Social Service Delivery and Corruption in Bangalore

http://ptfund.org/2012/07/empowering-women-bangalore-india/

Empowering Women in Urban Slums to Fight Corruption in Service Delivery in Bangalore, India

 

Categories: Case Studies, Publications, Sector: Social Services, Sector: Social Services: Social Safety Net

Corruption in a variety of government administered safety net programs has prompted the Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR), an Indian Public Charitable Trust, headquartered in Delhi, to take action. CFAR is working on a range of issues such as advocating for the rights of the urban poor, strengthening implementation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act, and HIV/AIDS. CFAR is active in 37 slum settlements across 7 cities of Delhi, Jaipur, Pune, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar and Bangalore. A key intervention of CFAR in Karnataka, is ‘Monitoring of Government Food Schemes and Schemes for Vulnerable Women through Community Participation and Action to Create Transparent Governance’, supported by PTF. The project aims at empowering women to advocate for corruption-free service delivery, giving power to communities to hold the government accountable in five slums in Bangalore City.

Corruption Problem Addressed

Info

CSO: Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR)
Years: 2009 – 2010
Country: Karnataka State, India
Amount: $13,850 USD
Sector: Controlling Corruption in Delivery of Social Services: Social Safety Net

Corruption Problem: Widespread corruption in the delivery of safety net programs
Tools employed: Capacity Building, Citizen Monitoring, Coalition Building, Community Mobilization, RTI, Survey, Advocacy, Social Audit

Corruption is pervasive in India’s welfare and social safety net programs and has deprived citizens, especially the poor and most vulnerable, of their rights and entitlements frequently and across the country. Building on its prior work with communities in four slum settlements in Bangalore City, CFAR held group discussions with community member to identify roots, effects and symptoms of corruption targeting the Public Distribution Scheme (PDS) and the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme.

During the deliberations, one of the participants concluded, “We do not even know when the shopkeeper opens his shop [Fair Price Shop (FPS) – mandated to distribute food entitlements to eligible families under the PDS scheme]. Moreover the quality of food grains that we get is not good at all. We have filed complaints several times but to date have not received any response.” This sentiment was echoed by other citizens, “When we ask the personnel why such a small quantity is being given, she says this is what the government has allotted.”

CFAR confirmed these observations conducting a pilot baseline survey. Out of a sample size of 302 households, only 135 respondents had a ration card. The analysis of the 135 card holders revealed that 127 were BPL (Below Poverty Line) card holders, however only 63 card holders were distributed rations. Further research revealed a number of malpractices in the distribution of rations and improper functioning of ration shops and the non-functioning of vigilance committees.

Similarly, and with respect to the ICDS program, the survey showed that although there were 60 children that had been enlisted with the Department of Women and Child Development, there was no actual Anganwadi center for children to visit. Furthermore, the existent ICDS centers served the improper quality and quantity of food to children. Development committees were not functioning and there was a lack of basic amenities at the Centers.

Actions Taken by CFAR

The first phase of the project focused on the identification and prioritization of corruption problems to be tackled. This effort included strengthening and scaling up women-led forums across 5 slum settlements in Bangalore. CFAR concentrated on establishing and strengthening women-led community collectives. These women’s collectives consist of members who have decided to come together under a common banner, Daksha Samuha, to claim their rights and entitlements. After being trained in filing RTI applications, the women were divided into two groups: Community Advocates who actively participate and initiate action, and Community Volunteers, who converge during large scale events, such as public hearings, consultations, demonstrations, etc.

CFAR facilitated conducting five public hearings

Thanks to the reputation CFAR has built over the years, and though informal in nature, these women’s forums have become a sought space for the community to seek justice and address grievances. Some of the forum members also participate in government-mandated grass-roots bodies, such as AnganwadiDevelopment Committees under the ICDS scheme and in vigilance committees under the PDS.

CFAR focused on capacity building and community empowerment and established a variety of advocacy tools through which the communities’ voices could be heard and government authorities targeted: The RTI-trained community advocates filed petitions, held public hearings, requested and conducted social audits, advocated with government agencies, and networked with other campaigns and movements. Emphasis was placed on evidence-based advocacy using visual documentation and case studies to show the horrific and often times appalling state of public service delivery.

