Training Programme on How Best to Ensure Gender Equality in Tribal Areas: Role of Youth

A three-day training programme on "How Best to Ensure Gender Equality in Tribal Areas: Role of Youth" has been organized at Maharaja Sriram Chandra Bhanja Deo University by the Department of Anthropology & Tribal Studies in collaboration with Rajiv Gandhi National Youth Development Institute, Tamil Nadu from 13th to 15th March, 2023. The workshop was inaugurated by Chairman PG Council Prof. Pramoda Kumar Satapathy, President's award winning environmentalist Chami Murmu and Head of Department of Anthropology and Tribal Education Dr. Basant Kumar Mohanta.

The first day of the training programme began by a formal introduction of the workshop by Dr. Bhubaneswar Sabar, Asst. Professor of the Department of Anthropology and Tribal Studies. Environmentalist Chami Murmu, who was the Chief Guest, gave an example of her own movement and described how her NGO, "Sahyogi Mahila" works in the field of women empowerment. Retired Reader of Economics Dr. Tarun Kumar Ojha presented on the important role of womens equality in economics. Dr. Minati Mallick, HoD of Economics discussed about violence against women and its remedies.

In the second day of the training camp, Prof. Deepak Midda of Vidyasagar University explained the real causes of gender inequality and expressed his opinion that problems like gender inequality can be solved easily only if women are exposed to education, participate in the economy and represent the public. Anthropologist and former census officer Dr. Gautam Bera presented photographs of Gond and Gadaba tribal women collected from his research and donated his edited journal books to the Department of Anthropology and Tribal Studies. On this occasion, Dr. Gautam Bera shed light on the perspective of gender equality on the parallels of equality and partnership. Dr. Laxman Kumar Sahu, Asst. Professor of the Department of Anthropology and Tribal Studies, highlighted the importance of environmental feminism and expressed the opinion that women are the best environmentalists, citing the example of the Chipko movement.

On the final day of the training camp, Lora Prabha, Associate Professor at Mayurbhanj Law College, explained about the role of women in Panchayatiraj, reservation, and implementation. RRDC-OSACS Project Director Mr. Pramod Kumar Das discussed the social status of transgenders and highlighted the steps being taken to integrate transgenders into the mainstream of the society. Prakash Kumar Barik, Coordinator of UNICEF's Anti-Child Marriage Project, explained that it is important to be aware of gender inequality at the family level. All those present on this occasion were made to recite the oath for gender equality. At the end, Prof. Basanti Rajendran, Programme Coordinator of Rajiv Gandhi National Youth Development Institute, was present online and expressed the purpose of the programme. Certificates were distributed to the participants. Dr. Laxman Kumar Sahu offered the vote of thanks. The three-day long programme was coordinated by Associate Professor Dr. Monali Goswami, Asst. Professor Dr. Bhubaneswar Sabar, Dr. Laxman Kumar Sahu, and  Dr. Priyanka Das.