Project ‘Asmita’: A serious endeavour to aware young girls about the threat of sexual exploitation

Indian aspirations to become a global leader entails a strong commitment to equity in gender dimensions. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveyed from the ramparts of the Red Fort – respect for women is an important pillar of India’s growth and he further stressed the need to extend support to Nari Shakti. However, diverse socio-economic situations bring out different challenges for those communities that have traditionally been marginalised and less visible in public life, like women. As India witnesses appreciable economic growth, it is followed by newer challenges for the ‘marginalised- half’ of our demography, i.e. women, who tend to face unique challenges in accommodating themselves in these developments. Often their exploitation goes unheeded or is brushed under the carpet. In line with this scheme of things, Rotary Club Bibwewadi Pune has launched the project ‘Asmita’ with the objective of making teenage girls aware of their health and rights related to sexual harassment and abuse. Following is an exclusive interview with the president of this organisation, Dr Jignesh Pandya. Excerpts: What is your vision of gender security in India? India continues to see increased cases of violence and discrimination against women in all spaces. You will be surprised to know that the cases are prevalent in all sections of society which is directly in contrast to our thinking that such cases are more prevalent in socially and economically backward areas. Right now, India ranks the worst globally in gender inequality, the ‘health and survival’ sub-index, and requires an urgent course of action to reduce the gap. We believe that inequality starts at a young age in the way the family treats the son differently than the daughter, and she is conditioned to be more submissive, obedient, and sacrificial and is taught that one day some prince will come for her. We need to tackle this divide right at the beginning and make young girls more self-dependent, educated, and vocal. Please elaborate upon your project ‘Asmita’, and please share with us the impediments you faced along the way. Asmita means pride, and the project works to make girls aged 10-21 years aware of their health and other rights, particularly those related to sexual harassment and abuse. The girls are shown four videos: one on sexual and social media abuse and their legal rights, the second one on self-defence, the third one on nutrition, and the fourth one on gynaecological misconceptions. The information is also provided to the girls in printed booklets in three languages — Marathi, Gujarati, and Hindi — containing crisp text messages and eye-catching graphics that make comprehension easy. Special attention is given to terminology and language in the educational material so that there is no discomfort in using it even in orthodox environments. We came across some brutal stories of young girls being harassed by their close relatives, such as their mamas and chachas, or in some cases, their own fathers. It was difficult to give them the courage to open up about their stories. After learning about their rights and watching other girls speak up, many more were determined to fight for justice. Many of the mothers, who we thought would support us, came across in a negative light; they hushed the girls and tried to stop them from complaining. One mother even filed a case against the school, stating that the school had interfered in their family affairs. As several victims were minor, how tough was it for you people to communicate with them, and bring them justice? Please share a few instances where you faced such challenges. The biggest challenge was when these minor girls didn’t know how to protect themselves and ended up feeling guilty for what happened to them. From childhood, they are taught that in case of some problem they should go to their elders, but what if their elders are their abusers? They had no idea that they could file their Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) complaints with the help of the school. After Asmita, more and more girls spoke up about their cases, and with due course of action, 16-17 men were proven guilty and put behind bars. These girls come from a poorer economic background and can’t properly understand social media, but they have a presence on various social media accounts. At such a young age, they are experiencing social media abuse, with boys threatening to morph their pictures and share them online. Being afraid, the natural course of action is to delete their accounts, but they are taught not to do that as it removes traces that help to punish the offenders. Girls are taught to be confident so they can put the violators behind bars. What are your upcoming projects, and what relevancy will they hold to ensure better gender empowerment in India? This project has impacted 80,000 girls across 500 government schools and is working to impact another 36,000 girls across 220 locations in multiple districts in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, Karnataka, and Jharkhand in the upcoming year. More and more people are urged to come and support the initiative to empower and educate young girls to make our country a better and safer place. How far do you find women vulnerable in the diverse socio-economic conditions of India? Women no matter they come from which background, are vulnerable to such issues. We generally think that such cases exist in economically backward societies but that is not true. We think that the society we live in is safe and our daughters are safe but the truth is far away from it. Today no matter what the daughters are from which background, they face sexual abuse and that is mostly from their near and dear ones in their homes. The worst part is that when they complain about this, they are shouted at and asked to keep their mouth shut as such a thing will dent the image of the family in their so-called society. Sometimes, even mothers are not supported as they believe that a girl has to face such situations without complaining to anybody. [caption id=“attachment_11815941” align=“alignnone” width=“385”] Project ‘Asmita’ seeks to empower young girls to standup against sexual abuse. Image courtesy: RC Bibwewadi Pune[/caption] What challenges does Indian society collectively face to create a more women-inclusive environment? And, how much different is our case when compared to the rest of the world? I think the problem starts right from their childhood when they are again and again told that one day they have to go to their husband’s houses and their parent’s home is not their actual home. The problem starts when everything is bought in pink colour for the girls and in blue for the boys. The problem starts when girls are given dolls to play with and are asked to learn all the household chores. the problem arises when the given education finds a nice match for them in the future. And this is where we differ from the rest of the world. Our focus should be on the education of the daughters and teaching them to be financially independent. Moreover, like in other countries, boys should be taught household work from their childhood. How this project has been to you and your fellow members on a personal note? Asmita project is an eye-opener for all of us. When we started the project, we never imagined the impact this project would create on innumerable lives. The feedback we got from schools and other social organizations was overwhelming. We are happy that we all dare to take a step on such a taboo topic. Read all the Latest News , Trending News ,  Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.