capacity and commitment of a set of twelve male activists and leaders from specific country to develop campaigns against such violence in respective institutional settings.

In India, project was implemented by Centre for Health and Social Justice and SAHYOG and succeeded in generating demonstrable experiences and ways of mobilising male as social change agents to take issues of violence into the heart of their work.

Focusing on male activists within labour unions, student groups and human rights organisations, this initiative aimed at pioneer efforts in India to mobilise men to challenge and change the institutional policies and culture that enable and act sexual and gender based Violence. CHSJ aimed at providing both financial and technical support to the activists/ leaders to facilitate the implementation of campaigns against violence against women in specific institutional settings. Mobilising Men programme challenged several common forms of institutional violence against women; in the workplace, on campus and community.

Mobilising men project in India recruited a trained team of activist in a diverse range of institutional setting to develop campaign addressing sexual & gender based violence. In a relatively short space of time there were good changes like setting sexual harassment committee in on post graduate collage and activating Anti sexual harassment committee in Banaras Hindu University. Meetings, workshops, training and campaigns at institutional level were held as part of activities.

Project intended to achieve following objectives

Build capacity among leaders and activists in some key institutional settings to identify sexual and gender based violence occurring within that specific institutional setting and raise demands for addressing the same within the institutional mechanism.
Develop a capacity building plan and methodology for doing the same
Document changes in the perception and response to violence within key stakeholders in each institutional setting, and the processes of demanding changes in institutional mechanisms and the institutional response

Project Area: Men working in institutions like PRIs, trade unions, universities, colleges, youth wing of political parties in Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, West Bengal and Delhi.

CASE STORIES OF MEN AND BOYS IN PROCESS OF CHANGE
Case Story of Jeewan - I understand my responsibilities
Case Story of Ranjit Singh - I improved my behavior with my daughter-in-law
Case Story of Ramesh Kumar - I started helping in cooking, cleaning, taking care of my child, etc.
Case Story of Sharad Rai - I started cleaning the house and washing my clothes
Case Story of Vijay - I am responsible about being a gender sensitive person
Case Story of Bhuvan - I started helping my sister in law with the household chores