Campaign held to establish gender equality at Assam Administrative Staff College in Khanapara

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The Department of Women & Child Development, Government of Assam, in collaboration with Assam State Rural Livelihoods Mission, held the State-level Consultation-cum-Culmination of 16 days campaign on ending gender-based violence against women and girls at the Assam Administrative Staff College in Khanapara on Wednesday.

The Deen Dayal Antyodaya Yojana -National Rural Livelihoods Mission(DAY-NRLM) launched 'Nayi Chetna', a month-long gender campaign envisioned as Jan Andolan which will continue till December 23. The mission was flagged off on November 25 at Ambedkar Bhawan, New Delhi by Union Minister of Rural Development, Giriraj Singh.

This campaign or the people's movement is aimed at establishing gender equality with special emphasis on the rural areas, to raise awareness about the institutional mechanisms available for women to withstand gender-based violence. Without equality, a life of dignity for women cannot be possible. Under this movement, elaborate plans are there for the next five years which seek to work on establishing gender equality.

The campaign wants to address gender-based issues and seek everyone's support and cooperation in bringing an end to these issues, besides helping the victims of gender-based violence.

In the meeting, Mukesh Sahu, Principal Secretary, Department of Women & Child Development, released a mascot and a theme song based on 'Nayi Chetna'.

Food, nutrition, health and WASH are the key components of gender. In this regard, Assam State Rural Livelihoods Mission has prepared a module with technical support of UNICEF. In the meeting, the Head of the UNICEF, Assam, Madhulika Jonathan inaugurated the module and discussed the role of the module on women members of the SHGs.

An audio-visual documentation of a street play named Mukakhoniakakhdiato show the different institutional mechanism of ASRLM regarding mainstreaming gender among SHGs was also released. Apart from that, different technical sessions on economic empowerment of women, entrepreneurship etc. were conducted. The emphasis was on the engagement of men and boys to change attitudes, beliefs and rules.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between ASRLM and WCD Department for a period of three years to work in the direction of gender equality.

In addition, Krishna Baruah, Mission Director, ASRLM, emphasized the need of working on gender mainstreaming activities of ASRLM and vowed to work together with WCD in the near future for making a better society for women and children.

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