Strengthening participatory processes to develop child and woman friendly communities

Taking the journey with Child In Need Institute (CINI) Ms. Moumita Saha

18th Jan2008

Development In India : the commitments

Committed to fulfil the Millennium Development Goals by 2015
eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, promoting gender equity, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating HIV & AIDS and other diseases, ensuring environmental sustainability and developing a global partnership for development.

Signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The Constitution has paved the way for decentralized planning, providing power and finances to local self-government representatives Womens participation in political processes promoted with the reservation of 33 % of seats in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI). 11th 5-year plan recognizes that children and their development are central Integrated Child Protection Scheme introduced in April 2007 to address the issue of child protection and build a protective environment for children through government-civil society partnership.

But what is the real picture like

Every third malnourished child lives in India Three out of four children in India are anaemic Decline in female/male ratio is maximum in 0-6 years: 927 females per 1000 males Retention rate at Primary level education is 71% Girls enrolment in schools at primary level is 47.9% 11 million child labourers exist in India (SRO 2000) Immunization coverage is very low (particularly for polio measles and DPT at 58.2%, and 55.3% respectively) NFHS III

1 Elementary Education in India Progress towards UEE NUEPA Flash Statistics DISE 2005-6

But what is the real picture like

A national study by the Ministry of Women and Child Department

reveals
Two out of every three children were physically abused Out of 69% children abused, 54.68% were boys 88.6% were abused by parents 65% school going children experienced corporal punishment 53.22% children reported having faced one or more forms of sexual abuse Children on the streets, children involved in work and those in institutional care reported the highest incidence of sexual assault

But what is the real picture like

According to the National Crime Records Bureau,

1 crime is committed against women every 3 minutes 1 molestation case every 15 minutes 1 rape every 29 minutes 1 dowry death every 77 minutes 1 cruelty by husband or relatives every 9 minutes

Child In Need Institute (CINI)

A 34 year old national NGO with international presence Working towards Sustainable development in health, nutrition Education for child, adolescent and woman in need Reaching out to 1,500,000 population across West Bengal, Jharkhand, Chattisgarh and Andaman & Nicobar Islands Has been working in Life Cycle Approach (LCA) ensuring focussed care and attention on children, adolescents and women Has taken the step towards strengthening Community Partnerships for developing and sustaining Child and Woman Friendly Communities

What is a Child and Woman Friendly Community?

A Child and Woman Friendly Community promotes good local Community governance in favour of childrens and womens rights

Local systems of government have the statutory powers and duties to hold stakeholders responsible for implementing human rights and meeting basic needs

A Child and Woman Friendly Community is actively engaged in fulfilling the right of every child and woman

y Influence decisions about their locality y Express their opinion on the locality they want y Participate in family, community and social life y Receive basic services such as health care and education y Drink safe water and have access to proper sanitation y Be protected from exploitation, violence and abuse y Walk safely in the streets on their own y Meet friends and play y Have green spaces for plants and animals y Live in an unpolluted environment y Participate in cultural and social events y Be an equal citizen of their locality with access to every service, regardless of ethnic origin, religion, income, gender or disability.

EHPN COMPONENTS

EDUCATION
Elementary Education enrolment and retention The pre-primary stage where the focus on early childhood stimulation Life Skill Education incorporating the health agenda Vocational training for young people Functional literacy for SHG women through linkage with resources available.

PROTECTION
Reduction of child labour Reduction of trafficking (children, adolescents, women) Elimination of underage marriages of women. Overarching - reduction in physical, sexual and mental abuse (at all the levels). This includes the issue of domestic violence and incest

EHPN COMPONENTS(contd) HEALTH

Prevention of early marriage and delay of first pregnancy Reproductive and child care Adolescent health HIV & AIDS - preventive and promotive aspects to also include care and support for people infected and affected by HIV and AIDS. Epidemics & Endemic problems - Malaria

NUTRITION
Exclusive breastfeeding for the initial six months, Complementary feeding, Balanced nutritional diet for children and adolescents Focus on iron rich food and increased food intake during pregnancy and post natal period. Dietary requirements for HIV & AIDS infected and affected people.

KEY ACTORS IN THE APPROACH

3 PILLARS
Local self government

community

service providers

PARTICIPATION & CAPACITY BUILDING AT ALL LEVELS. SELF HELP GROUPS as an OPERATIONAL PLATFORM.

GUIDING PRINCIPLES OF CWFC

Rights based and Gender sensitive perspective Community ownership & Collective action Sustainability A balance between
Facilitation & Service Provision Short Term and Long term Quantity and Quality ( Scaling up vs Consolidation)

Subsidiarity Cost Benefit approach

Key strategies
CINI will facilitate but will not be the driving force SHGs as vehicles of change LCA approach Behaviour Change Communication Capacity Building Linkages and Convergence

7 building blocks in the process in THE FORMATION OF A CHILD AND WOMEN FRIENDLY COMMUNITY

1. Sensitize

the stakeholders

2. Collectivisation / Institutionalisation 3. Collective Analysis / Partnership 4. Prioritization 5. Planning

6. Implementation 7. Monitoring

The beginning...
2 pilot projects have been initiated, one in rural and one in urban area. Efforts are being made to identify key players from communities, local self government and the service providers to lead the process and mobilise community support The processes will be captured thoroughly to test the effectiveness of the comprehensive approach The consolidated learning will be shared to advocate for the adoption of this approach in other programmes Initiatives are being taken to mobilise support to fund such pilots