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Tag: Laadli

  • The first Laadli Gender Champion award will be presented to Advocate Flavia Agnes

    Laadli Media & Advertising Awards to be held on December 5

    By Our Staff

     

    The national edition of the Laadli Media & Advertising Awards for Gender Sensitivity will be held online on Sunday, December 5 from 4:30 pm onwards and will be awarding noteworthy work in the fields of journalism, advertising, films, television, theatre and books. The event will be held online and will be attended by Norwegian Ambassador, Hans Jacob Frydenlund and Sriram Haridass, Country Representative, UNFPA India, as guests of honour. Veteran journalist, writer and television personality Mrinal Pande will be the chief guest. The initiative is supported by UNFPA and the Norwegian Embassy in India.

     

    Shama Zaidi
    Shama Zaidi

    This year, the Laadli of the Century is being given to Shama Zaidi, screenplay writer, costume designer, art director, theatre person, art critic, and documentary filmmaker while Laadli Lifetime Achievement Award is to be conferred upon Neelam Mansingh Chowdhry. The awards seek to acknowledge the path-breaking efforts made by them to not only challenge gender biases but for being a source of inspiration for many to be not fed cowed down by dogmas and societal limitations.

     

    To honour the work put in by women behind the screen and recognise their contribution to films and TV shows, Tanuja Chandra, director and writer will be awarded the ‘Laadli Woman Behind the Screen’.

     

    To honour the work of the late Gail Omvedt, Kamla Bhasin, and Sonal Shukla, stalwarts of the Indian feminist movement and social activists, who passed away recently, the Laadli Gender Champion Award has been instituted and it will be given to Flavia Agnes, the well-known women’s rights lawyer who had started Majlis to work with women seeking legal recourse from domestic violence and inequalities.

     

    To watch the event live, please visit www.youtube.com/laadli_PF

     

  • Invites creative work from people to share their views of sexual minorities

    Laadli kickstarts 16 days of gender based activism campaign

    By A Correspondent

     

    Laadli, an initiative by Population Firs, has released a ‘16 days of activism campaign’. The campaign which underlines the annual observance of ‘16 Days of activism against Gender Based Violence’ focuses on the theme – ‘Life of sexual minorities in India’ and encourages everyone to contribute their thoughts and views in the form of short films, poetry, blogs, short stories, posters anything that focuses on sexualities in our country.

     

    According to Dr A L Sharada, Director-Population First, “Sexual minorities in India are misunderstood and subjected to violence and discrimination. We aim to break the stigma around sexualities while creating spaces for discussion and sharing of experiences.”

     

    The 16 days of activism against gender based violence campaign targets the lesser addressed section of the society – sexual minorities which includes the LGBTQIA (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender, Queer, Intersex and Asexual) communities. All entries will have to be sent before December 1, 2016.

     

    The campaign will culminate with the showcase of 16 selected prizewinners in an event in Mumbai on December 10, the day for International Human Rights.

     

  • Signs MoU with Population First associating itself with various initiatives highlighting Women Empowerment and Gender Sensitivity

    Colors joins hands with Laadli as Cause Partner

    By A Correspondent

     

    Laadli, the flagship campaign by Population First for gender sensitivity, has announced various initiatives including the popular awards for communicating gender sensitive and women empowerment issues. to raise awareness and work together on various initiatives relating to uplifting and empowerment of women. It has inked an MoU with general entertainment channel Colors for the same. The Laadli Media and Advertising Awards for Gender Sensitivity (LMAAGS), for instance, recognisees and celebrate the efforts of the media and advertising community to promote gender sensitivity in India.

     

    Speaking at the launch, S V Sista, veteran adperson and founder and Executive Trustee, Population First said, “Over the last few years LMAAGS has set a benchmark for the media in the space of gender sensitive reporting of women. We thank the media for their continuous support towards this cause. The LMAAGS was instituted to salute this spirit in the space of gender sensitivity, thus celebrating the power of media. Our partnership with Colors this year will further augment the cause that we all stand for.”

     

    Speaking at the launch, Raj Nayak, CEO – Hindi Mass Entertainment, Viacom 18 said, “Gender equality and women empowerment are tangible issues faced by our country today. Associating with Population First for Laadli Media Awards is a step towards this direction. As we steadily move towards increasing and improving the rights and security of women, it’s heartening to know that there is a section of the media and advertising industry that is working diligently towards rehabilitation of the affected strata of our society.”

