Accountable and Transparent Local Governments: Addressing Violence Against Dalit Women in Haryana

Objectives:

• To enhance and strengthen the responsiveness and accountability of Social Justice Committees (SJCs) in addressing cases of violence against Dalit women.
• To build linkages with other government agencies, including legal cells, the district administration, police stations (focusing on all women police stations), such that cases of violence against Dalit women are addressed in the prescribed manner.
• To develop awareness and build the capacity of Dalit youth, including adolescent girls and young men, to address issues of violence against their community, especially their women; and to motivate them to take recourse to legal measures as opposed to retaliatory and violent measures which perpetuate the cycle of caste-based violence, especially targeting Dalit girls and women

Geographical Spread:

Key areas/components:

• Strengthen the Social Justice Committees
• Deeper understanding of Violence against Dalit Women among the adolescent guys and boys
• Addressing the cases of Violence Against women

Key outputs

• Social Justice Committees are functional in the defined project area.
• Recognition of SJCs by all the Gram Panchayats and Ward Committees, through the approval/passage of resolutions proposed in the Gram Sabha and Ward meetings;
• Increased number of cases reported to the SJCs;
• SJCs propose resolutions to the Gram Panchayat on specific cases of violence against Dalit women, as registered with them;
• SJCs follow up on resolutions passed at the Gram Panchayat/Ward level.
• Linkages with Official Agencies are Strengthened
• Police stations, including All Women Police Stations, take cognizance of the cases of violence against Dalit women by registering the same; taking appropriate action as per the law; acting on resolutions of Gram Panchayats and Ward Committees;
• Legal aid mechanisms support Dalit women to obtain justice in light of the above;
• District administration, municipalities and Zilla Parishads support the implementation of resolutions passed at the Gram Panchayat and Ward levels, so that cases of violence against Dalit women receive justice in accordance with the laws.
• Awareness and capacity of Dalit Youth (boys and girls) is enhanced
• Kishori Samuhas of Dalit girls are aware of their rights, as well as procedures for reporting cases of violence against Dalit women through SJCs.
• Dalit adolescent boys become aware of legal procedures to address violence against Dalit women in their community and are motivated to use the same in seeking justice.
• Sanjha Kadam, networks of Kishori Samuhas and Dalit boys are strengthened to report cases of violence against Dalit women, and take the support of legal provisions and measures in the redressal of these cases.

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