HHS conducts training at three levels:
- For the capacity building of women’s collectives
- For the capacity building of institutional actors and
- To create a resource pool of trainers on gender and law
Capacity Building of Women’s Collectives
HHS closely works with women’s groups formed as sanghas or self help groups in various parts of the State. Capacity building of women’s collectives is intended to build capacities of women to be able articulate and fight for gender rights issues. We have worked with various NGOs mobilizing women in various parts of Karnataka and facilitated capacity building workshops on gender and law for rural women.
Presently HHS is working with women’s federations (federations are larger formation of sanghas at district and taluk level) in different parts of Karnataka towards strengthening responses to Violence Against Women (VAW). We have worked with 15 federations from 15 districts of Karnataka on VAW issues through a year-long process on:
· Legal and non-legal strategies to combat VAW
· Building their perspective on VAW from a gender rights perspective
We are presently working with 7 groups in Karnataka. Apart from this, we have been doing training for Sangha members and other organizations and activists on request.
Capacity Building of Institutional Actors
It is not enough for women to be aware of their rights. Those with the power to impact the lives of these women must also be urged to shed their gender biases and work in a positive manner. We therefore do similar gender-sensitization workshops and interactions with institutions that affect women’s lives such as banks, the police, lawyers and government departments.
We also conduct training on issues of sexual harassment at the workplace for various work places. The objective of such training is to help institutions, companies and organizations create a workplace where women’s rights are respected,. We also help workplaces to frame sexual harassment policies.
Training of Trainers
This was initiated to create a resource of people at district-level who can address the training needs of women collectives. Presently 12 activists from various districts of Karnataka are now part of our training of trainers program. We have published a ‘Training Manual on Gender and Rights’ as part of this program in both Kannada and English which is available for wider distribution.
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