     

    According to Dr A L Sharada, Director, Population First, “From a mere 100 entries in 2007 to more than 1500 entries in 2015, Laadli Media Awards have come a long way in acknowledging the media’s contribution in women empowerment and gender issues. The increasing volume of discussion in public domain on gender issues is an indication that we are witnessing the beginnings of change. This year, too, we hope to see a quantum leap in the number of entries of Laadli Media Awards.”

     

    The last date for receiving entries is December 15, 2016, and the awards will be announced soon thereafter.

     

  • Various college activities are being organized to bring awareness and action through a series of tasks

    Laadli unveils campaign against gender violence

    By A Correspondent

     

    Laadli has joined hands with IIT Bombay’s annual Science and Technology TECHFEST as a cause partner and has launched Roar – a nation-wide competition for the youth to use their creativity and intelligence to create awareness about violence against women and come up with college based programs to combat the same.

     

    Various college activities are being organized to bring awareness and action through a series of tasks, which include creating a platform for candid discussions, coming up with innovative campaigns to address the issue at college level and making films of 100 seconds duration on the issue. The challenge for the film makers is to make a film without a female protagonist.

     

    Roar serves to unite and strengthen voices speaking out for girls and women around the world. Around 3000 colleges from across India and other countries would be participating in the TechFest, which is one of the most prestigious tech feats in Asia.

     

    Also , as part of Roar, Laadli is organizing a panel discussion on the theme “Where men are truly confident, women are valued” highlighting the changing dynamics of man-woman relationships in the 21st Century in India on 3rd January 2015, at IIT Powai, Mumbai at 1 pm. Some of the most high profile women and men would be participating in the discussion.

     

    The Fest provides students from all over the world an opportunity to learn, experiment, show case, and implement ideas. Amratya Sen, Jocelyn Goldfein, Rakesh Sharma, Sir Venki Ramakrishnan, David J Griffiths, Sir Azhar Hussain  have been esteemed panelists at earlier festivals.

     

  • Recommendations from a UNFPA-Population report analyzing ASCI's decisions on indecent representationof women in advertising

    How India can see more gender sensitive ads

     

    Last week, Population First hosted a day-long workshop titled ‘Men are from Venus, Women are from Mars’. The event, supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and with Social Access as knowledge partner, saw key issues of gender sensitization being discussed.

     

    Although it was planned some months back, in the light of the Tarun Tejpal episode, there was much attention on the issues discussed.

     

    A key component of the workshop was a report analyzing decisions taken by the Adevertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) on indecent representation of women. The report was undertaken by Feroza Sanjana under the guidance of the UNFPA and Population First.

     

    We present here the recommendations made in the report and the conclusion.

     

    Towards greater participation: Three major means to motivate greater participation to strengthen ASCI’s complaints mechanism include a need for increased awareness of ASCI, increased gender sensitivity and strengthening compliance.

     

    (a) Greater awareness of the ASCI: With regard to awareness initiatives, despite starting a TVC campaign there still remains a low awareness of ASCI, according to Mr. Collaco and Mr. Narayan. There is a strong need to inform people of the existence of the complaints mechanism and the easy accessibility on the ASCI website. This could be done through strengthening the ASCI National ad campaign in print and TV to motivate consumers to complain to ASCI in case they find an ad misleading, offending or harmful. In order to further promote this, ASCI conducted a contest at Goa Fest to promote responsible creativity under the theme Creativity with a conscience, open to advertising, marketing and media professionals, which revolved around creating short films using a mobile phone, in which more than 120 teams participated.

     

    (b) Motivating the public and ASCI members to participate: Create widespread public demand for gender-sensitive advertising through the propagation of gender equality. Improve the participation from CSOs, NGOs and women’s groups in this initiative to advocate the correct depiction of women in advertising. Sensitise ASCI members to gender equality to increase suo moto complaints by conducting training workshops. The NAMS initiative of the ASCI when complete will also empower ASCI members with a database of gender-sensitive advertising.

