Department of Women and Child Development

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Department of Women and Child Development

• Promoting Gender Equality
• and Empowering Women

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Department of Women Child Development - Women
Specific Mandate

• Welfare of Family
• Women and Child Welfare and co-ordination of
  activities of other Ministries and Organizations
  in connection with this subject
• References from the United Nations Organizations
  relating to traffic in women and children
• Implementation of-
• - The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956
  (as amended upto 1986)
• - The Indecent Representation of women
  (Prevention) Act, 1986
• - The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 (as amended
  upto 1986)
• - The Commission of Sati (Prevention) Act, 1987

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Cont..

• Implementation of Womens Development
  Empowerment Programmes through
• Central Social Welfare Board (CSWB)
• National Institute of Public Cooperation and
  Child Development (NIPCCD)
• National Commission for Women
• Rashtriya Mahila Kosh

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Initiatives of the Department

• Increasing the coverage of programmes for
  affirmative action
• Reviewing the laws to remove gender bias
• Campaigning for equal rights for women to
  property
• Enabling income-generating activities through
  credit facilities
• Providing support services like day-care centres
  with creche facilities, working womens hostels
  etc
• Formulating interventions aimed at holistic
  empowerment of women through two prominent
  interventions viz. Swashakti and Swayamsidha.

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National Policy for Empowerment --March 2001

• Objectives
• To bring about advancement,development and
  empowerment of women
• To eliminate all forms of discrimination against
  women
• To ensure active participation of women in all
  spheres of life
• Themes and Issues covered in Policy
• Judicial legal system,
• Economic empowerment
• Social empowerment including health,education,viol
  ence, science and technology, drinking water and
  sanitation.
• Women and decision making, media and girl child
  etc.

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Five Year Plans

• Commitments in the Ninth Five year Plan
• Empowering women as agents of social change
• Adopting an integrated approach towards
  empowering women through convergence of existence
  services
• Adopting a special strategy of Women Component
  Plan
• Organising women into SHG to mark the beginning
  of a major process of empowering women
• Equipping women with skills in modern upcoming
  trades

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Tenth Five year Plan

• The approach continues with the major Strategy
  of Empowering Women as agents of Social change
  and development. Based on National Policy for
  Empowerment of Women Sector Specific three fold
  Strategy is adopted which includes
• Social Empowerment
• Economic Empowerment
• Gender Justice

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Enactment Implementation of Special laws
concerning women

• The Indecent Representation of Women
  (Prohibition) Act, 1886.
• The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961.
• The Commission of Sati (Prevention) Act, 1987.
• National Commission for Women Act, 1990
• Protection from Domestic Violence Bill, 2002
• Sexual Harassment of women at the workplace and
  other Institutions Implementation of Guidelines
  as per Supreme Courts order.

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Programmes for Equality and Women Empowerment

• Swa Shakti(RWDEP)
• Swayamsiddha
• Support to Training Employment Programme(STEP)
• Swawlamban (NORAD)

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Programmes for Equality and Women Empowerment

• Hostels for Working Women
• Short Stay Homes
• Swadhar- A scheme for women in difficult
  circumstances
• Creche for Children of Working and Ailing Women
• ICDS Adolescent girls schemes Kishori Shakti
  Yojana and IFA supplementation
• Stree Shakti Puraskar

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SWAYAMSIDHA

• Integrated project for development and
  empowerment of women. Immediate objectives are
• Establishment of self-reliant womens Self Help
  Groups (SHGs).
• Creation of confidence and awareness among
  members of SHGs.
• Strengthening and institutionalizing the savings
  habit in rural women and their control over
  economic resources.
• Improving access of women to micro credit.
• Involvement of women in local level planning and
• Convergence of services of DWCD and other
  Departments.

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Success of Swa Shakti Programme ---Approach

• Formation of Self-Reliant women groups (SHGs), No
  subsidy provided.
• Formation of networks of SHGs at Cluster and
  block levels
• Providing needed inputs like savings, access to
  credit, skill development and micro-enterprise
  development to improve their livelihood.
• Addressing problems like alcoholism,atrocities
  social evils , drudgery, health, etc.
• Awareness generation regarding legal rights,laws
  confidence building, functional literacy and
  delivery of services.

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Success of Swa Shakti Programme ---Approach

• Facilitative,Participatory and non directive role
  of project functionaries
• Ownership control by women so that they can
  determine the form, nature, content timing of
  all SHG activities
• Promoting sustainable SHGs and clusters .
• Separate Project implementation unit at
  Central,State and District level.

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Success of Swa Shakti Programme ---Visible
Outcomes

• Increased self confidence, self esteem autonomy
  of women.
• SHGs and Clusters are acting as a platform where
  women could critically analyse their problems,
  identifying ways to overcome them.
• Ability to articulate needs, make demand and
  enforce rights both as an individual as well as
  in groups.Women are also striving collectively
  for social change.
• Increased access to and control over economic
  social resources the political process.

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Success of Swa Shakti Programme ---Visible
Outcomes

• Participation in Planning and decision making
  process at family and community levels
• Increased capacity of partner organisations and
  adoption of improved financial managerial
  practices.
• Improved quality of life
• An international model in social development

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Women able to voice basic needs and access
services and resources
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Women having a say in deciding their daughters
education
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Women are able to visit places outside the
village on their own or in the company of other
women
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Members have access to safe drinking water
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Average Saving per Group
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Average amount inter-loaned per Group
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Groups Channelised Benefits from other Programmes
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Dependence on Money Lenders
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Members Access to Sanitary Toilets
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On-farm and Off-farm IGAs Initiated
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Common Minimum Programme - Initiatives

• To introduce legislation for one-third
  reservations for women in Vidhan Sabhas and in
  the Lok Sabha.
• Legislation on domestic violence and against
  gender discrimination will be enacted.
• Ensure one-third funds of Panchayat for
  programmes for women and children.
• Women and their association to be encouraged to
  assume responsibility for development schemes
  relating to water, sanitation, primary education,
  health and nutrition.
• Enact new legislation that gives women equal
  rights of ownership of assets.
• Major expansion in schemes for micro-finance
  based on self-help groups.

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Thank you