As we’ve always said, education changes lives. It’s a fact! And when that includes breaking gender norms and tradition, it can redefine the thinking of a new generation.
I saw this first hand during a visit to a school in Aurangabad Village, with a unique programmme that aims to curb child labour and promote gender equality in everyday life, allowing these children to have equal opportunities to earning a decent livelihood in adulthood
At each of the centres, children are being introduced to life skills, including 60 different basic technologies in an innovative learning model – everything from cooking for boys to solar energy for girls – in order to break down gender norms. The students were so engaged in these learnings and proud to be passing them onto parents, siblings, family and friends .
During my interactions with the Meena Manch (platform for children in schools to discuss and voice their views), the young members performed a powerful skit on ending violence. In addition to teaching them to stand up and speak up in the face of violence, and more importantly ensuring the boys understand their responsibilities in curbing violence and breaking the cycle.
I was hugely impressed. We need to think about how we can look at tools like this for all children across the country…. Because change needs to begins at childhood.
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The safety and security of women is an urgent need. We hear many stories from across India of violence and harassment against women and girls, everyday.
There is a lot of work that needs to be done and that begins with the most basic… protection by law and order / police.
I had the opportunity to visit the 1090 Woman Power Line (WPL)’, Uttar Pradesh’s 24/7 phone line for women to freely register complaints of any form of atrocities and sexual harassment.
I met Ms. Neera Rawat (IPS, Additional Director General of Women and Child Security Organisation, UP Police) who is at the helm of Women and Child Security Organisation, UP Police in Lucknow under which this initiative is based.
The WPL has 154 offices in UP with a 24 hour service. Through the 1090 helpline, the police, as the first responder to any violence, have designed interventions which are victim-centric and with an intent to prevent the violence. The WPL utilises technology to its fullest to be able to respond and protect with speed, ensuring there is accountability for every call.
From eve-teasing and stalking to cases of sexual harassment and domestic violence etc, the teams are trained to respond keeping the callers protection at the forefront.
In India, violence against women and children is widespread, yet too many women and children aren’t reporting it. Because of the fear of bias and corruption But hopefully with helplines like this they can and they should.
There is a lot more that needs to be done for the protection of women but initiatives like these are a great start and if implemented effectively, can be the answer to curb and end violence and ensure safety.
@unicef @unicefindia
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Today I saw how Technology and innovation can be critical in addressing the biggest challenges.
In India, technology is at the forefront of change and I saw that first hand
Take for example these initiatives supported by @unicefindia.
1. The Poshan (Health) tracker, an app that helps keep track of key health and nutrition information on children and mothers at the click of a button for 1,80,000 ‘Anganwadi Centres’ in the state.
2. The Banking Correspondent Sakhi, which provides innovative banking services to people living in rural and remote areas by the use of mobile ATM machines. Women are employed to help provide cash on the spot when there are no banks nearby. It gives these “Sakhi’s” the ability to buy just make a real income but have a real standing in their communities.
It was so inspiring to see this technology being embraced irrespective of their age or education, and is delivering change at scale.
@unicef Lalpur Village
Final post from my @unicefindia trip.
Silence was natural to them. As was fear— of abuse, of ridicule, of being ostracised. So they bore their abuse in silence.
There’s always been a need for a comprehensive approach towards preventing & responding to all forms of violence against women. Alongside the prevention, the need for a framework for someone to hear & support the needs of the survivors of violence has also been imperative.
This is where the One Stop Centres (OSC), are a step in the right direction. These centres facilitate immediate, emergency & non-emergency access to a range of services including medical, legal, psychological & counselling support under one roof to fight against any form of violence against women.
I visited the OSC at Ashiyana, Lucknow, which is now a role model not just in Uttar Pradesh but across India. What centres like these are doing is breaking through decades of conditioning & beliefs that women are undeserving of their own rights or having a life outside of their homes, husbands or fathers. The conditioning is so deep that even women believe this of themselves!
About 80% of the violence that a lot of women face (this was a statistic given to me) is within their own homes with relatives, fathers, brothers & the like.
The women I met at this centre were rescued & are now taking control of their own lives. They are being educated, while some even have jobs. This is commendable because their stories are so brutal & heart breaking… it’s hard even for me to share. From being raped by their fathers & uncles, to being kidnapped & used as a surrogate without consent, to being repeatedly tortured… they have lived through so much.
These survivors found the courage & determination to change their circumstances because of the support they received from the OSC.
What I feel deeply about is the belief that the birth of a girl is a “burden” — this desperately needs to be challenged & changed. Initiatives like the OSC and these fearless women are leading this much needed change.
The need of the hour is more such fearless women and more such centres to right the wrongs for women across the country.
As you all know I’m a passionate believer in the power of education but what I’ve seen here takes it to the next level.
One of the groups of teenagers I met didn’t get the opportunity to start their education when one is supposed to, only because they were girls. But their perseverance paid off and at the age of 12 and 14 they’re now learning how to read and write through the UNICEF supported initiative, Adolescent Development and Empowerment (ADE) which focuses on 10,000 such girls in the state. These two girls are financially supporting their families by working as domestic workers before and after school, yet their zeal to learn is incredible.
These teenagers, especially the girls, are so inspiring. The situations they have dealt with in their young lives are so impossible to digest, but they picked themselves up and fought to remove themselves from the cycle of poverty and abuse that they are in.
I also saw the power of a sisterhood, in this case the Shakti Group where groups of girls come together and become the strong support system that they need to grow and thrive.
Another group of amazing teenagers I interacted with was the Smart Yuwa initiative which empowers India’s youth by by encouraging them to be active changemakers in their communities.
@unicef @unicefindia Uttar Pradesh
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