MUST BOL......a campaign against gender based violence
Sanjha Manch, a youth research centre of ALFA educational society, recently launched a campaign against gender based violence under the aegis of Youth Collective, a Delhi based organization. The campaign was a huge success and was quite able to achieve its objective. The main motto of the campaign was not just to eradicate the violence against women and girls, but also to put a full stop on the violence against the opposite sex by men in the name of machoism.
Under this initiative, various gender based films and documentaries were screened at various schools and among various communities of Karawara and pahada panchayat.This campaign drew attention towards and created awareness about the issues of safety of women and girls which is very necessary for coming up with a strategy and framing policies that would be a milestone in the field of women safety. Under this campaign, various interactive sessions were organized where the village youths and the other members from different communities had a very open and wide discussion on the very topic. Apart from this, they were also made to realize that if given a chance, women too can prove their mettle and are no lesser than men in any respect.Hence; they must also be given equal opportunity in every sphere of life.
MUST BOL also encouraged the youths and the man fraternity to refrain from any kind of violence, torture or discrimination against women and girls. They were also taught not to use any kind of abusive language against women. The youths were advised not to eve tease girls and women and that they should not physically or orally abuse girls or women .As a part of the campaign, women and girls were also encouraged to raise their voice fearlessly against any kind of violence against them. The youths were also encouraged to help and support the women and the girls in this process of their coming out of their comfort zones and made them understand that women are no lesser than men in any respect.
As a part of MUST BOL, we screened films at eight different locations. In karawara, we organized screening at Karawara school and at Sanjha Manch. We also screened gender based films and documentaries in the villages of Bambala, Barodwara, Pahada and Dechara and had discussions on various gender based issues. We were able to spread the message to about 700-800 people. The volunteers of Sanjha Manch very enthusiastically leaded, organised and coordinated the events and left no stones unturned to make the campaign a success.
At Bambala and Barodwara, we screened the movie named 'GIRL STAR' especially for the women and girls. Around 280 females participated in the event. After screening, we asked the women and girls to come in open about the kind of violence and harassment they face at the hands of men. Most of the women said that they want their girls to study, but owing to the sarcasms and the taunts by the village people, they don't dare to send them to schools.Moreover, patriarchal thinking in the villages also gives men larger freedom than women.However, they said that they now want their daughters to go to school and pursue good education which is very necessary for their bright future.
At Karawara school and Dechara school, we screened
films like 'O BHAI' and 'GIRL STAR' for 450 girls and boys. Here too, after screening, discussions were held on the serious issues of eve-teasing and gender based violences.The girls said that eve-teasing and ogling is very common in the streets of the villages and even in the class rooms.
WALL PAINTING COMPETITION:
Under MUST BOL campaign, graffiti and paintings showcasing the issues of violence and their impacts on the society were showcased to the public. Banners and posters were also pasted along the streets and every nook and corner of the village so that the villagers can have a look on them while plying from one place to another and can introspect and retrospect on the highlighted issues. Wall paintings were quite successful in awakening the conscience and the inner self of the villagers and making them conscious of their responsibilities and their role in making the society and the locality a bias and violence free one.
CLOSER EVENT at DECHARA village......Dated-4th dec, 2011
At the closer event, apart from creating awareness among the villagers about the various gender based issues, we also organized some events like Mehendi designing competition, essay writing competition and drawing competition where the women, men, girls and boys could showcase their inherent talents. We also organized an event called 'GOLA FEK' in 3 different schools. People from all sectors like education, administration, politics, social sectors etc etc were invited at the closure event and were asked to put forth their perception and thinking on the gender issues. The lady sarpanch from Karawara vehemently opposed the kind of discrimination between men and women prevalent in the village and supported equal rights and freedom for women and girls in a democratic society. They also came up with some strong measures to counteract any kind of gender based violence prevalent in the society. At the end, 20 girls were awarded and honored by the dignitaries present at the event for achieving remarkable feats in their respective fields.
