Girls Empowerment
One of the key programmes under strategy `Combat Violence against women and Girls’ is Girls Empowerment programme. Groups mobilize and organize girls in a united platform and facilitate capacity building tools and methods. These tools and methods are designed based on the feminist approaches i.e. feminist leadership coaching, social action projects, debating clubs, menstrual care clubs, and science discussions.
Currently, five girls’ groups are active in different areas (Naogaon, Bagerhat, Mongla, Keranigonj and Khulna) with membership of 182 girls. Three girls’ football teams consisting of 126 players are active in Mongla, Fakirhat and Keranigonj. Tools and methods included:
- Facilitate menstrual care club on sexual and reproductive health rights
- Facilitate girls’ groups and organize bi-monthly decision-making meeting
- Deliver training to girls’ groups on `feminism, activism and active citizenship’
- Support girls’ groups to implement social action projects e.g. campaign to combat early/forced marriage, climate movements, science discussion and debating
- Facilitate girls’ football team, coaching and tournament in different areas
- Facilitate gender sexual violence prevention curriculum (i.e. practice the self defense by preventing physical assaults) with girls groups
Keeping communication amongst members, talking about taboos, stigma and hate speech against girls, helping to build each other’s confidence within violence, organizing movement building activities are main strategies they work for. Dalit and indigenous women and girls are also organized in a united platform and supporting to promote girls rights and feminist approach as well. Menstrual care club one of the another initiative working in the climate change vulnerable areas in the coastal region of Bangladesh
