|
|
More Information About this Project
Project Needs and Beneficiaries
Low caste women in Marathwada, rural India, have low education levels-illiteracy high as 76%- & little control over property & animal wealth. Forced into low-paying jobs they face sexual harassment from high-caste men as well as domestic violence.67% of women have a child marriage and the gender ratio of 927:1000 reveals female infanticide.The project will benefit 5000 women in Self-Help Groups across 100 villages and indirectly benefit 21,000 people across the area.
Activities
A ‘Flying Squad’ speedily tackles incidents of violence; 30 women ‘animators’ influence village decision-making; leadership cadre of 230 women are contact points for village women; 200 self-help groups build economic stability and confidence.
Funding Information
Total Funding Received to Date: $5,270
Remaining Goal to be Funded: $52,958
Total Funding Goal: $58,228
Additional Documentation
This project has provided additional documentation in a Microsoft Word file (projdoc.doc).
Resources
Why this Project is Important
Potential Long Term Impact
‘Untouchable’ women help themselves out of caste-based poverty and voicelessness thru gaining economic independence and taking their place in decision-making in their village and homes, and thru tackling caste-based sexual and economic exploitation.
Project Message
"The only parallel to the practice of untouchability was apartheid. Untouchability is not just social discrimination it is a blot on humanity"
- Dr Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India
When this Project was Updated
Last Updated
This project was last updated on April 09, 2008.
Date Added to GlobalGiving
This project was added to the GlobalGiving project catalog on August 08, 2007.
Latest Update from the Field
Some recent news from the project…
By Dryan Kitchener - 'Untouchable' Village Women Combat Exploitation, April 09, 2008 06:05 PM
The project has recently been involved with several incidents of violence and abuse against 'low caste' Dalit people:
• Meera, a 14 year old Dalit girl from Kitti Adgaon, died in an accident in Kunal Ginning near her village. Her clothes got caught in the electric motor, forcing her head to bang with such force against the metal that she died before reaching medical aid. The project brought pressure on the police to arrest the mill owner, firstly for employing a child labourer in his mill, and secondly for negligence in the premises, causing such a fatal accident. Meera’s parents, supported by project staff, refused to accept Meera’s body until the mill owner was punished and due compensation was assured. The project also demanded that strict actions be taken to prevent child labour from being employed in this manner.
• Riots broke out in Chausala as the upper castes attacked Dalit families who had claimed the grazing lands and started farming on these lands. Many upper caste youths attacked the homes of these families, destroying the household belongings, damaging their homes and physically assaulting many people, including women. Terror reigned in the community for some time, until project workers reached the settlement and brought the police to take action. Without such intervention the regular course of action is for the police to be on the side of upper caste families and refuse to register cases or investigate atrocities. Cases were registered on the concerned persons under the Atrocity Act – which the police are also generally reluctant to use, preferring the more lenient non-caste based legislation.
• Poonam Ghatge was burnt alive by a youth who was affronted at Poonam’s refusal to marry him. The youth absconded. The project had to intervene to get the youth arrested and the case filed.
A brief update on the project more generally:
In the last year, the project has identified 2 women leaders from each of its 100 villages and 3 senior women leaders from the 10 ‘blocks’ (areas). These leaders have been trained in gender issues, the status of women in society, relevant government legislation and schemes for women, discrimination issues and violence against women. In particular trainings on the Atrocities Act, the formation and running of savings and self-help groups, and ‘how to help a woman in distress’ have been carried out. In addition over 200 savings groups have been registered. #
Through public programmes, such as the conference on the October 6 Dhamma Chakra Parivartan Day, various key policy demands that are of benefit to women are brought further into the public arena and to the attention of policy makers, as well as galvanizing more public support behind them These include matters such as entering women’s names in all property and the mother’s name in the name of every child, and also the formation of a ‘Women’s Vigilance Committee’ in every ‘block’, and the implementation of the 2005 Bill to prevent Domestic Violence against women.
Read 2 more "Updates from the Field" |
Comment on this update
 Subscribe to "Updates from the Field" by E-Mail
How Else You Can Help
Spread the Word on your Profile, Blog, or Website
Put a widget for this project on your profile, blog or website to turn your friends into givers. Using our Widgetbox widget, it's quick and easy to add this widget to your profile or blog! We have two different styles to pick from, so grab the widget that you like the most!
'Untouchable' Village Women Combat Exploitation
9.1% funded ($5,270)
|
 Add to Profile, Blog, or Website using Widgetbox
Add to Profile, Blog, or Website using Widgetbox
Share and Save
 Tag on del.icio.us
 Add to Facebook
 Digg It!
 Add to Google Bookmarks
 Add to Yahoo! Bookmarks
 Reddit
|
|
giving cart
create an account
login
my profile
logout
New Projects
read updates from the field
Printer Friendly
Add to Favorite Projects
Add to Registry
Spread the Word
India
Women and Girls