A communications initiative for a balanced, planned and stable population

Objectives

• To create awareness about population issues

• To help the government achieve the goals stated in the National Population Policy by promoting public-private partnerships in programme implementation and monitoring

Strategy

Issue Based Campaigns

• Laadli

•Youth for Population

National Advocacy Field Based

Initiatives

AMCHI (Thane)Action for

Mobilization of

Community

Health

Initiatives

National Advocacy

• Queue - Aap qatar mein hain ran on Star network for 2 months and was screened 370 times. It was also shown on NDTV

• Population: Questions that need to be more frequently asked an advocacy document to raise awareness about population issues – Around 5,000 copies distributed. Up on the web-site of Population Stabilization Fund (JSSK)

• E-newsletter: Issue and event-based newsletter sent to around 3,000 people every month

National Advocacy

• Advocacy with political parties Manifesto on health and population issues – mailed to all the major political party representatives in the country during 2004 elections

• A draft frame work on CSR initiatives under NRHM developed and submitted to the task force on public-private partnerships

National Advocacy

• Gender Budgeting: Gender analysis of budget and promotion of gender budgeting at all levels of government

• Media Resource Centre: Propose to establish a media advocacy and resource centre on

health and population. Proposal is ready and is being marketed.

Grassroot Level InterventionAMCHI - Project Thane

(Initially Supported by IPD Project

Currently supported by HDFC and Mahindra and Mahindra)

Action For Mobilization of community health initiatives (AMCHI)

Objectives:

• To promote quality health care through enhanced interpersonal communication skills of the service providers

• To create demand for quality health services through community mobilization initiatives

• To create network of NGOs, CBOs and the media to address the social development issues that have a direct bearing on the health status of people

Women playing snakes and ladders with health messages at the Melava

Strategy

• Strengthening IEC Inputs

• Community mobilisation

through Micro-planning

processes

• NGO, Government and Media networking and partnership building

• Service support

Nutrition Stall by AWW at the Health Melava, Shahapur

Strengthening the IEC Inputs

Strengthening the IEC Inputs involves: – material development,– issue based campaigns – Inter-personal Communication (IPC)

Skill Training for service providers– RCH and communication training programmes for

various grass root level workers, panchayat members and community leaders

Strengthening IEC Support

Motivational Workshops titled “Parivartan ki Aur” using Experiential theatre techniques conducted

The objective was to focus on redefining one’s role and improving interpersonal communication skills

100 health worker from 4 PHCs trained in a five-day residential workshop

The workshops were conducted with active support from the District authorities

Health personnel enacting role plays at the motivational workshops

Health Melavas

Organized with the objective of demonstrating how effective communication can be achieved by creatively using the folk media, games and other local formats like fairs and festivals. Around 3000 people attended the melas organized in the two PHCs. Pictures show women waiting at the mela, performance by folk artists and a queue at the condom demonstration stall

Community mobilisation through Micro-planning

• Create mass awareness

• Promote local initiatives to address health issues, particularly preventive and promotive health care practices related to women, children and adolescents.

• Foster Community ownership and participation in

health programmes

• Involve grass root development workers in the planning process

Process

•Organize Gram Sabhas•Village and resource mapping exercises•Micro-planning exercises to develop village action plans•Identification of core group to monitor the programmes•Local leadership development•Support to development initiatives

What we have done so far …

No. of villages covered: 35

Baseline study: 2,134 households covered

KAP Survey: 342 adolescents

No. of ARSH sessions: 80 with 15 participants in each group

Training programmes conducted for the youth: TOT in village micro planningCommunication skills

Malnutrition cases detected: 27 children in 2 sub-centre areas.

Only 4 children are malnourished currently

VKC Established in Dolkhamb PHC

Other activities…

• Community Assessment survey was conducted to assess the knowledge, attitude and practices of the people regarding RCH Services

• A Training Needs Assessment was carried out to develop a training plan at the district level. Submitted to CEO and under consideration for support

• A research study on Vasectomies was commissioned and report is completed

• A report on Gender Stereotypes Among Youth is under preparation

Support to Service Delivery

• Created demand for quality and timely health services to populations in remote areas and to the disadvantaged segments by creating awareness about the government schemes and programmes

• Initiated collaborative action with MAVIM in strengthening SHGs of women

• Established a Knowledge Centre in the PHC in association with NASSCOM to provide counselling and health education services to the villagers

Issue-Based Campaigns

What is different about Laadli?