     

    (c) Strengthening the compliance code: A major factor influencing the desire to complain is the rate of compliance of offending clients and advertisers with complaints upheld by the CCC. The compliance rate of total complaints upheld has increased from 75.4 per cent in 2007-08 to 86.4 per cent in 2011-12. For gender issues, the compliance levels to complaints upheld by the CCC are 100 per cent. However, the number of complaints upheld is very low to begin with. The compliance code needs to be more specific in case of gender-sensitive advertising. NAMS is a welcome initiative by the ASCI. Also decisions by the CCC need to be taken fast so action against offensive ads are taken as soon as they are aired and not after they are off air.

     

    The power of ASCI has considerably increased due to compliance with the ASCI Code being mandated in the Cable TV Network Act Amendment, 2006. However, outdoor and print ads are excluded from its purview. UNFPA and Population First with ASCI can take up the issue with the GOI to make ASCI a more comprehensive regulatory body.

     

    2. Create safe spaces for discussion: A major number of offensive ads come from product categories such as deodorants and cosmetics, including fairness creams. In the case of the former, there is a need for campaigns which reposition their product in a gender-sensitive manner. In case of the latter, a discussion and open debate should be started on whether advertising for fairness creams is problematic, or whether the product itself is a problem. If so, then a similar regulation as in the case of ads for alcohol and cigarettes should be applicable. UNFPA and Population First need to advocate discussions in various fora about these issues with a longterm view in mind.

     

    3. Highlight positives: There are examples of ads being made today which can serve as good examples of gender sensitivity and which deal with sex in a gender-neutral tone.

     

    (a) Build more evidence: There are still gaps in knowledge regarding the impact of the depiction of greater gender sensitivity in advertisements on sales. There is a strong need for further research in this field, as the findings of such a study will provide evidence-based advocacy with clients as well as advertisers.

     

    (b) Make it interactive: There is no formal mechanism to measure the impact of self-regulation in changing attitudes towards gender issues within the advertising industry. There needs to be a feedback mechanism to gauge the level of gender sensitivity in the industry as a whole. Reliable information can lead to a formulation of a good strategy towards gender sensitisation efforts.

     

    4. Specify and strengthen the ASCI Code: The rationales provided by the CCC are broad-based and at times underspecified. A detailed guideline on representation of women and gender sensitivity in advertising is needed to provide a uniform rationale which reduces subjectivity in decision making. In addition, a more specific code and quick implementation of NAMS will serve as an incentive to the general public to complain.

     

    Following this, it is suggested that the following clauses be included in the ASCI Code (See Table).

     

     

    Conclusion

    Between 2007 and 2012, ASCI has significantly strengthened its ability to self-regulate and has on average achieved a high level of compliance, which is now also mandated in law. To further build on this, we hope that the above findings provide concrete direction for future engagements between Population First, UNFPA and ASCI. Finally, we hope that better organisation, improved record keeping and a less restrictive anti-disclosure policy in the management of ASCI would help researchers in the future.

     

  • 'I am Laadli', a social media campaign by Population First in collaboration with Leo Burnett, plans to help women celebrate themselves

    Laadli day for women with media campaign

     

    By Meghna Sharma

     

    Celebrating Women’s Day is no small matter. From special programmes to activities, from status updates to tweets, everyone will do their bit to make the day special for the woman/women in their lives.

     

    But with too much negativity around us, it is possible to celebrate oneself? ‘I am Laadli’, a social media campaign by Population First in collaboration with Leo Burnett, plans to do just that by making women celebrate themselves.

     

    A L Sharada

    “We know we are not going to change the world through this campaign, and that is not our objective too. We just want women to celebrate the day by celebrating themselves. It’s a day when we want to celebrate the positive,” says Dr A L Sharada, Programme Director, Population First.

     

    The agenda

    Started in 2005, the Laadli campaign addresses the issue of sex selection through community initiatives, college based youth initiatives, media sensitization on gender issues and interventions with medical professionals and BMC medical department.

     

    Over the years, the campaign has seen many ups and downs, but wants the positively to triumph over the negativity. Last few months have shown the gruesome face of humanity in the country where women have to fight for their safety even in the 21st century.

     

    So is to be blamed for it? At the very root of the violence against women is the mindset that undervalues women, rationalizes violence and discrimination against them and perpetrates denial and abridgement of their rights.

