Best practice manual for gender equality in India published
The Independent Commission for People’s Rights and Development (ICPRD), an Indian advocacy coalition, has published a Manual of Best Practice based upon the results of its ‘Men as Partners towards Gender Equality’ (MAP) initiative.
The shocking gang rape case reported in Delhi this year brought gender-based violence in India to international prominence. It was an extreme and visible manifestation of gender inequality, which has emerged as one of the most pressing developmental challenges for the country since Independence.
ICPRD has developed initiatives to confront this issue, aiming to motivate males between the ages of 14 and 24 from low-income societies, communities or neighbourhoods to be active participants in reducing gender discrimination and inequality through re-socialisation. It is hoped that through this approach, communities will become empowered to initiate change and develop a preventative culture.
‘Youth Forums Against Gender-Based Violence’, is a project that developed out of the MAP initiative. It works in three districts in Karnataka, South India, covering 70 villages with an outreach of 32,250 (direct and indirect) beneficiaries since 2008. The project uses street theatre to engage men, covering issues such as female education, alcohol abuse and domestic violence.
The experiences gained by ICPRD in the last five years form the basis of its best practices manual, which reflects on various strategies used in the field that can be used as a guide for application elsewhere and at differing levels of intervention and replication.
ICPRD undertakes a range of activities relating to gender including policy advocacy, grassroots mobilisation, capacity building, research and coalition building. Though based in Delhi, it has a field presence in the states of Rajasthan, Jharkhand and Karnataka.
The PHF India programme supported ICPRD’s ‘Men as Partners against Gender Based Violence’ initiative with three grants issued between October 2008 and October 2013. The funding broadened the base of the initiative and helped to develop ‘Youth Forums for Gender Equality’, a project that has already played a significant role in reducing gender-based violence. PHF’s support has now ended and ICPRD is currently developing a continuity plan for the initiative.