• Laadli is a model communication campaign

• It addresses the core social values that promote male preference and justify sex selection

• It builds public opinion and promotes community participation to stop the practice of sex selection in Mumbai

Our objective is to change the social perceptions and values to create a

positive image of the girl child

How do we change such deep-rooted values?

• Break the silence around the issue and impress upon people that times have changed

• Stop sympathizing with the perpetrators and justifying the crime

• Provide community support to vulnerable couples

• Be vigilant towards misuse of technology

• Value and celebrate her life in the family and community

Laadli Launch - June 9, 2005

Mandira Bedi leading the pledge at the Tata Theatre on the occasion of Laadli Launch

Our Target Audience

YouthFuture parents and change agents

Community Members, CBOs and NGOsVigilantes, opinion makers and exert social pressure on the wrong doers

Medical Fraternity

Perpetrators

And Monitors of the malpractices

Media

Opinion makers/ Creators of gender images

Youth Interventions

Youth Initiatives

• Work through existing youth networks

• National Service Scheme Network for college students in 80 colleges

• Nursing and medical colleges in the city

• Journalism and design departments

• Done for the first time inMumbai on such a large scale

• 1,700 students participatingfrom 24 colleges all overMumbai

• Students came together atbusy locations and performedsmall acts to grab attentionand distributed material totheir audience

Laadli Flash September 24, 2005

Students of Ruparel College perform Laadli Flash at Phoenix Mills

Interaction with Youth

• Around 100 meetings in colleges covering 20,000 students to draw their attention to the issue of sex selection

• Film screenings followed by panel discussions in colleges

• Skill development and social communication training programmes on gender and sex selection for youth

• Developed a module titled “Self - empowerment to social transformation” to help students address the gender issues in their personal life

• Leadership development programmes/ discussion forums in colleges under Maadhyam Project supported by HSBC

• Motivate students to take up research studies, assignments etc. under the existing curricular activities in the journalism, mass media, statistics, sociology and other departments

Clay painting on the theme of ‘sex selection’ by a student at Ananya – festival of Sophia College

PF Team also conducted a two-day session on RCH at Pingori village as part of extension activities of the National College

Community members viewing a photo exhibition on Gender based violence – 5 December 2005

Student volunteer supports Laadli at the Mumbai Marathon

Laadli Marathon

UNFPA supported Youth Initiatives Curricular/co-curricular activities:

• Creating awareness through workshops/ seminars: Create a better understanding of gender issues

among the teachers and students by organizing seminars/theatre workshops/film shows etc.

• Youth fests: Organize special youth fests as well as incorporate the theme in regular college fests

• Developed a resource CD on gender issues: UNFPA SupportedBased on the Foundation course syllabus the CD is designed to help the teachers tackle gender and social development issues in an interactive and interesting manner

Laadli Youth Fest Awards 2005

Our special Guests Ms. Tanuja and Ms. Shobha De lighting the lamp with the student organisers at the Laadli Awards Function - 12 Dec 2005.

Posters developed by the

students on sex selection

Laadli Community Initiatives

• To mainstream the issue of pre-natal sex selection in the ongoing social development initiatives through networking

• To mobilize participation of all the opinion leaders, stake holders, authorities and the community at large to act as vigilantes on the erring clinics and families

• To provide community support mechanisms to encourage people to take a stand against the practice

• To promote the issue of girl child through the existing social and cultural communication opportunities like Ganeshotsavs, fairs and festivals

Community Initiatives: Objectives

Community level strategies involve …

• Events for creating awareness about PCPNDT act

• Building capacities to promote greater vigilance against erring clinics

• Developing community based counseling services for young couples

• Evolving community support mechanisms for promoting families with girl children

Laadli GaneshotsavModel/Actress Aditi Gowitrikar during the Laadli

Ganeshotav

Community Initiatives: Laadli Ganeshotsav

Mr. and Mrs Mahindra with Ms.Suneeta Rao, Mr.Sista and DrSharada at the function to felicitate women achievers during the ganeshotsav at Ranibagh Pandal

Community Initiatives: Laadli Ganeshotsav

• Theatre and puppet making workshops were held for the youth from the colleges and the community

• Street plays and puppet shows were performed at 30 pandals in the last three years reaching out to close to a large number of people

• Around a lac pocket calendars, 50 thousand information cum aarti booklets and 50 thousand pamphlets on the issue were distributed during the festivals in the last 4 years.

