Exploratory Intervention for Preventing Gender Based Violence

In Jharkhand, India

BACKGROUND •  31.4% married women in India have experienced violence by their husband •  In National Family Health Survey III (2005-6), among rural women in Jharkhand - – 38% had ever faced physical violence by their husbands – 15% had suffered sexual violence – 20% had experienced emotional violence – 41% of those who faced physical or sexual violence had injuries, and 43% of

them sought help

• Violence disproportionately affected vulnerable women - the poorest, from tribal communities, and those with no or little education

•  Prevalence data from the survey done locally – – 24% were married ≤ 18 years; of them 24.2% were already mothers

• Adolescent pregnancies, Witch-hunting and Child trafficking were forms of violence affecting women and girls in Jharkhand

URBAN

NGO  

PROGRAM COMPONENTS

RURAL

Facilitation of 42 Women’s Groups

Baseline data collection, FGDs

with mixed groups

Training of 23 ASHAs in 22

villages of Bandhgaon &

Chakradharpur block

PROGRAM COMPONENTS

National Health Mission (NHM) & Accredited Social Health Activist(ASHA) •  NHM - flagship program by the GoI to address the health needs of

under-served rural & urban populations

•  ASHA > 9.15 lakh ASHAs across the country are the interface between the facility and the community for providing health care

•  ASHAs are mandated to: – Primarily care for pregnant and lactating mothers – Create linkage with functional health facility for referral services –  Identify transport for referral of cases from village to facility – Encourage women to access ANC and deliver in institutions -

conditional cash transfers

– Provide essential health supplies, drugs (e.g. ORS, contraceptives, anti malarial)

– Provide home-based newborn care (6 visits: days 1, 2-3, 5-7, 14-17, 23-28, 42)

•  One ASHA Facilitator per 15 - 20 ASHAs

RURAL INTERVENTION STRUCTURE

Training with ASHA and ASHA

facilitator Formation of Advisory committee at the district level

Facilitation of PLA with women’s groups

Methods like games, role plays and stories used to identify problems and

solutions

REACHING OUT TO THE COMMUNITY THROUGH PLA GROUPS

Total meetings held 600

Total adolescent girls 2878 Total women aged 20-50 10185 Total women aged >50 307 Total men 1292 Frontline Service Providers (AWW & ANM)

170

LIST OF PRIORITIZED PROBLEMS

1 2 3 Total

Domestic violence 12 5 7 24

Discrimination in workload

6 6 9 21

Early Marriage/ Adolescent Pregnancy

9 7 4 20

Harassment at work place and street

2 2 9 13

Depression 2 4 5 11

Discrimination in food distribution /education

1 7 3 11

Trafficking 4 3 1 8

Witchcraft & Abandonment 1 2 1 4

Dowry 1 2 1 4

Polygamy 2 2 4

LIST OF PRIORITIZED PROBLEMS

1 2 3 Total

Domestic violence 12 5 7 24

Discrimination in workload

6 6 9 21

Early Marriage/ Adolescent Pregnancy

9 7 4 20

Harassment at work place and street

2 2 9 13

Depression 2 4 5 11

Discrimination in food distribution /education

1 7 3 11

Trafficking 4 3 1 8

Witchcraft & Abandonment 1 2 1 4

Dowry 1 2 1 4

Polygamy 2 2 4

LIST OF STRATEGIES No of Groups

Counselling to families of survivors and encouraging them to report violence 40 Engaging with service providers, villager leaders for preventing early marriages in community gatherings like group meetings, gram sabha, VHNDs

39

Ensuring participation of adolescents in discussions on prevention and consequences of early marriage/adolescent pregnancy/ and on contraception in all community platforms

19

Participation in PLA meetings to discuss on the causes, consequences and prevention of different forms of violence

19

Initiatives like raising awareness, alerting the group to discuss issues of street and work place harassment

13

Seek help from police in case of street harassment and witch hunting 7

Holding events to discuss news (news paper cuttings, radio, TV news and social media) on human trafficking and to gather background information before sending for jobs and other engagements

7

“Strategies should be feasible for implementing in the community” – PLA group members

PRIORITIZED STRATEGIES FOR IMPLEMENTATION

Situ was a class 9 student and 16 years

old

A proposal for marriage came for her with no

demand for dowry

Situ continued her schooling and secured

first division and admitted in class 10

Situ’s mother was a regular attendee of PLA

meetings

Her parents were daily

wage labourers

Situ was not interested, but her parents agreed and

finalized the marriage

Situ’s mother discussed with her husband and

they realized the consequences of

adolescent marriage and proposal was cancelled

immediately.

ASHA and group members were discussing about the pithhu game (seven stones) relating to consequences of

early marriage & pregnancy.

Situ’s mother was happy to share this at

the next PLA meeting.

Situ’s mother shared about the proposal in the

meeting. Other members discussed and dissuaded

her. One participant said they would inform the Mahila Thana because Situ was

under-age.

Problem identified

Discussion initiated Action taken

Change Visible