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Coinciding with the International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November, the United Nations in India is committed to joint advocacy initiatives to support the Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon’s UNiTE campaign. As part of the campaign, advocacy activities to raise awareness on gender based violence are organised during the 16 Days of Activism between 25 November and 10 December.
10-13 November 2014: The 2nd MenEngage Global Symposium 2014 – Men and Boys for Gender Justice was held in New Delhi. Its purpose was to find ways to engage men and boys for gender equality so that society becomes more caring and non-violent and gender relations become more harmonious.
04 November 2014: Music For Life International, UN Women India and the UN Trust Fund To End Violence Against Women presented an Evening of Opera Arias, Chamber and Hindustani Music on the theme Celebrating the Resilience of Women and Girls In the Face of Violence in New Delhi.
18 October 2014: UN Women launched the HeForShe campaign in India during the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Delhi) Rendezvous Festival in which this year’s theme is SHE, a social awareness campaign. The campaign was officially launched in India by the H.E Minister Mrs Maneka Sanjay Gandhi, Ministry of Women and Child Development.
25 November 2013: Marking International Day for Eliminating Violence Against Women, Ms. Indira Jaising, Additional Solicitor-General of the Supreme Court of India delivered the inaugural UN Public Lecture where she urged authorities to help survivors of sexual assault to navigate the criminal justice system.
16 November 2013: The Indian Women’s Press Corps in partnership with UNICEF and UN Women organised a panel discussion with the media to build on the growing public consensus that violence against children and women can no longer be tolerated and that collective action of all stakeholders is required to help end it.
A new UNFPA study ‘Laws and Son Preference in India’ released by Dr. Syeda Hameed, Member, Planning Commission, examines laws and policies that inadvertently propagate a preference for sons in Indian society’.
The brochure prepared by the Gender Equality and Empowerment Task Team led by UN Women highlights key forms of gender based violence in India including domestic violence, violence in public spaces, trafficking and violence against children. It also refers to gender biased sex selection as a manifestation of gender discrimination.
Sex Ratios and Gender Biased Sex Selection: History, Debates and Future Directions
The sharply declining child sex ratio in India has reached emergency proportions and urgent action must be taken to alleviate this crisis. The study ‘Sex Ratios and Gender Biased Sex Selection: History, Debates and Future Directions,’ undertaken by Dr. Mary John on behalf of UN Women and with support from UNFPA, helps to understand gender-biased sex selection more holistically, and aids in the identification of the important way forward for organisations and people working on the problem. Read more
The 163 page UNFPA report undertaken by Advocate Kirti Singh, Former Member, Law Commission of India is a no-holds barred, reality check of Indian laws and policies that inadvertently propagate son preference in Indian society. Through the review of laws and the gaps, the study reveals that unless the vicious cycle of discrimination is addressed and the legal, social and economic status of a daughter improves, son preference is likely to continue.
A study conducted by the International Centre for Research on Women (ICRW) in partnership with UNFPA looks at men’s attitudes and practices around gender inequality, son preference and gender based violence. Based on findings across seven states in India, the study reinforces that men can and do have an influence on gender equality and need to be treated as part of the solution, not the problem.
[Source: Partners for prevention]
The report, entitled ‘Why Do Some Men Use Violence Against Women and How Can We Prevent It? Quantitative Findings from the UN Multi-country Study on Men and Violence in Asia and the Pacific’ was conducted in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Papua New Guinea. It explores the prevalence of men’s use of violence against women in the survey sites, and shows what factors make men more or less likely to use violence.
The data in the document highlights that a lot needs to be done to provide a response to child marriage. UNICEF is committed to support comprehensive efforts to change social norms and beliefs that promote child marriage, to ensure protection mechanisms are in place, to encourage the enforcement of the law and to create spaces for girls’ voices.
Emma Watson UN speech
Emma Watson’s moving speech about gender equality and the HeForShe campaign.
Farhan Akhtar is a HeForShe
Indian actor and director of numerous films and founder of Men Against Rape and Discrimination (MARD), Farhan Akhtar was touched by the struggle to end violence against women when a woman he worked with was sexually assaulted and killed in her own home. Farhan established MARD to advocate for change in the ideas of masculinity, and to campaign for the end of violence against women.
HeForShe Campaign Video
This is the official video from the UN Women’s HeForShe campaign to promote gender equality. Make your voice heard by making your commitment at www.HeForShe.org
Highlights of the UN Public Lecture
Key highlights from the UN Public Lecture with Indira Jaising, Additional Solicitor General, Supreme Court of India on ending violence against women
Violence Affects Us All
Nandita Das, Actor says that violence against women affects all people and that if we stand up together, we will be a less fearful and more compassionate society.
Urbanization and Gender Violence
Kalpana Vishwanath, Jagori on the need to address violence against women in public spaces and cities within a larger discourse of urbanization in India.
Caste Hierarchies and Violence Against Women
Asha Kowtal on how caste hierarchy and patriarchy intersect to perpetuate violence against women.
