Arundhati Mishra

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Enlightening Adolescent Boys in India on Gender
and RSH

• Arundhati Mishra
• CEDPA/India

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India A Snapshot

• India has over 1.05 Billion people
• 75 live in rural areas
• There are 933 females for every 1000 males
• 35 are illiterate (Male -24 Female 46)
• Almost 1 of all adults are infected with HIV
  (approx 4 million) 25 of them are women
• Maternal mortality rate is 540/100,000 LB
• 78 of pregnancies are unplanned and 25 are
  unwanted
• 11 million pregnancies end in abortions
• Wide gender gap patriarchal society with son
  preference

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About CEDPA

• The Centre for Development and Population
  Activities (CEDPA) is a US-based NGO whose
  mission is
• to empower women at all levels of society to be
  full partners in development

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CEDPAs Better Life Options Program in India

• Goal
• Through NGO partners, the program challenges
  gender inequities, expands life options and uses
  an empowerment model through an integrated and
  holistic program for adolescent girls and boys
  aged 10-19 years

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CEDPAs Better Life Options Program (BLP) in India

• CEDPA launched BLP for adolescent girls in India
  in 1987, through partner NGOs
• After a study identified the needs and concerns
  of adolescent girls, programs were initiated in
  1989.
• A need for a similar program for adolescent boys
  was expressed by program personnel,
  adolescent boys and community members
• Global CAF! Manual developed for boys in 1999
  through a participatory approach
• Better Life Options Program for adolescent boys
  was launched in 2000

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Men and Women as Equal Partners
Improved Girls and Womens RH and Gender Status
Recognize, listen, and respond to boys own needs
Addressing boys to empower girls and women
Working only with Adolescent Girls and Young Women
Evolution of Thinkingin working with boys
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Better Life Options Program (BLP) for Adolescent
Boys

• Project Duration 2 years (2000-02)
• Year 1 Development Phase
• (development of the Choose a Future!
• training package)
• Year 2 Implementation Phase
• Project implemented through 10 partner NGOs
  across 11 states
• Total coverage 8397 boys
• Total cost 100,000 (Summit Foundation)

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Adolescent Boys The Indian Scenario

• There are over 100 million adolescent boys
• One out of every five boys in the age group 10-19
  years is illiterate
• Only 19.8 of rural and 34.8 of urban adolescent
  boys in the 15-19 year age group completes high
  school
• Labor force participation rate of adolescent boys
  is 5.7 (10-14 years) and 43.8 in the 15-19 age
  group
• 4 million adolescent boys in the 15-19 years age
  group in India are married
• Half of all new cases of HIV/AIDS are among
  people under 25

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Assessing Needs ofAdolescent Boys

• FGDs conducted with 91 boys and 94 girls in
• peri-urban and rural areas identified as major
  issues for boys to be

• Career guidance and counseling
• Education and Vocational skills development
• How to be self employed
• Financial assistance
• Basic life skills
• Accessing and linking with existing resources
• Social issues equality for boys and girls, small
  family norms and a trusting, supportive
  environment

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Major hurdles identified in reaching their dreams

• poor economic conditions of the family
• low and poor quality of education
• a heavy workload
• early marriage
• lack of opportunities and guidance
• high family expectations
• peer pressure

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Implementing the Program May 2001-April 2002

• Strategies adopted
• Long term approach (3-6 months) training
  package integrated into vocational training
  classes, remedial tutoring classes, gyms, clubs,
  etc.
• Camp approach (10-14 days) boys intensively
  trained in camps of short duration
• School approach - training package imparted in
  the classroom

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The India Boys Package

• Choose a Future! training manual
• Facilitators handbook
• Posters
• Video Cassettes
• Supplementary material - films, training aids,
  games, exercises, anatomy models

Languages English and Hindi
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Choose a Future! Issues and Options for
Adolescent Boys in India

• Goal The manual hopes to help boys shape their
  own lives and create their own options especially
  for RH and gender issues

• Principles
• Boys have the right to make choices to determine
  their future, and
• Boys can develop the capabilities to make choices

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Issues addressed in Choose a Future!

• The World of Work
• Puberty
• Reproduction
• Health
• Marriage, Partnership and Parenthood
• Legal Rights
• Environment
• Taking off from Here (My life beyond)

• Self Awareness
• Values Identification
• Gender Awareness
• Feelings
• Communication Skills
• Interpersonal Relationships
• Families
• Community

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Participant Profile
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Age
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Marital Status
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Education Level Status
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Working Status
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Autonomous Decision-Making
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Post Program Impact
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• Methodology

• Study adopted a pre and post-test
• design to assess knowledge before and
• after participation in the program
• Sample includes 2379 alumni boys who
• had completed both the pre and post
• test pre-coded structured interview
• schedule

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Dispelling Misconceptions about Masturbation
Masturbation affects adult life (False)
Masturbation Creates Mental Problem (False)
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Correct Knowledge on what is Menstruation
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Knowledge on what is Sexual Harassment (unwanted
or unwelcome physical contact, verbal demands and
put-downs based on sex, gender or sexuality)
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Knowledge on non-violent means to resolve
conflict (negotiation for a win-win situation)
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Attitude on Number of Children They Plan to Have
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Attitudes on Gender Equality Boys and Girls will
be more equal if both are sent to school
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Knowledge on Healthy Pregnancy
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Knowledge on HIV/AIDS Transmission
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Voices from the Field

• Earlier men wanted to prove their masculinity by
  being forceful. There is now realization that
  love is for life and lust is only for a short
  while. Sabir (19 years old)

Earlier if any man would speak to my wife, I
would get agitated and jealous and beat up either
my wife or the man. Now I try to understand the
situation and then discuss. Akhtar (21 years
old)
He refused to write tobacco in the list of
groceries that had to be bought. Participants
Mother
Now my brother treats me well. He even shares
some of my work. Participants Sister
The Program is so useful that it should be
included in the school syllabus. School Teacher
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Improved spousal communication and interaction
There has been a change in my husband. -
Banesh, wife of Better Life Options participant
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Stakeholders

• NGO partners
• Parents
• School Teachers
• Community members
• Adolescents
• Health service providers
• INGOs (UNFPA,UNICEF, UNESCO)
• Government ministries and agencies

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Role of Stakeholders
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Problems faced

• Initially difficult to get boys to participate
• Difficult to convince school boards to allow
  Choose a Future! sessions in school
• Partners need to monitor the program closely and
  use the survey tools to supervise the program to
  ensure quality
• Resource availability for longer term programs
  and vocational skills training
• Identifying doctors willing to provide onsite
  services

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Lessons learned

• The package can be used as an entry point for
  working with adolescent boys
• This package can be used for a wide variety of
  boys rural, urban, out of school, in-school,
  employed, ages 10-19
• This program appears to increase knowledge and
  affects attitudes related to gender and RH
• Boys were open and eager to learn information on
  both male and female RH

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Conclusions (contd.)

• Boys expressed changes in attitude and even
  behavior towards young women
• Several participants spoke of a shift from
  violence and aggression to negotiation and
  discussion
• Married boys appeared to increase communication
  with their wives on RH issues, family planning,
  contraception, spacing, number of children
• The participatory materials development approach
  created ownership and facilitated the scaling up
  process

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