Over the course of the project, three public hearings were held on issues affecting basic amenities in the ICDS, and four consultations (two on the Food Security Act, one with FPS owners, and a fourth to declare and publicize two model ration shops). For the consultation with FPS owners, the ground work was laid through establishing a relationship with the Karnataka Food and Civil Supplies (KFCS) officials, and the President of FPS owners’ association.

Sample of an RTI Application

Impact and Results Achieved

Results of the first phase include:

• 47 RTI applications submitted.

• 28 trained members of the Daksha Samuha (community group), including in-depth knowledge on the usage of the RTI Act, entitlements under various ration card formats, and social benefits.

• Training on conducting negotiations with the government and other stakeholder, including engaging with the media.

• Filing of new applications for BPL ration cards for approximately 1,000 people (out of 1,030 who did not have ration cards) which resulted in 371 newly issued BPL cards.

• Three public hearings covering 550 people or 67% of the 820 households on issues of basic amenities, PDS and Right to Housing.
• Based on the complaints filed by the Daksha Samuha, the KFCS took back twice inedible grain allotted to FPS shops. Furthermore, one ration shop was seized.
• Following a public hearing, two new bore wells and two additional water tanks were installed to ensure proper water supply for the 242 residents. Additionally, all households were given an electricity connection, the main road was paved and proper drainage lines were laid. A sweeper was assigned to clean the area three times a week

Based on the feedback received from the community, corruption in the area appears to be declining. Some 362 BPL cards were issued without any bribes being paid. Similarly, other beneficiaries, such as widows (275), senior citizens (170) and disabled persons (7) are receiving pensions, and 400 senior citizens now avail of the mid-day meals without paying bribes.

More significantly, a culture of fighting corruption has been created amongst the forum members and is not limited to PDS and ICDS. The Daksha Samuha now works with government maternity hospitals. The women trained by CFAR no longer depend on the CSO, but show the courage to fight independently and organize the community to achieve additional results.

Documentation

Project completion reports (PCRs) and Project completion assessments (PCAs) of the EBJFI-implemented project can be accessed at www.ptfund.org under the “Where-we-work” tab.

The CFAR website can be accessed at www.cfar.org.in

For further information please contact cfarupap@gmail.com

Prepared by: Shramana Majumder, CFAR; Indira Sandilya, PTF; Karti Sandilya, PTF; Johannes Tonn, PTF

Download Empowering Women in Urban Slums to Fight Corruption in Service Delivery in Bangalore, India

Tags: Advocacy, Capacity Building, CFAR, Citizen Monitoring, Coalition Building, Community Mobilization, India,RTI, Social Audit, Survey

BY PARTNERSHIP FOR TRANSPARENCY FUND (PTF) ON JULY 17, 2012

Gender-Based Violence- Dhaka's Slums

http://www.icddrb.org/media-centre/news/4032-study-reveals-alarming-prevalence-of-gender-based-violence-in-dhakas-slums

Study Reveals Alarming 

Prevalence of 

Gender-Based Violence in Dhaka’s 

Slums

A baseline study undertaken by icddr,b and Population Council in the slums of Mohakhali, Mohammadpur and Jatrabari reveals that women and girls’ sexual and reproductive health rights are consistently being violated, with gender-based violence occurring at alarming rates.  According to the study, 76% of the women surveyed had endured physical or sexual abuse during the past 12 months, with 43% having suffered both physical and sexual abuse. 85% reported that their husbands restricted their access to health care.

The findings were shared at a seminar organised by the action research project Growing up Safe and Healthy (SAFE): Addressing Sexual and Reproductive Rights and Violence against Adolescent Girls and Women in Urban Bangladesh, which was held on Thursday, 12 July 2012 in the Sasakawa Auditorium. In her closing speech, Chief Guest, Advocate Tarana Halim, Hon'ble Member of Parliament, Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh commented that “We must implement existing laws to give the women of Bangladesh their rights.”

Dr. Ruchira Tabassum Naved, Principal Investigator of the SAFE project and Research Group Coordinator of the Gender, Health, Human Rights & Violence against Women Research Group (under the Centre for Equity and Health Systems) said, “Our findings clearly demonstrate high rates of child marriage and denial of other sexual and reproductive rights of the women and girls in the slums. We hope SAFE will be able to show which interventions are useful and which are not.”

