Introduction
“I raise up my voice – not so I can shout, but so that those without a voice can be heard…we cannot succeed when half of us are held back.” – Malala Yousafzai
Breakthrough makes sure women of all ages fight for the rights of women and girls by catalyzing leadership in communities to change deep-rooted cultural norms that perpetuate gender-based discrimination and violence. Is this Justice? was a 360-degree campaign that ran from February to April 2007 and included television, print, radio, internet, and mobile messaging. The campaign focused on the states of Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, and Maharashtra, which have a combined population of 314 million. According to Television Audience Measurement (TAM) and the National Readership Survey (NRS)3, the campaign reached over 34 million people through television, 29 million through print and 18 million through radio.
About Breakthrough
The main aim is to make Cultural shift and discrimination and violence against girls and women unacceptable. Breakthrough works mainly on:
1. Adolescent empowerment
2. Domestic Violence
3. Sexual Harassment
4. Gender biased sex selection
5. Early marriage
They have partnered with multiple organizations across India which have translated as tangible action on the ground. Their approach is “One home, one workplace, one service.” They have focused our efforts on opening doors, breaking barriers, and starting honest conversations about gender, violence, and discrimination, with women, men, adolescents, youth, families, and communities as units, frontline health workers, government officials, influencers, etc.
At Breakthrough, they inspire people to fight for the rights of women and girls by catalyzing leadership in communities to change deep-rooted cultural norms that perpetuate gender-based discrimination and violence. They work extensively with young people through training that helps them develop a stronger identity and the confidence to make their own life decisions.
PRASTUT X BREAKTHROUGH
HIV is a virus that damages the immune system. It is transmitted via body fluids including blood, semen, vaginal and rectal fluids, breast milk. Therein no complete cure of HIV but HIV can be managed through medical care such as antiviral therapy. Untreated HIV for over 3 years leads to AIDS. AIDS is incurable and life expectancy is very low.
According to Breakthrough, gender plays a key role in the Nexus between HIV related stigma, shame, and blame experienced by WLHA in India. We assist Breakthrough to identify the primary human rights concerns of WLHA before the campaign in order to effectively tailor the campaign. We also help them measure the impact. Prastut worked in three cities – Kanpur in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, Udupi in the southern state of Karnataka, and Aurangabad in the western state of Maharashtra – to assess the forms in which WLHA experience discrimination and stigma at the individual, family, and community levels. These cities have roughly equivalent characteristics in terms of industrialization, migration, and other economic and demographic factors.
The three stages of research and analysis included Formative Research and Needs; Baseline Research (pre-campaign); and End line Research (post-campaign). The Baseline Research assessed the interplay between gender, HIV status, and women’s rights, to ascertain the magnitude of their vulnerability and identify stigma indicators. The End line Research, conducted after the campaign, sought to assess the reach and impact of the Breakthrough campaign and measure changes in knowledge and attitudes towards WLHA against the Baseline stigma indicators.
RESEARCH FINDINGS
The End line Research found statistically significant positive changes in two key indicators:
• There is a 22% decrease in the number of people who feel it is necessary for a woman to stay with her HIV-positive husband. She should have the choice to leave him. In the Indian context, this decrease is significant, as it is usually considered the duty of the wife to stand by her husband under all circumstances.
• There is a 10% decrease in the number of people who blame a woman for not satisfying her husband sexually. Focus group discussions supported quantitative data. The community acknowledged the following important realities faced by women:
• Women cannot negotiate safer sex (4% increase from Baseline to End line)
• Women are subject to domestic violence (8% increase)
• Women are treated unjustly after their husbands’ deaths
Campaign Impact
The End line Study found that Is This Justice? led to a significant increase in knowledge about the human rights violations faced by WLHA. The research also demonstrated a significant shift in attitudes towards these women. Is this Justice? succeeded in sensitizing the community about the unequal status of women and how it is linked to the violence they experience. They agreed that women usually get blamed for other people’s mistakes and have to suffer the consequences in silence because of the fear of violence. This fear of violence is also connected to women’s inability to negotiate safe sex. The aim was to enable the audience to comprehend how this vulnerability spirals in the case of WLHA. The research also demonstrated a significant shift in the attitudes towards blaming the woman for the infection and the need for her to take care of her spouse through his illness.
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