     

    “Through this campaign call upon every woman who has succeeded in claiming her rights, overcoming discrimination and one who has made a place for herself in whichever way in this society to proudly claim her right to ‘be’ and reaffirm her commitment to ensure that every girl becomes a Laadli of not just her family and friends but of the nation,” hopes Dr Sharada.

     

    KV Sridhar

    “This year the plan was to keep it simple yet powerful,” says KV Sridhar, NCD, Leo Burnett which got associated with the campaign six years back. “One doesn’t and shouldn’t need others to celebrate themselves. Hence, we wanted this year’s to be different and thought ‘why can’t we just do so by telling women to add ‘I am Laadli’ as a prefix to their names.”

     

    It is just the beginning but already a lot of women especially celebrities have joined the venture to help other women. Renuka Sahane is one of them.

     

     

    Renuka Sahane

    “I was contacted by the initiative last year and since then I have been associated with them. One doesn’t need a reason for doing so. I’m sure every woman would want to be a part of a campaign which celebrates its very existence,” feels the actor, who is proud of the fact that her family didn’t distinguish between her and her brother and both were given equal opportunities as well as encouraged to follow their dreams.

     

    More than just tokenism

    Every year, the day sees numerous activities celebrating women, but do they really make a difference or are nothing but just a token?

     

    “One must not forget that an ocean is made of many drops. So, if through these small efforts one tries to make a change, it is much more than just tokenism. It goes a long way in some way or the other,” feels Mr Sridhar.

     

    “We don’t want others to become reformers or activists. We just want them to be positive and helps others be it in any way. For instance, funding a child’s education, volunteering at any NGO, spreading awareness are just some of the many ways one can try to make a difference. And appreciating that shouldn’t be seen as tokenism because it will take time to change mindsets,” adds Dr Sharada.

     

    Responsibility of media

    “Unfortunate as it was, the Delhi gangrape incident did bring about a change in our society. People who never took a stand, took one and came out to support not just the victim but all the women who are ill-treated in some way or the other,” points out Dr Sharada when asked what role the media plays in bringing about societal change.

     

    After the incident, many blamed the media – advertisements and films, especially item numbers, as the reason for such incidents. “Television is a very strong medium and influences many but it would be wrong to blame it. All depends on how one watches it. For instance, if one watches a lot of crime shows, does he become a criminal?” asks Dr Sharada.

     

    However, Ms Shahane believes that the content of the television too needs a little improvement. “If, day in and day out, women are shown as an object or treated like doormats in the shows, then it is not helping society in any way. It just goes to prove how patriarchal our society is.”

     

    As for social media, which sees youngsters and others alike contributing and sharing their thoughts across sections, the initiative hopes to change attitudes and mindsets of people through their campaign on the medium. “We want everyone to be a Laadli. So by the simple act of adding Laadli to the name on social networking sites or signatures on their mails, official or otherwise, one is only going to spread the message and help others too to be proud of themselves,” says Mr Sridhar.

     

  • Clarion call for media to help change perceptions as the 1st Intnl Day of the Girl Child is observed + Jaldi 5 with Dr AL Sharada, director, Population First

    Arise, awake… and care for the girl child!

     

    By Fatema Rajkotwala

     

    Jaldi 5 with Dr A L Sharada: More ads must say: Yes, she can
     

    Population First has been at the forefront of the initiative on the way the girl child has been projected in the media. Dr A L Sharada, Director, Population First, spoke to MxMIndia on the girl child and the media and how we can prevent the celebration of the International Day of the Girl Child from being mere tokenism.

     

    01.  It’s good to see that the first ever International Day of the Girl Child is being celebrated. How do we prevent it from being mere tokenism?

    I welcome the UN, as a global body declaring October11, as the International Day of the Girl Child. This gives us an opportunity to take stock of the work that we have done so far, look further into what needs to be done and how we could take the issue at hand, forward. However the fear that it may turn out to be yet another gesture of tokenism is a valid one. The only way we can stop it from becoming yet another international day celebrated as a formality every year, is through concerted efforts to work on some of the major issues regarding the girl child.

