Youth Forums Against Gender Based Violence
A Growing Movement of Male Youth in Combating Gender Based Violence and Other Women’s Rights Issues
Successful Case Studies
Individual Changes
Internalized changes in Master Trainers (young men appointed under the project to train and lead youth forums against gender based violence) and Youth Forum members as a result of project intervention through participation in Trainings of Trainers and Information, Education and Communication Workshops; Organizing mass campaigns, Role Plays during street theatre:
 An analysis of changes indicates that almost 50% of the master trainers were involved in teasing girls along with their friends before partnering in the project. All 50% of them have not only stopped it completely but are also counseling their peers against it. One master trainer even opted out of the peer group he was a part of earlier that indulged in teasing girls.
- One Youth Forum Member has been instrumental in stopping dowry (girls beingforced to give cash/jewellery as dowry to be married) in his own family. When his sister was to get married, the prospective groom’s family asked for dowry. He gathered courage, spoke to his own family and then to the groom’s family. After fights and long discussions, he was able to convince them. Today his sister is happily married without any dowry having exchanged hands. Charity, for him, began at home, setting an example in the community.
- One Youth Forum Member had no idea that women should not get same opportunities and rights as men because at bus stops or queues, women are given preference. He has now realized that women are enjoying less opportunities and rights than men. He has learnt about domestic violence and other forms of violence against women.
- I am a YFAGBV (Youth Forum Against Gender Based Violence) member. Through ICPRD training, I have learnt to respect girls. My friends and I used to tease girls at bus stops. But now we have stopped doing so and are even friends with these girls, trying to get their parents convinced to send them for higher education. Vinay, Bangalore
Familial Changes
Shifting of power balance in favor of women in families. Men are being confronted by the youth forum boys on behalf of mothers – a new alliance leading to shifting of leverages at the household level
| “Gender Based Violence is like a nuclear bomb. We created it and we ourselves can destroy it. My father is an alcoholic. He used to put pressure on my mother. Because of the ICPRD project I had the courage to confront my father. My mother is an organizer in a woman’s credit group and completely supports me in my work against Gender Based Violence. |
Mohan, Master Trainer, Bangalore |
Case Study of a Woman’s Self-Help Group (SHG) Member from Karnataka
I am a Self-Help Group member from a women’s group for the last 3 years. At present I am a ward councilor (local government) and Secretary of the parents’ committee of a Government school. I have attended Self-Help Group members’ trainings and Review Workshop organized by ICPRD). Through these meetings, I have become aware of the evil consequences of the dowry system (girls being forced to give cash/jewellery as dowry to be married). I have a son and a daughter and I have now decided firmly that I will neither give nor take dowry for their marriage. As I am one of the leading persons in my village, I hope my example will inspire other role models as well to treat girls with dignity. |
Ratnamma
SHG leader |
Community Engagement
- Pro-active action to send girls back to school
There are several instances where girls’ parents have agreed to send their daughters to school on the persuasion of YFAGBV members or girls have been able to continue their education only because of the interventions of YFAGBV members (Youth Forums Against Gender Based Violence), both in Karnataka and Rajasthan.
Intervention by the YFAGBV members in Phagi
In Nareda village of Jaipur District, Rajasthan, girls were not able to go to school only because the driver of the bus never stopped the bus at their stop. Parents who could afford to hire private vehicles sent their daughters to school but the other girls were being deprived of education only due to this reason. In a Training of Trainers (TOT) workshop, this issue was shared by youth forum members. The Sarpanch (village head) of the village was also present at the Workshop. After inputs from the workshop, together, the youth forum members and the Sarpanch approached the bus driver and were able to convince him to stop the bus at the bus stop from where the girls of the village could board the bus and go to school. |
- Advocating girl child to education
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“A girl in our area, Srirampuram, wanted to study further after finishing school but her parents refused and though she was a minor, began searching for a suitable groom for marriage. When we learnt of this, we went to her house and spoke to her parents about child marriage and that it was a legal offence. But they refused to listen to us. We went again and again but to no avail. Then we decided to organize a mass campaign in front of their house and conducted street theatre and role play. Seeing this, the parents were so convinced that they came up to us and admitted that they had been wrong. They have now decided to send their daughter to school instead of getting her married off.” |
Gopi, Bangalore
Master Trainer
Karnataka |
“During a mass campaign in a new area, we enquired about the social problems existing in the area. We were told that child labour is a major problem here. Small children are inducted into work and do not go to school. We decided to hold a series of awareness camps in the area about the importance of education. Slowly, we found that parents were beginning to withdraw their children from work and were sending them to school.” |
Nanda, Bangalore
Master Trainer
Karnataka |
“In our village, Someshwara, an arrack shop was opened right in front of a children’s school. This was greatly distressing to the school children. YFAGBV members approached the owner and asked him to shift his shop elsewhere. He point blank refused, saying that he had a license for the shop and had also spent a huge sum on it. Then, YFAGBV members staged a demonstration in front of his shop along with school children and village people. The shop owner was forced to shift his shop five hundred meters away from the school.” |
Amresh, Mysore
Master Trainer
Karnataka |
- Fighting Female Foeticide
“We organized a mass campaign in Devlapura village in Mysore, Karnataka. We spoke of the goals and objectives of the project and explained about the different forms of gender based violence: female foeticide, child marriage, wife beating etc. After the mass campaign, a person came up to tell us that a family in the village was planning to have the daughter-in-law aborted as the child she was carrying was a girl. We at once went to that family’s house and advised them against this action and even informed them of the legal consequences of it. They got very angry and began to scold us. We then decided to go to the doctor who was to terminate the pregnancy. We warned him of the legal consequences of his action if he went ahead with this abortion. The doctor got scared and agreed not to take up the case. We then went back to the family and informed them of the doctor’s decision and again informed them of the laws relating to female foeticide. This time they did not even whisper and said that they would allow their daughter-in-law to give birth to the girl child.” |
Suresh K. M.
Master Trainer
Karnataka |
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