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Officers
2007-2008
Chris Gerl
President
Mary Knight
Vice President
Deb Allen
Treasurer
Liz Reeves
Secretary
JulieBowder
Dr. Mary Ann Rubis Directors
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Reinventing India:
Phase II
Zonta International/UNIFEM
INTERNATIONAL SERVICE PROJECT REPORT,
2002-2004
Project activity: November 2002-May 2003
Funding by Zonta International Foundation:
US$299,450
In June 2003, UNIFEM reported on the following progress
made in three major project areas:
Ø
Increase women’s knowledge of and access to available support
services to deal with violence against women, HIV/AIDS and trafficking
Ø
Increase public awareness of the concepts and traditions of
masculinity in order to facilitate a better understanding of the biological,
societal, cultural, economic and structural factors that contribute to, shape
and perpetuate gender-based violence
Ø
Increase women’s and men’s understanding of women’s legal rights
towards enabling women’s access to legal support services
I Increase Women’s Knowledge of and
Access to Support Services
q
Resource directories
Resource directories on available services to counter violence against women
were released for the states of Harayana, Bihar, Jharkahd, Assam, Meghalaya, and
Manipur. These directories help women find organizations that offer counseling,
legal aid, alternative shelters, health clinics, skill training, marketing and
credit. They are meant for individual women seeking help, activists,
educational institutions, policy makers, development planners, government
officials and organizations working with women in crisis. After the
release of the directory in Harayana, the Multiple Action Research Group (MARG),
who prepared the directory, briefed those present on the current status of laws
and legal instruments available to women in the state, and gave suggestions on
improvements that could be made.
During the reporting period, resource directories to be printed in Hindi,
English and various regional dialects were commissioned for the states of
Punjab, Uttranchal, Uttar Pradesh and
Chattisgarh. Plans are also underway for the publication of directories for the
states of Madhya Pradesh and Goa. UNIFEM will conduct an assessment on the
resource directories’ usefulness in the near future.
II
Expand the
Community’s Understanding of the Construct of Masculinity
q
Photography Exhibit
Feedback was received on the Men and Masculinity
photo exhibit held at the University of Delhi,
and reported on in the October 2002 progress report for Phase I of the
Reinventing India project. One participant, a gender specialist in India,
said the show was “a good analysis of both how masculinity is created and
reinforced in day to day activities and how change is taken place.”
q
New University Course
Curriculum development is currently underway for a masculinity studies course at
the University of Delhi. The schools plans to use the joint
UNIFEM-University of Delhi research study
entitled From Violence to Supportive Practices: Family, Gender and
Masculinities in India, written by Dr. Radhika
Chopra. Zonta International funded this research study.
q
Documentary film
A documentary film “Families in Transition: Towards Gender Equality”
was produced and should be ready for distribution in late-summer 2003.
The documentary examines gender processes within working
class family situations against the backdrop of economic and cultural
globalization. It also probes gender re-negotiations and the emerging changes in
perceptions of masculinity/femininity. The film serves as a useful tool for
development practitioners to locate the potential for further change and prompt
discussion on the subject whenever it is used.
q
English Version of Men’s Magazine, Purush Spandana
The men’s magazine
Purush Spandana
will be published in English for the first time in a book format. The book will
contain articles, short stories, interviews, personal accounts and media trends
that voice the sentiments of men.
III
Increase Women’s and Men’s
Understanding of Women’s Legal Rights
q
Legal Literacy Workshops
Six workshops were held in various states between November 2002 and May
2003, with six future workshops planned for June and July 2003. One workshop,
held in conjunction with Positive Women’s Network for South India, gathered 30
women living with HIV to discuss how their health status affects their ability
to seek equal legal protection. Issues discussed included the lack of a legal
framework for HIV/AIDS issues, the right to privacy, discrimination against HIV
positive individuals and discussions on various judiciary rulings that related
to those with HIV/AIDS. The session focused on the interplay between law,
women’s rights and HIV/AIDS, with an emphasis on issues of property and
inheritance rights.
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