Human rights defenders (HRDs) already engaged in monitoring violations of rights of women belonging to adivasis, dalits and minority communities in Odisha will be trained to use mobiles handsets to take photographs, record oral statements of victims and others, keep the data in a computer at a safe place, transfer it to concerned bodies for filing complaints to human rights commissions to ensure justice to victims. One Training will be organized to capacitate 30 HRDs of Odisha. 5 HRDs will be provided with necessary hand-holding supports to monitor women rights violations in a better manner.
Topical focus:
Country:
What locality or neighborhood will your project focus on?
Bhubaneswar
Describe the specific community with whom you will be working.
Many HRDs work among adivasis, dalits and minorities and are not familiar with internet and mobile phones. Adivasis (indigenous communities), Dalits (untouchables) are the most marginalized communities subject to victimization of regular discriminations, exploitations and human rights violations. Minority Christians, Muslims or Animists gets victimized due to hate propaganda, violent attacks and marginalization. Women of these communities are more vulnerable. Improper documentation of HRV damages the possibilities of ensuring justice to victims. 30 HRDs for women will be strengthened.
What kinds of news, stories and other content will be created?
Sexual assault, discrimination, witch-hunting, trafficking, economic exploitation, lack of access to health and educational facilities are rampant. Victim women generally don’t get justice as their cases are not documented properly. In this project a process will be initiated to produce online evidential materials like fact-finding reports, news, stories, videos, audio records, photos. In some cases, these materials will be stored, sent transferred to concerned stakeholders using internet and MMS. These will be used as evidences to claim for justice for the affected people by filing complaints with National Human Rights Institutions, courts and other duty bearers. Exemplary cases will be published through internet and print-media.
What technologies and digital tools do you plan to use in the trainings?
Describe the connections that you or your organization have already established that will contribute to the success of the project.
CSNR coordinates a network named as Civil Society Forum on Human Rights (CSFHR) consisting of civil society organizations and individuals working on human rights in Odisha. CSFHR conducts capacity building programmes for them on fact-finding, documentation, monitoring, reporting, complaint filing and advocacy. They are already engaged in monitoring of human rights violation. It will contribute in the success of the project for capacity enhancement of HRD skills on ICT and assisting in facilitation and hand-holding of trained HRDs. In this network, National Alliance of Women ( a national women forum ), organizations working with adivasi, dalit organizations are active constituents. We expect to have future partnership with People’s Watch, NCDHR and other national level resource agencies.
How many participants do you think will be involved in your project?
30 HRDs already in the process of monitoring women rights violations and backed by a constituent of CSFHR will be trained. Five HRDs preferably women will be provided with necessary hand-holding, on-field supports and guidance after the training. These trained HRDs will transfer their learning to other hundred HRDs associated with CSFHR. To ensure the participation of the HRDs, collective planning discussions among CSFHR constituents will be held. A selection procedure will be followed up. Priority will be given to those who could have participation in CSFHR activities, demonstrated commitment and credibility. Each trained person will be linked with a particular organization, preferably which is a part of the CSFHR.
Describe which technologies, tools, and media you will focus on when training participants.
During training we’ll focus on the use mobile phones and computer. HRDs will be trained on how to use features like camera, video, internet, GPS (Global Position System) and MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) in the mobile phone, so that they can take photographs, videos, audio statements at a particular location. They should learn on how to transfer the data to a safe place, where it can be analysed, processed and disseminated for the end-use. This place can be a computer based in an NGO’s office and a special website designed for the purpose. So, they will be taught on how to process, upload and transfer the data. Apart from human rights monitoring, my organisation CSNR has the practical knowledge for using mobile phones, computer and other relevant techniques.
Describe the facilities where you will hold the workshops.
For thirty participants there will be at least fifteen handsets, furnished with special features like camera, video, internet, GPS and MMS and at least 6 computer systems with internet connections. The training will be held in a good Hotel at Bhubaneswar with broadband Wi-Fi (100 mbps speed minimum) facilities. Handsets and Computers can be hired.
What is your current relationship with the community with whom you plan to work? What makes you the most appropriate individual or organization to implement this project?
CSNR has been working among the adivasis, dalits and minorities since the year 2007-08. Particularly, it works for the victims of anti-Christian sectarian violence that took place in Kandhamal, Odisha in 2007-08. Victims were adivasis and dalits. Since last 2010 it has been building up a civil society network on human rights and organizing human rights defenders. In the process a network called CSFHR came into being in 2012.
It is committed to build up the capacities of 300 persons who can monitor human rights violations at their respective localities within coming three years and 100 persons on the use of mobile phones and computers. CSNR aims to continue its work among the these communities for at least next ten years.
What specific challenges do you expect to face when planning and implementing your project?
Challenges are
– Threats from the perpetrators that may include politically powerful individuals and sometimes misinformed police personnel
– Presence of an organization with Computer and internet access at a nearby location of an trained HRDs
– Meet the expectations of trained HRDs for hand-holding support
The HRDs will be oriented on to deal with the alleged perpetrators more cautiously. They can immediately transfer the data to a safer place, where document can be stored and used.
NGOs and organizations will be asked cooperate the HRDs.
CSFHR constituents and associates will be requested to support the trained HRDs and if possible contacts will be made with other grant-agencies.
How will you measure and evaluate the project’s impact, specifically: your primary participants, the wider regional community, or the global digital community?
An evaluation session will specially be organized at the end of the training and after three months a questionnaire will be sent to the trained HRDs to assess their capacity building and practice.
Another questionnaire will be sent to other fellow HRDs to whom the trained HRDs would have transferred their learning.
Both quantitative and qualitative indicators will be used to measures the impact. As for example,
• Numbers of persons are using mobile phones and computer technologies to monitor women rights violations.
• Numbers of evidential documents prepared using mobile handsets.
• Increase in dependence of human rights institutions evidences collected through mobile phones
If your project were to be selected as a Rising Voices grantee, what would be the general timeline of project activities in 2013?
• Planning Meeting with CSFHR constituents and associates in June
• Announcement of Training in June
• Need Assessment of HRDs and Development of Training Module in June-July
• Selection of Participants, Resource Persons, Invitation, and Venue booking – July
• Preparation, Logistical arrangements July
• Training in August
• Evaluation – Questionnaire sending in October
• Selection of five persons for hand-holding support in September-October
• Mobilisation of handsets and setting up a dedicated website in October – November
• Regular Monitoring to the works of selected five HRDs
• Evaluation of project – December
Detail a specific budget of up to $4,000 USD for operating costs.
Heads USD
Planning Meeting 93
Training Hall and Accommodation 833
Fooding 833
Travel to Participants 556
Trainers fee 185
Hiring of Computers and Handsets 185
Stationeries and resource materials 56
Logistics 93
Documentation 56
Coordinating Expenses 889
Accounting and Auditing 185
Heads USD
Planning Meeting 93
Training Hall and Accommodation 833
Fooding 833
Travel to Participants 556
Trainers fee 185
Hiring of Computers and Handsets 185
Stationeries and resource materials 56
Logistics 93
Documentation 56
Monitoring and Evaluation 889
Accounting and Auditing 185
Besides the microgrant funding, what other resources and support are you seeking for your project to ensure its success?
If it can provide supports for travel costs for 5 selected trained HRDs for 30 days and costs mobile handsets, it will be better.
Contact name
Dhirendra Panda
Organization
Centre for the Sustainable use of Natural and Social Resources
