By Matters India Reporter
Kuttikanam, October 16, 2019: A Catholic college in Kerala has selected 10 girls and 10 boys as Gender Champions as recommended by two federal ministries to check various forms of marginalization, exclusion and abuse of women in society.
“Gender Champions are the need of the hour,” asserted Kochurani Abraham, a noted feminist theologian who inaugurated the novel program in Marian College in Kuttikanam managed by the diocese of Kanjirapally.
According to her, educational institutions “are powerful platforms for forming a new generation of youth with a liberated and egalitarian mindset on gender concerns that they can be catalysts for change in society.”
The federal Ministry of Women and Child Development in 2015 encouraged schools and colleges across the country to appoint Gender Champions as a way to change people’s mindset on the gender question.
The federal Ministry of Human Resources Development that overseas education in the country also supported the move.
The federal government was concerned about the persistence of gender inequalities in the sociocultural setting of India.
Despite many efforts over the last several decades by the state and non-governmental organizations to counter gender based discrimination and exploitation, girls and women continue to experience marginalization, exclusion and abuse in its diverse expressions, the women ministry noted.
The unbridled gender and sexual violence against women, sexual minorities and gender non-conforming persons have made Indians realize the need for new approaches to counter the menace afflicting society and institutions in the country.
The women ministry also realized that the gender equality guaranteed by the Article 15 of the Indian Constitution can happen only with changes in the mode of interaction at home, school, workplace and other places.
Abraham on October 10 commissioned 20 Gender Champions at a function in the college. She commended the stand taken by Marian College for initiating the program and expressed the hope more colleges in the state would follow its example.
Father Roy Abraham, the college principal, said awareness leading to attitudinal change and then to action is the path for building a gender just society.
The Ministry of Women and Child Development envisages Gender Champions as responsible leaders who will facilitate an enabling environment within their educational institutions where girls are treated with dignity and respect.
According to the guidelines from the ministry, Gender Champions can be both boys and girls above 16 years of age enrolled in educational institutions. They will strengthen the potential of young girls and boys to advocate for gender equality and monitor progress towards gender justice.
The broad mandate of Gender Champions is to provide an integrated and interdisciplinary approach to understanding the social and cultural constructs of gender that shape the experiences of women and men in society. The aim is to make young boys and girls gender sensitive and create positive social norms that value the girls and their rights.
The ministry also envisages Gender Champion Clubs in educational institutions, which can organize focused group discussions, debates, poster competitions, thematic plays, workshops and other programs.
The clubs can organize school’s annual function or college fest on the theme of gender equality and women’s empowerment and encourage students to support gender justice and equality. They can also organize exposure visits to various public service institutions such as public health centers, hospitals, post offices, banks, police stations, block office, magistrates’ offices to facilitate knowledge about gender issues as they affect diverse populations.
The Gender Champions are selected by a screening committee formed by the head of Institution. They will be provided a formal training program to equip and empower them. At the end of each quarter, Gender Champions shall submit a report to the nodal teachers, on the implementation of activities related to gender equity.