Objectives

• To increase awareness among contestants and community on the key gender discriminatory practices prevalent in the state, i.e., sex selection, child marriage, dowry and violence against women, and enhance their skill to address the issues in their constituencies;
• To make special efforts to encourage contestants to take up these gender issues and form them part of their election mandate; and
• To document, on the basis of reports of CSOs, the process of campaign and vulnerabilities of women while contesting elections. The document will form the basis of policy document to interface with the State Election Commission (SEC).

Geographical Spread

Rajasthan

Key areas/components

Awareness building on gender issues:
· Intensive gender orientation of women elected representatives to help them fully understand relevance and consequences of Sex Selection, Child marriage, Dowry and all forms of Violence against Women. A concrete action plan should follow from these orientations programmes, which can be taken up by these elected representatives. They could be then showcased as role models for the other women of the community.
· Intensive gender orientation of male elected representatives (as well as other men in communities) on these issues so that case studies on male role models can also be developed.
· Intensive gender orientation for government officials on these issues.
(Through use of media, communication, written posters, pamphlets, use of folk media).

Key outputs

Training of volunteers from CSOs
Platform of CSOs was created for running the campaign in the state
Campaign in intensive (1107) as well as extensive (5175) Gram Panchayats in the state of Rajasthan.

Year/Period

2009 – 2010

Client

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), New Delhi