Community Initiatives: Laadli Ganeshotsav

K.J. Somaiya College students perform a street play at the Laadli Ganeshotav

Elphinestone College students perform a puppet show during the Laadli Ganeshotsav

Street Play on girl child with the backdrop of Laadli posters at the Chaitya Bhoomi rally at Shivaji Park

NGO/CBO Networking

• Networking with around 60 leading NGOs in the social development sector

• Sensitisation workshops held for NGO Partners - 30 workshops were organised for NGO Partners

• Organised activities in collaboration with the VAG Network on Gender Violence and Sex Selection

Community members viewing the photo exhibition on Women at the VAG Network Meet

• On a Pilot basis formed Laadli NGO alliance (constituting of 12 NGOs) to work as vigilantes against erring clinics in M Ward of Mumbai City

• Conducted a survey of all clinics in M ward and found that all except one were flouting the rules

• Media and Alliance worked together to put pressure on the government to seal 69 clinics and issue show-cause notices to around 90 clinics.

• Constituted a high profile coordination committee for the ward level initiatives which has as its members leaders of some of the biggest civil society and NGO networks – Mr.Nana Chudasama, Mr.Gerson De Cunha, Ms. Sudha Bhave, Mr.Vinay SOmani, Mr.Sabu George, Ms.Varsha Deshpande, and others

Ward level committees for Monitoring

Media Interventions

UNFPA Laadli Media Interventions

Media Awards

Gender Workshops for working journalists

Gender sensitization workshops for Media students

Why Media?

• Sex selection is as much an issue of Mind sets as it is of poor implementation of the law and the lack of medical ethics

• Sex selection is a reflection of the deep rooted gender stereo types and biases

• The stereo-types and biases are reinforced by various institutions - the most important being the media

• Media has the potential to be the means of maintaining the status quo as well as of bringing in change

Laadli Media Intervention• Open-up channels of communication with

the media to explore the inherent biases in the media

• Identify ways and means of involving the media in the girl child campaign

• Acknowledge and felicitate the positive efforts in the media

Power Media Workshops

Organized a 3-day Power Media workshop on gender for working journalists in June 2007 – supported by Maharashtra Govt. UNFPA and HDFC

Power Media Workshop

Dr. Vibhuti Patel speaking on Gender and Budgeting

Ms.Farida Lambay making a point on Gender and schooling

Power Media Workshop

Panel Discussion on the Implementation of PCPNDT Act at the workshop

Panelists: Dr, Duru Shah, Mr. Vijay Hiremath (HRLN) Dr Sharada (Population First) and Ms.Varsha Deshpande (DMVM)

Power Media Workshop

Participants at the workshop

Media Awards

Population First launched Media Awards in March 2007

Laadli Media Awards – March 2007

Mr.Mahindra, Ms Dolly Thakore, Ms.Suneeta Rao, Ms.Lara Dutta and Ms Kirron Kher at the launch of the Laadli Media Awards

Mr.Shyamlal Yadav of India Today receiving the award for Gender Sensitivity in Reporting (Hindi) from Ms.Satya Saran

Laadli Media Awards

Ms.Kalpana Sharma of Hindu receiving the Award for Gender Sensitive Reporting (English) from Mr.Keshub Mahindra

Ms Elahe Hiptoola, Producer of the Hindi film “DOR” receiving the award from Mr. Ahmed

Khan

UNFPA- Laadli Media Awards

• Up scaled to National Level as UNFPA Laadli Media Awards

• Four regional Awards (Chennai, Kolkata, Chandigarh and Mumbai) and one National Awards (Delhi) were instituted

• The Awards heightened media visibility on gender and sex selection issues

• Through the media partnerships forged advertisements promoting the awards have appeared in 15 publications.

• Through Regional Jury Panels, we have been able to reach out to the crème-de-la-crème of the media industry.

