In partnership with the South Asia Institute (SAI) and other Harvard entities, Harvard FXB has established the Harvard Gender Violence Prevention Project. The project addresses questions of gender based violence across a range of contexts, from the family to the school to the broader society. Its goal is to develop strategies for women’s empowerment through evidence based research, capacity strengthening in legal advocacy and other mechanisms for tackling oppressive gender norms.. To date the project has included:
- A one-day exploratory seminar on the implementation of adolescent curriculum in schools and colleges and more broadly across civil society. The event was held in January 2014 in New Delhi India and hosted by the Harvard South Asia Institute (SAI), Harvard FXB and the Population Foundation of India.
- A workshop , entitled ‘Gender, Civil Society, and the State in Contemporary South Asia: Preventive Approaches to Gender Based Violence’ explored contemporary gender norms, including notions of masculinity, in relation to sexual harassment, educational opportunity and policy reform across institutions in South Asia. Hosted by SAI and the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, the workshop convened international experts from government, civil society, grass roots organizations and the academy.
- A two day public conference following national and international outrage related to the December 26, 2012 Delhi gang rape (the so-called Nirbaya case). The meeting, entitled, “Gender Justice, Criminal Law and Curricular Reforms” and held on July 12‐13, 2013 in New Delhi convened l members of the Indian judiciary, advocates, experts and grass roots organizations with leading roles in different aspects of gender justice work. Three panels addressed legal reforms, civil society activism and educational strategies for tackling gender violence respectively.
For more on the Harvard Gender Violence Project, please visit the South Asia Institute’s project pages.