Gender Equality
 Gender equality is central to the mission of SAHAYOG. Here gender equality implies an equity approach to ensure women’s equal rights, as well as requires addressing men and boys. Since unequal gender relations are upheld by various institutions, programme interventions have to go beyond behaviour change strategies into transforming institutions themselves. Objectives:
To fulfill these objectives, SAHAYOG conducts capacity building and gender sensitization programs, participates in campaigns, encourages community-based efforts, produces appropriate materials, and carries out research and documentation. SAHAYOG also facilitates local women and men activists to build their skills for gender training in Hindi. From 2003-2008, SAHAYOG has been promoting gender equality through the following major activities:
Monitoring implementation of CEDAWThe Convention for Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) lays down international standards of women’s rights, meant to be incorporated into the laws and policies of each country that has ratified the convention.India has been a signatory to CEDAW since 1993. Signing a treaty
means accepting ‘voluntary accountability’ to implement it and no
country can be ‘punished’ for not following international law.
Therefore it is important for civil society to monitor implementation of
the treaty within the signatory country, to ensure the state honours its
commitments.
A documentary film Citizens Without Rights was made on these issues to raise awareness and a campaign was carried out in Uttar Pradesh called Complete Citizens Total Rights (Puri Nagrik, Pura Haq), demanding state accountability for women’s rights within CEDAW. The campaign mobilized hundreds of women across the state and raised a set of demands through interactions with state actors at every level from 25 November 2003 to April 2004. Uttar Pradesh Mahila Pradeshik SamanvaySAHAYOG is actively part of a state-level coalition of women activists that campaigns on women’s political participation called the Uttar Pradesh Mahila Pradeshik Samanvay (State Coalition of Women).SAHAYOG joined other women’s organizations in the state to develop a collective analysis of women’s issues in state-level elections, based on comparison of election manifestoes. In 2007, the Pradeshik Samanvay was able to prepare a Women’s Election Manifesto that was sent to all contesting political parties ahead of the UP state assembly elections, as well as released to the media. Gender Resource GroupThere is a lack of gender trainers who can conduct trainings with men, and also few opportunities for skill-building of Hindi Gender Trainers. SAHAYOG is facilitating local women and men activists to build their skills for gender training in Hindi, through the formation of a Gender Resource Group including experienced activists from Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.SAHAYOG is enabling their access to advanced training courses, training modules and materials, as well as facilitating their linkage with potential users who require Hindi Gender Training in any part of India. For more information on how SAHAYOG promotes gender equality, visit Work with Men and Boys |
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