• Worked with 87 jury members - all leading lights from the media, theatre, films, arts, journalism and advertising fields representing all four regions

UNFPA- Laadli Media Awards

• Received 300 entries

• Gave 81 regional and 13 national awards were announced

• Awards Promoted through Radio and internet through Big FM and Exchange4Media

• Several leading artistes and cultural figures from the four regions have pledged to address the issue through their work in support of Laadli

• NDTV carried a promo on the girl child following the presentation of Laadli awards to their reporters, Braj Mohan and Avinash; The award winning entries were also re-telecast while announcing the award

• an eight-minute capsule on sex selection was carried by Lok Sabha TV through the efforts of one of the awardees, Natasha Jha.

Glimpses of Media Awards

Mrs.Sheila Dikshit with the National Award Winners

Gen.Rodrigues, Governor Of Chaandigarh with Mr.SV Sista at the Northern Region Awards function

Minister, Social Welfare,TN Mrs.Pungodai at the Southern Region Awards

Justice Manjula Bose, Mrs Alok Mitra at the Eastern Region Awards Function

Mrs Ena Singh at the Southern Region Awards

Glimpses of Media Awards

Kalakshetra Performance in Chennai

Khushboo in Chennai

Dolly Thakur and Raji Srivastava at Chandigarh Usha Utthup in Kolkata

Mohiniattam Exponent Vijayalaxmi in Chandigarh

Taare Zameen Par – Curtain Raiser at National Awards Delhi

Media Responds

• Increased coverage of the issue in the media

• Improvement in the quality of reporting

• Celebrity Endorsement

• Vanita - New Gender sensitive Women Only Channel Launched

• Serials Balika Badhu, Radha Ki Betiya on women’s issues on TV

National Creative Excellence Awards

• The UNFPA-Laadli National Creative Excellence Awards for Social Change was a nationwide joint initiative by Population First, launched in December 2007

• The aim was to create a pool of promotional material that could be used widely by a large number of organizations campaigning against sex selection

• The objective was to draw the creative professionals into the campaign and to develop communication material that is sensitive to the nuances of the issue

• The strategy involved a contest for the creative professionals to win an award

• The topic was sex selection and the falling sex ratio in the country.

NCEA Awards Function

National Creative Excellence Awards

• The awards were open to creative professionals, freelancers, students from art schools and colleges.

• Entries included non-commercial material as well as official campaigns

• More than 400 entries from across India were received.

• The categories for the awards included Storyboards of TV Commercials, Films and Animation Films; Slogans, Lyrics and Songs; Campaign Ideas; Print Ads and Cartoons; Posters and Outdoor Media; Photography; and Innovative Merchandise Materials.

Workshops for Media Students

Organized a series of workshops for Media Students between July and October 2007 – Supported by UNFPA

Workshops for Media Students

BMM and BMS Students of Khalsa College at group work during the Media workshop

Workshops for Media Students

BMM and BMS Students of Wilson College at group work during the Media workshop

AD Analysis

Ad analysis by Mr.Santosh Desai and Dr Sharada on “Gender Nuances in Advertising” organized in collaboration with Ad Club Mumbai

Ad Agencies Respond

• More openness to the idea of introspecting into their own inherent gender biases

• Increased support to the campaign

• More girl centric Ads

• Attempts to show girls in atypical ways – Lifebouy, Vodafone, Clinic Plus, Surf Excel, Dettol

Ad Agencies respond

• PF invited by the heads of five Ad agencies to make presentations to their creative professionals

Laadli at national level

• ‘Laadli’ is adopted as campaign name by the Delhi Government

• UNFPA undertook the following Activities by adopting the name Laadli :

• Hindustan Times/UNFPA jointly organised college level competitions

• Conference of over 35 religious leaders organised by UNFPA and Art of Living Foundation on issue of sex selection

Invited by Delhi Government to set up a stall on Laadli at the Bhagidari Mela in New Delhi - attracted around a thousand visitors

Laadli in Delhi

• Presentation to Delhi CM on Mumbai’s Laadli campaign

Laadli launch in Delhi

• CM appointed Delhi Commission for Women as nodal agency for Laadli in Delhi

• Launch on March 5, 2006 to mark International Women’s Day at India Gate