WeCan Campaign

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State Change Makers Assembly

Action India is the Delhi Secretariat of the WE CAN campaign to “end all violence against women”. The We Can End All Violence Against Women campaign is a six- year, South Asia regional campaign that aims to reduce social acceptance of violence against women in six countries

India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Action India is the Campaign Secretariat in Delhi and works to fulfill the following objectives:

• Reduce social acceptance of violence against women.
• Build a network of Alliance members and Change Makers.
• Mass mobilization of Alliance members and Change Makers
• Training of Alliance members and Change Makers
• Targeting youth to become Change Makers

The We Can campaign is out to change “the culture of silence, tolerance, acceptance and violence” which works to normalize violence. To this day, many strongly believe male ‘entitlement’ and ‘control’ over women to be ‘appropriate’ behaviour. The campaign works to change this attitude by providing a public domain to talk about these issues and dispel the myth that it is ‘acceptable’.

CHANGE MAKERS

Change Makers are individuals who work to bring change through their work. They are a network of students, teachers, social workers, doctors, health workers, lawyers, homemakers, etc who work to change their attitudes and practices regarding women and influence ten others to do the same. They facilitate and encourage discussion on various forms of gender discrimination, are role models for alternate behaviours and work to create a positive environment for women. Together they challenge existing gender-biased attitudes, stereotypes and practices in their communities. They take a public stand on violence against women and support women who experience violence. The We Can campaign supports Change Makers by providing interactive training, campaign communication material, and information on locally available support systems for women and support for campaign events.

ACTION INDIA and CHANGEMAKERS

The Campaign is working to reach 50 million people in South Asia through 5 million Change Makers. The Delhi alliance coordinated by Action India has more than 20,000 Change Makers at the end of its first year. It is formed by ten core alliance members—Aadhar, Navsrishti, Sabla Sangh, Vikasini, Sunirman, D.B.S, ACT, SAND, CISRS and GMSS. Their current target is to involve 30,000 more Change Makers at the end of the second year.

Both the We Can campaign and Action India believe in a pro-active approach to the issue. Hence they coordinate public mobilization programmes and public education events on a regular basis. These events are often conducted in institutions such as universities, civil society groups, corporate bodies and private enterprises. Events are often organized at the National and Zonal level for Change Makers to meet, interact and share ideas. It also aims to build awareness amongst the Change Makers regarding women’s right to education, choice of life partner, sex and violence free homes. Youth of both sexes get together to exchange gender roles at these events with the aim to blur the lines between definite gender roles. They aim towards a society without gender biases or discrimination.

It works primarily in eradicating domestic violence which is prevalent in every second home. They insist that violence against women should be everyone’s business and a public concern as it affects member of the community adversely particularly children. It aims to get people to see it as a grave problem in need of redress and seeks to make the home a safe sanctuary for women.

Since We Can works largely with youth, its prime focus apart from domestic violence is eve teasing. Every day, millions of adolescent girls are traumatized by the violence aimed at them on the streets, in public transport and in campuses. When the boys deem it nothing but “having a little bit of fun”, they don’t realize that the fun they’re having is at the girls’ expense and leads to a lot of mental and in some cases, physical distress. To end harassment amongst the youth, it’s necessary to present to the boys the other side of the picture. WE CAN provides a platform for youth of both sexes to discuss these with their peers.

EVENTS

Delhi State Change Makers Assembly conducted on 12 Jan, 2007 in Bal Bhawan saw more than 1020 registered delegates who came together on a common platform to meet, bond and network. The Chief Guest was Ms. Kamla Bhasin, a women’s rights activist. The Assembly was also a hub of innovative activities that aimed at increasing awareness among the Change Makers: fashion show on the female life cycle, puppet show on domestic violence, puzzles, banner- making etc. A database of Change Makers’ profiles was also created.

Become a Change Maker today!

Visit the official WE CAN website http://www.wecanendvaw.org

If you live in Delhi, you can download the Change Maker application form here.