Empowerment Of Women:

The movement for empowerment of women , as a part of major transformation in civilization, was one of the significant social and political development in our country by fag end of the decades of the twentieth century.

In India, numerous steps were taken to provide constitutional safeguards and institutional framework for undertaking activities for women welfare. However, women's awareness about her development is the basic to her empowerment. For achieving this awareness , the most important ingredient is the necessity of a healthy environment about her perception by the society and the community in which she is born. There can be a quantitative improvement in the quality of life of the women in India , only when they are no longer hopelessly dependent on their male counterparts for their very survival and allowed to take important decisions pertaining to the good of all members of the family. Women capable of earning their own livelihood contribute to the overall movement towards poverty elimination. For them it is possible to ward off hunger by achieving availability , accessibility and affordability of food through economic empowerment. Hopefully they would their curve out a position for themselves also in the social and public life.

However, there are major impediments on the way of their economic empowerment. Prominent among these are access to work opportunity, the right kind of jobs, equality at work and in payment. These may be enshrined as basic rights of the people in our Constitution but they are not practiced in favour of women in this male dominated society and they have been always cheated, exploited and pushed back in different pretexts. Gender disparity manifests itself in various forms; the most obvious being the trend of continuously declining female ratio in the population in the last few decades. Social stereotyping and violence at the domestic and societal levels are some of the other manifestations. Discrimination against girl children , adolescent girls and women persists in many parts of the country. The underlying causes of gender inequality are related to social and economic structure, which is based on informal and formal norms and practices throughout the ages.

To safeguard the rights, demand for justice and to protest against any sort of atrocities inflicted on women, a forum called Nari Adhikar Raksha Samannaya Samity (NARSS) was promoted at the initiative of GUP during early Nineties with active participation of 14 likeminded NGOs and groups in West Bengal.
Though NARSS originated from West Bengal, its activities motivated NGOs functioning in other States also like Bihar, Orissa, Assam, Tripura and Manipur within a very short span of time and the state level committees were formed in those States as well.

NAWO:

National Alliance Of Women Is A Network Of The Women Groups And Other Groups And Is Working On Policy Advocacy With The Govt. This Year One Big Consultative Meet Was Held On 12th March At Accademy Of Fine Arts, Kolkata Where The Chairperson Of Women Commission Alongwith A Good Numbers Of Academicians And Activists (Male & Female) Was Present. The Topic Was Baisaymaer Mokabilay And Its Challenges. It Is Decided That A Series Of Activities On That Issue Will Be Jointly Organised In The Coming Days With Member Groups.
AMAN Network:- This Network Mainly Works On Domestic Violence Against Women. Regular Monthly Meetings Are Organised On This Issue. One “National Meet” On This Issue Was Held At Seva Kendra” Kolkata From 29th May, 2015 To 31st May, 2015. In This Programme, Different National Level Women Networks Participated With Their Different Women Related Issues. Gopa Routh Participated In ‘Two Country Gender Training’ Held At Bangladesh From 5th Sept. To 19th Sept. 2015). On 5th March 2016 There Was A Programme On “One Billion Rising: On Behalf Of The Organisation,
DTDH:- Almost All Programmes Of This Network (Dash Theke Dash Hazar) And Maitree Network Are Organized Jointly. DTDH Also Participated In The Rally Held On 19th March 2015. Similarly One Rally Was Organized By Maitree On ‘Violence Against Women And Sexual Harassment On 7th December 2015 From College Square To Dhaarmatala, Kolkata.

Coverage Under NARSS Activities:

To make its presence felt at the national level as well as for lobbying and advocacy to bring about a positive change in the existing govt. policies, rules and regulation and also to influence new or forthcoming policies of the govt. in favour of women suffering across the country, NARSS got itself formally registered under the Societies Act of XXI , 1860 as a national level network organisation at New Delhi in the year 1999.

Financial assistance to expedite the process of work of NARSS network was initially provided by Ford Foundation (from 1996 to 2004), mainly to usher in a measurable change in the society in favour women for justice and equality at per with men.

Main activities as mentioned below have been initiated by NARSS for overall prosperity and empowerment of women:
• Capacity Building of the grass-root level women leaders/ Panchayet Members.
• Preparation of IEC materials for dissemination of information and knowledge among target women and associate group members regarding gender justice, their rights and opportunities;
• Providing legal counselling, life education and survival techniques to the oppressed women through on-line services called NARSS line.
• Taking action for area specific fact findings , studies related to exploitation and atrocities inflicted on women. Documentation of these fact finding data / information and publication of the same.and for lobby and advocy:
• Issue based campaign programme for achieving women's rights as Human Rights.

GUP In Different Networking Programmes :

Maitrayee, NAOW, WEBEN (Right To Education Campaign Programme) MARAMI, Dash Theke Das Hazar (Violence Against Women)
MARAMI “Marami” Network Has Been Established Mainly For Two Purposes In Active Collaboration Of GUP And Other Women’s Groupss – (1) To Provide Medical, Legal And Other Facilities To The Physically Assaulted, Sexually Harassed , Victims Of Domestic Violence Thrrough Nearby Health Centre Or Such Institution Like One Stop Crisis Centre (OSCC) And (2) To Provide Emergency Treatment To The Sexually Assaulted Women Through Medico-Legal-Guide Line And To See That The Signs Of Torture Are Not Wiped Out. Department Of Agriculture, Govt. Of India, Has Enlisted “Maromi” As A Member Of Internal Complaint Committee (ICC). On 08/02/2016, A Meeting On Sexual Harassment At Work Place Was Convened At The Office Of The District Magistrate, North 24 Pgs. One Orientation Programme On The Same Subject Was Organized On 12/03/2016 At “Abanindra Sabha Grigha”. Gopa Routh, On Behalf Of GUP, Participated In Those Programmes.