Youth Forums Against Gender Based Violence
A Growing Movement of Male Youth in Combating Gender Based Violence and Other Women’s Rights Issues
Master Trainers transformed as project staff
To ICPRD project, sustainability is youth taking new forms of leadership. A key success of the project seems to be that master trainers, who, from poor, under privileged and restricted backgrounds, seem to have enhanced their skills, capacities and confidence to a level where they are becoming pivots of the project at the local level and are ready to be absorbed into the project as project staff. Those who have been inducted into the project are multi-tasking: they are pursuing their studies, working part time with the project as staff and at the same time discharging their responsibilities as master trainers.
Mohan, son of a victim mother that faced GBV becomes ICPRD Project Staff
Mohan is a Master Trainer from Bangalore, Karnataka and has been with the project since the beginning. He is 20 years old and is doing his graduation. He comes from a poor, socio-economic background and lives in the slums of Bangalore. His father is a tailor and his mother is an Organizer with WWF, ICPRD’s project partner NGO in Karnataka. His father is addicted to alcohol and gets violent. Initially, Mohan seemed very lazy and disinterested. But slowly he developed interest in the project, was appointed Master Trainer and was able to leverage his skills to change the power equation in his family:
“My father is an alcoholic and violent with my mother. Because of the ICPRD project I had the courage to confront my father. My mother is an Organizer in a women’s credit group and completely supports me in my work against Gender Based Violence.”
Identifying his potential, his interest and skills, he was appointed part time staff with the project at the regional office in Bangalore. He has become an important pivot of the project, even conducting training on substantive issues with YFAGBVs and translating and interpreting from local language (Kannada) to English and vice versa for IFES-USAID team and project staff not familiar with the local language. Alongwith his support, the Bangalore unit of the project is becoming stronger. He has emerged as a leader at the local level lending sustainability to the project. |
Master Trainer becoming ICPRD’s staff in Channapatna
Another Master Trainer from Channapatna, Karnataka is Ravi Shastri who is doing his mechanical engineering. His father has passed away and his mother is working in a clerical job in the local government office. When he joined the project, he was shy and timid. His skills in language came to the fore during the IFES-USAID team visit to the Karnataka project area in January, 2007. Multi-linguist, he did a tremendous job of translation and interpretation and in the process acquired self-confidence. His abilities, hard work and sincerity has earned him a part time job in the project at Channapatna.
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Master Trainer becoming ICPRD’s staff in Bellary
Pravin has been with the project since Phase I enacting the role of a girl in the two National Street Theatre Workshops organized in Bangalore and Jaipur during the MPs’ Exposure Visits. His father has died and his mother works as an attendant in the local hospital at Bellary, Karnataka. He too has been appointed as part time staff in the Bellary unit of the project. |
Synergetic Partnership between SHG and YFAGBV members
 Mothers of master trainers and youth forum members (including many WWF organizers) feel that the “co-operation between youth and women” has helped “shift the power balance in favor of women in families”. Men are being confronted by the boys on behalf of mothers. Most of the organizers children have benefited inasmuch from being lumpen rowdy elements they have become responsible citizens.
‘GBV support’ to members with alcoholic husbands or to girls against eve teasing (to prevent drop-outs) and mass awareness campaigns promoting WWF through street theatre seems to produce “the anti-GBV effect.” An add-on service that women feel leads to lesser harassment and more networking between women groups protected by sons, nephews and neighbours in a very low cost, people-oriented solutions.
- Collaborative success stories
A YFAGBV member reported that his friend’s sister was to get married and the bridegroom’s family was demanding a dowry. SHG and YFAGBV members of the area jointly approached the bride’s family and had a dialogue with them, advising them against giving any dowry. When the bridegroom learnt of this, he said: ‘We will make the marriage simple and we will not ask for any dowry.’ |
Honganoor
Channapatna |
We have participated in SHG members’ trainings, debate competitions, mass campaigns and have realized the negative impact of drinking, dowry etc. It is now our effort to reduce these issues in our village. We are working together with YFAGBV members of our village to create awareness in the village and also address specific problems. For instance, we SHG members along with YFAGBV members spoke to a man who used to drink heavily in our village and became a nuisance for his family as well as for the neighbours. When he refused to listen to us, we threatened to file a complaint with the police. He immediately backtracked, is less violent and his drinking has reduced. |
Boramma
Village Molidoddi
Channapatna |
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