EMPOWER PEOPLE Blog

1.Research Studies/surveys 2.Evaluation of the Programmes Implemented by the Government/NGOs 3.Feasibility Studies/Cost Benefit Analyses 4.Monitoring 5.Documentation 6.Capacity Building 7.Training & Orientation 8.Facilitation and Direct Execution of the Development Projects 9.Computerization of Data and its Analysis EMPOWER PEOPLE has a wide range of experience on the following major development issues. 1.Reproductive and Child Health 2.ICDS: Non-formal Education 3.Adult Education 4.Primary & Higher Education 5.Women Empowerment 6.Development of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes 7.Development of Minorities 8.Empowerment of Disabled Persons 9.Micro-enterprise Development 10.Skill Enhancement 11.SHG Formation and Capacity Building 12.Awareness Generation  Geographic area Assam Bihar Chattisgarh Delhi Haryana Himachal Pradesh Jharkhand Madhya Pradesh Punjab Rajasthan Uttaranchal Uttar Pradesh West Bengal 

These brides were bought for Rs 3,000 Villagers in Haryana Mewat district buy women for a pittance from Assam and other N-E states Nuh (Haryana): In Nagina, a non-descript village in Haryana about 100 kilometres South of Delhi, you do not need a Javed Akhtar to tell you that women in North-east are being traded. Here, you — notwithstanding your age, physical status or financial condition — can actually buy a woman. All you need to have is a few thousand rupees in your pocket, the strength to traverse 500 metres through slushy streets to reach Roddar, a middle-aged man with over half a dozen kids and equal number of hens. There is every possibility that Roddar will jump at your demand, be prepared to lead you to Assam and show you number of girls to choose from. He may even introduce you to local people from whom he bought Assamese girls or his own wife Bano (25) for Rs 3,000. “I can buy him a woman anytime. Come with me to Guwahati. Pay for train tickets, food and girl’s parents. You c

In Haryana it is still cheaper and easier to buy a ready-made bride from Kerala or Assam than bringing up your own daughters. And sometimes such outsourced marriages take a very ugly turn. Thirteen -year-old Moena Majhi from 24 Paraganas in West Bengal was conned into marrying Ashok, a widower from Haryana. “They lied to my parents that they will give me a good life and food to eat and all that,” Moena says. She says her in-laws were unsympathetic and her husband repeatedly raped her. Two months into the forced marriage, Moena made two unsuccessful attempts to run-away. “First time when I ran, I was caught and beaten up with a stick. Second time, again Ashok's family caught me. They slapped and thrashed me. I worked in the kitchen, cleaned clothes, cleaned the house, and milked the cow. If I said no, I was beaten up. My leg still hurts,” Moena recalls the atrocities committed against her. Her horrors came to an end when a Delhi-based NGO Prayas rescued Moena. She is undergoing cou

Kerala has been a pioneer in man power export in many areas and for long. But a new manifestation of this export should be causing all of disquiet. The state has largely been known for its export of man power as NRIs but of late it has begun exporting women as brides in girl starved North Indian states like Haryana. On the face of it, cross cultural marriages in an ethnically fragile country ought to be encouraged as a cementing factor – except for two things – The “ export” of brides and their relatively easy availability would mean that there is even lesser incentive for communities in many of these North Indian States to abort female fetuses. Demographic threats have often been held out as a potential deterrent that might work to retard the increasingly wide spread malaise of female feticide. The other thing that is happening is that human trafficking, particularly trafficking in women and minor girls is shifting shapes and is often enough now coming disguised as marriages. Traffic

(Editor's Note : -  this BBC story was initially published in   5 April 2006 ; but not much has changed for trafficked women in India since...... ) Anwari Khatoon came visiting a relative in the northern Indian state of Haryana eight months ago, but ended up getting married against her will to a local man with six children from a previous marriage. A man from her village in eastern Jharkhand state had accompanied the 22-year-old woman on her journey to Haryana. When she arrived in the village, Anwari found the man and her relative pressuring her to marry the man with six children, a middle-aged truck driver. Her new husband paid 10,000 rupees ($220) to the man who brought her to the village. "Can a young, single girl get married to a father of six willingly?" asks Anwari. "It is all fate. What has happened has happened. What can I do? My parents didn't even get any money from this deal." Anwari is among the several thousand young women from all over India wh

One of the most telling things about a society is how it treats its women, that half of its population which lives, works and struggles to contribute to the family, community and society at large, In a larger sence, what defines a society is how it treats its poorest, weakest and most vulnerable members. Parts of Haryana today present a rather vicious picture, far removed from the moral parameters or principles on which any progressive society is built. for the brokers of human trafficking, Haryana, is the point of demand of consumers, the buyers of a women's dignity. women are brought here from different parts of country, most of them from Magadh belt of Bihar-Jharkhand; Musrshidabad in west bengol; the border areas of Assam and secunderabad; and hydrabad in Andhra Pradesh- all poverty stricken muslim areas. These women are promised marriage of inducted as farm labourers but the real purpose is to center them into the sale-purchase chain to provide sexual satisfaction to their buy

A 16-year-old Muslim girl from West Bengal, who was allegedly sold to live as a “slave wife” with a Dalit man, has been rescued from Ponchhada village in Karauli district of Rajasthan. Women’s groups here say the girl was a victim of a big trafficking network in eastern part of the State where there is a high gender imbalance. Memi Khatoon, belonging to Nijgaon village in Malda district of West Bengal, was brought to Ponchhada from Delhi about a year ago after allegedly being purchased for Rs.26,000. She was forced to live as a wife with 40-year-old Paramsukh Lal Bairwa and was tortured and confined to his house for doing household chores. Women’s groups produced the visibly upset and malnourished girl at a press conference here on Saturday, claiming that she escaped while being taken for medical treatment to another village and was rescued by some Muslim families whom she approached. She will be lodged for the time being at the short-stay home, Shakti Stambh, run by the Rajasth

The glossary of abusive words has increased with a new entrant, ‘paro’. The word ‘paro’ is well known today in regions like Haryana, Punjab , western Uttar Pardesh and Rajasthan.  As with so many derogatory words, paro comes from the degrading and disparaging attitude of men towards women: it means ‘woman who is purchased for a few bucks’, ‘paro’ are those girls who are bought and brought from eastern Uttar Pardesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and Bengal to compensate for the shortage of shortage of women of child bearing age.  She is not a prostitute in open terms, but her levirate marriage today means that it is not only after the death of her husband that his younger brother takes his place, she is also obliged to have sexual relations with his brothers while her husband is still alive. How can it be appropriate to call a woman living like this a ‘wife?’ ‘Paro’ is an exact and true example of Catherine McKinnon ’s definition of the relation of the two major sexes, “ man fucks women: s

Besides Haryana, the cases of importing girls are reported from Punjab, Rajasthan and western Uttar Pradesh. Nevertheless the maximum numbers of cases are from Haryana. The word “Paro” is quite popular among the media which has its origin in Mewat. The region of Mewat forms the parts of Haryana and Rajasthan. It is named after a tribe (caste—without st status) Meo—a Muslim ‘Caste’ with its special traditions and customs—is presently known for the import of girls. Recently, such cases of ‘import’ have been reported in the media from this region. The other region of Haryana is called “Jat Land”, its traditions and customs are different from the Mewat region. But this diversity of cultures and traditions does not make any difference in regard to the ‘import’ of girls. Contrary to the popular belief, the girls are imported here from outside also, but the difference lies in the term used—instead of “Paro” they are called “Molki”. And the media is not aware of these Molki women. It doesn’t m