Action for Gender Equality Programme

In India, there are approximately 230 million boys under the age of 18. We estimate that as adults: 1. 57% justify violence against women 2. 50% will or are likely to use physical violence 3. Such gender based violence also sits at the root of key social issues including education, sanitation, sexual and reproductive health, child marriage and trafficking. Many more men and boys will perpetrate more subtle forms of violence, including financial, emotional and verbal violence. Discrimination and violence against women and girls is universally accepted as a pressing global issue. Achieving gender equality and preventing violence are common goals in this respect; and the empowerment of women and adolescent girls are common approaches to achieving these goals. And yet this narrative excludes one key demographic and their role in the problem. That is the attitudes and behaviours of men and boys that discriminate against women and girls. This gap prevents key stakeholders who are committed to solving the problem from tackling this root cause of violence and discrimination against women, and therefore current efforts are not sustainable nor complete.

We propose raising boys to be gender equitable as one the solutions towards preventing gender-based violence and discrimination.

SSKK is works to develop a scalable model for engaging boys to prevent violence and discrimination against women and girls. Our primarily focuses on boys in the age group of 13-17 years. It provides boys with knowledge, skills, leadership, peer support to challenge existing gender norms. The programme operates to ensure that just like boys and men, women and girls are free from gender based violence and feel safe from the threat of such violence. The program is facilitated by mentors who are trained to create safe and positive training spaces in which adolescent boys feel supported to learn about and debate issues in their community. Mentors deliver unique training where adolescent boys uncover how gender norms influence and shape specific role division and power relations in their lives. Boys concurrently go through a participatory process to reflect on their own attitudes and behaviour and to become agents of change in their environment. Program ensures boys don’t simply study equality, but that they experience it. One of the key aspects of the programme is at the end of each cycle, boys take collective actions to support women and girls in their community. programme has three parts - Foundation, Action, Leadership 

To develop community leaders who are able to raise awareness in the community of the gender norms linked to violence against women and girls.

To develop community leaders who are able to influence others to identify gender norms linked to violence against women and girls

To develop as community facilitators who are able to mobilise others to challenge gender norms linked to violence against women and girls