Violence Against Minorities
Asha Kowtal, All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch, on how violence experienced by Dalit women is very different from violence against other women.
Laws and Son Preference in India
A new UNFPA study ‘Laws and Son Preference in India’ released by Dr. Syeda Hameed, Member, Planning Commission, examines laws and policies that inadvertently propagate a preference for sons in Indian society’.
Planning and Gender-based violence
Dr. Syeda Hameed, Member, Planning Commission on key monitorable targets in the 12th Five Year Plan that aim to improve India’s child sex ratio.
Kirti Singh, Advocate and Former Member, Law Commission of India outlines key findings from a new UNFPA study on ‘Law and Son Preference in India: A Reality Check’.
Addressing caste based gender violence
Dr. Ruth Manorama, President of the National Alliance of Women, National Convenor, National Federation of Dalit Women on violence against Dalit women.
Understanding India’s declining sex ratio
Dr. Mary John, Senior Researcher, Centre for Women’s Development Studies on India’s declining sex ratio.
The United Nations in India in partnership with World Comics India uses the power of comics to tell stories from across India, across communities, and across languages. Through workshops held in the country, young people, women, men and children who are poor and from marginalized communities find expression through comics. As the second in a series of exhibitions that begins in November, the partnership focuses on Voices Against Violence, in support of the UN Secretary General’s global campaign – UNiTe to End Violence against Women. The Campaign aims to protect the basic human rights of women and girls to live lives free from violence. This collection of stories are a reflection of people’s lives, the reality they have to contend with on a daily basis and the challenges they have to overcome related to gender-based discrimination and violence including eve-teasing, witch-hunting, sexual abuse and domestic violence.
Empowered lives: Duli & Amir redefine widowhood in India
UN Women is working to empower 500 widows in two towns in India – Udaipur and Vrindavan. Vrindavan, located in Uttar Pradesh in Northern India is the town where thousands of widows go to live, abandoned by their families.
From pain to puppetry
Through training provided by a UN Women programme, 16 widows have learnt puppetry and given eight public performances. By making their own puppets and scripting their plays, they have been able to tell their stories and deal with their pain.
Better Lighting, Wider Pavements: The Need of the Hour
A Safe Cities programme in New Delhi is conducting safety audits, whose findings are being adapted to make the crucial link between the public’s needs, urban planning and safety.
Cartoons for change
Three leading cartoonists from three leading Indian newspapers took to their drawing boards to portray the current status of women in India, and advocate for change.
India: From Darjeeling to Delhi – story of a young girl who was trafficked
Darjeeling, West Bengal in the north-eastern part of India is vulnerable to human trafficking. Lack of awareness, paucity of work opportunities and frequent natural disasters push women and children into the hands of traffickers.
25 November 2014
The UN Secretary General Ban ki Moon highlights that this year’s International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women is centred on a grassroots effort to raise awareness called Orange Your Neighbourhood.
25 November 2014
UN Women Executive Director Ms. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka highlights that UN Women has launched HeForShe, a global campaign to engage men and boys as advocates and agents of change for the achievement of gender equality and women’s rights.
25 November 2014
UNDP Administrator Helen Clark says that violence against women is a consequence of persistent inequalities between men and women.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon supports the One Billion Rising Campaign
On Valentine’s Day on 14 February 2013, the UN Secretary General emphasized the need to speak out against the global pandemic of violence against women and girls that thrives in a culture of discrimination and impunity.
The Red Siren Campaign
UNICEF India has launched the new initiative Time to Sound the Red Siren, which tackles violence against children and places a special focus on sexual violence against girls.
Say No to Violence
The Sub-regional Office of UN WOMEN South Asia places the advancement of women’s human rights at the centre of its efforts and focuses its activities on four strategic areas: reducing feminized poverty, ending violence against women, reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS among women and girls and achieving gender equality in democratic governance. Have Your Say in 2013: Every week UN Women’s Say NO – UNiTE to End Violence against Women YouTube Channel features a different video that speaks on the issue.
Oxfam’s Give Women their Share Campaign
In both rural and urban settings, land and house remains the primary properties that shape the equations of power between men and women irrespective of their caste, class and creed. Research shows that when women own land and house, it leads to transformative change for herself, her family and the society in terms of production, gender equity, women’s agency, and liberty. Advocating to Give Women Their Share, Oxfam India is demanding a shift in community attitudes towards women’s land rights to enhance their dignity, security, freedom, reduction in violence along with their economic empowerment.
Promise of favours to women at workplace is sexual harassment, govt says
[Date: 28 November 2014, Source: The Times of India]
Ban Ki-Moon asks men and boys to fight violence against women
[Date: 27 November 2014, Source: Day & Night News]
Sania Mirza becomes UN Women Ambassador for South Asia
[Date: 26 November 2014, Source: ProKerala]
Sania Mirza is UN Women’s envoy
[Date: 26 November 2014, Source: India Every Day]
Sania Mirza is UN Womens envoy
[Date: 26 November 2014, Source: Deccan Chronicle]
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