Ms. Ella de Voogd, First Secretary, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN), Dhaka was present as special guest while the event was chaired by Dr. Tasnim Azim, Director of Centre for HIV & AIDS. Funded by the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the SAFE project is implemented by the Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust, icddr,b, Marie Stopes Clinic Society, Nari Maitree (We Can Campaign) and Population Council.

The Study Design

The study aimed at obtaining pertinent baseline information on sexual and reproductive rights and violence against women in Dhaka slums. It included a qualitative study and surveys of two separate groups of men and women. The survey of girls and women included 4458 women aged 15 to 29, while the men’s survey included 1617 men aged 18 to 35. Qualitative data was collected through interviews of men, women, girls, key informants and focus group discussions.

Major findings and themes 

The project’s baseline survey and formative research findings were presented on four themes related to sexual and reproductive health rights and gender-based violence in Dhaka slums. The findings were presented by researchers from icddr,b and The Population Council.

• Child marriage is highly prevalent in Dhaka’s slums. One-third of girls in the study were married before the age of 15. About 61% of marriages were arranged and 31% involved a dowry. It is common to find cases where girls and women were married without their consent. Researchers found that 30% of the women were not asked for consent in their marriage and 28% did not want to marry.
• An overwhelming majority of women had inadequate knowledge about both sexual and reproductive health rights. Denial of this information results in a myriad of sexual and reproductive health issues. For example, over half of women did not know about sexually transmitted diseases and an alarming 87% did not receive medical attendance during postnatal care within 42 days of delivery. This data supports the notion in Bangladesh that information about sexual health and reproductive rights is taboo.
• About 90% of women reported that they were exposed to controlling behaviour of the husbands and 85% reported that husbands restricted access to health care. In the last 12 months, 76% of women endured physical or sexual abuse, and 43% had endured both physical and sexual abuse. Even though abuse is so common, women rarely seek help.
• Unmarried adolescent girls also experience multiple forms of violence at home, in romantic relationships and in the community.  Because circumstances in the slums have begun to shift to allow girls to become important contributors to family income, girls have become more mobile and independent. Unfortunately, these new roles have advanced more quickly than the traditional, patriarchal ideology that condones the control of girls through further restrictions and violence.
• In order to address the denial of sexual and reproductive rights and the high rates of gender-based violence, researchers recommended the following: 1) creating strong inter-agency and inter-disciplinary partnerships in order to change the cultural norms that inhibit sharing of information, knowledge and problems related to reproductive and sexual health rights, 2) addressing society’s violence-condoning attitude, 3) creating safe spaces that offer formal and informal support and are sensitive and specific to the needs of women and girls, and 4) testing different interventions focusing on the above.

Status of rights of girls and women in Bangladesh

Despite considerable improvements in a range of gender equality indicators in education and health, child marriage, early conception and gender based violence remain significant impediments to achieving gender equity in Bangladesh. The law provides for penalties for those responsible for marriage of girls aged under 18 but more than 60% of girls in the country continue to get married before they reach 18. Legal and policy reforms to address gender-based violence have been limited in impact because less than 2% of married women who have experienced physical violence seek any kind of remedy or service. The situation is considerably worse for women living in urban slums.  Dire  poverty, insecure living arrangements, frequent squatter evictions, weak social networks, the absence of civic society institutions, absence of public services and poor coordination among the services compound the vulnerability of young women.

The SAFE Project

Launched in March 2011, the action research project is designed to promote sexual and reproductive health and rights and reduce the violence suffered by adolescent girls and young women living in the slums of Dhaka. The project works with adolescent girls and boys, and young women and men as well as with the local community leaders in urban slums. It seeks to provide context-specific strategies for vulnerable adolescents to build their social and health assets, with the eventual goal of improving their sexual and reproductive health and reducing violence against women.

The SAFE project raises awareness about women’s and girls’ rights through a combination of messages on prevention, service provision and on proposed legal and policy reforms. The project includes quantitative and qualitative research. Qualitative research will offer rich data to inform all phases of programme implementation and analysis of outcomes. An experimental design will allow comparison of changes attributable to the programme. This research project will measure young people’s vulnerability, social capital, and specific reproductive health knowledge, skills and preventive behaviours.

The project establishes links and creates a strong network between legal services and reproductive and sexual health service providers, human rights and women’s rights advocates, research organisations, and the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs.

For details please contact Nasmeen Ahmed