Panel Paper: Kaabil - to Build a Harassment Free Society for Women

Friday, March 29, 2019
Mary Graydon Center - Room 247 (American University)

*Names in bold indicate Presenter

Vineesha Badabhagni, University of Pennsylvania


In Nairobi, Kenya, one in four women were rape victims. To mitigate this, No Means No Worldwide foundation introduced self-defense and consent classes in schools in Nairobi. Different modules for boys and girls have been really effective in changing their perspective on harassment. Similar to Kenya, India has a lot of women being harassed every day through practices like rape, acid attacks, stalking, and voyeurism. I want to design a similar program of self- defense and moral education in schools in a few cities in India.

This program happens in two private schools in two different cities in India for a duration of six months. Girls are taught self-defense classes. Boys are taught positive masculinity classes. All the students are taught classes on moral education and equality. The effect of the program on students is assessed through quizzes, interaction sessions and tracking the cases of harassment. The result will be compared to a control group in a nearby similar school we already chose. This program expects to see a decrease in the cases of harassment against girls and an increase in the intervention of boys when girls are being harassed. We also expect to see an increase in the self- confidence and capability of girls to defend themselves. Overall, we expect an increase in safety for girls leading to a harassment-free society for women.

See more of: Harassment and Violence in Society
See more of: Panel
<< Previous Paper/Project Panel | Next Paper/Project Panel >>

Navigation

Additional Resources