     

    There are many issues concerning girls such as child marriages, low enrolment in schools and neglect of their health and nutrition needs. We need to advocate and lobby for more focused policies and programmes to improve the status of the girl child. We need to use the opportunity provided by the International Day of the Girl Child, every year to reflect upon achievements, fine tune our policies and redesign our programme, if required.

     

    Do you see that Population First’s efforts have had an impact on the media?

     

    I see lot of positivity and openness from the media towards these issues and a willingness to approach them differently. In the current media scenario, many of these issues are being addressed but more need attention. We, at Population First believe that we have to start a dialogue with all stakeholders, media being a primary stakeholder. We, as a nation have internalised, and have deeply ingrained patriarchal values to an extent that unless someone points it out, at times we are unaware of a possible patriarchal tone in our public communications. We need to initiate dialogues with all groups of society, so that together we can build a more gender-sensitive society.

     

    02, In your experience interacting with marketers and advertising agency professionals, do you think they are sincere in their attempts to appreciate the responsibility towards the girl child in a society like ours?

    Our experience with the advertising professionals has been very positive. We found them to be open-minded, willing to look at our standpoints and revise their current approach. From the time we began interacting with professionals in the advertising industry in 2008 up to today, we find a much greater presence of girls in advertising and many advertisements that are now projecting positive and non-stereotypical images of girls.

     

    03.  Do you think self-regulation bodies like ASCI, Advertising Club and AAAI should also take it upon themselves to promote the cause?

    Yes, definitely. It is important that activists working on gender issues and the regulatory bodies of media and advertising work together to ensure that the media does not project demeaning and negative images of girls. It is also imperative that  media does not consciously or otherwise, support or promote negative social attitudes and practices such as eve-teasing, commodification, objectification of women and violence.

     

    04.  What are your views on gender biases in today’s advertising?

    In 2008, during our analysis of advertisements showing girl children, we found that girls had a lesser presence and were often presented in a stereotypical fashion, for example mostly endorsing products that have been promoted by their mothers too. It was also observed that an ideal family is always shown as mother-father with one daughter and one son, or two sons. Rarely did we find ads showing two daughters. While a lot has changed in the last few years, in terms of projection of girls in advertisements, it is still rare to find an advertisement where two daughters are shown in a family setting. This, I believe, promotes the perception that a son is a must in the family. In a context where the country’s sex ratio is declining, this is a very disturbing trend.

     

    Television serials, television and print media content also further aggravate this image of women. What are your views here?

     

    Yes, it is true that the portrayal of women in print and electronic media is regressive and voyeuristic in flavour and we have to work on changing this. This is why we have instituted Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity. We have received 1500 entries this year and the quality of the content is improving. There is a lot of potential for change. The most pertinent example here is that of the popular show, Satyamev Jayate, which has suddenly got numerous issues into our drawing rooms. It shows the effect of one strong programme with a potent combination of Aamir Khan, an industry giant like Reliance and a media tool like Star TV. This shows that there is potential to bring social change. New media and its various options are also democratizing the way news now reaches out and has gained momentum with youth across the country as tools for creating public opinion. It is an exciting time to be, in terms of working with media on social issues

     

    05.  One view of marketers is that they need to sell to consumers, given the prevailing behavioural patterns, and that they are not in a position to correct these attitudes. How do we bring about a change in this view?

    I would like to highlight two ads here. For instance, an HDFC investment plan ad shows a father investing for his daughter’s education instead of a more common notion, such as saving for her marriage. This is a positive and refreshing approach to the product and in no way undermines the value of the product. The other ad I would like to mention is the Tata Nano ad where a small girl hugs the car, and the father gives her the car keys. This shows that the father is proud of his daughter. Giving visibility to girls in ads, is by itself crucial. We need to see more such instances where girls have to be shown in a capable light and in diverse concepts while selling a product. After all, communication is all about conveying the message effectively, is it not?

    (Interviewed by Fatema Rajkotwala)

     

    Last December, the United Nations declared that it would annually observe the International Day of the Girl Child, starting from October 11, 2012. Supported by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), in partnership with Whisper, leading non-government social welfare organization Population First will celebrate the first International Day of the Girl Child today (October 11) at Mumbai’s Y B Chavan Centre (*see disclosure below).

     

    The first ever International Day of the Girl Child is marked to help prioritize girls’ rights as the salient issue in the coming decades. ‘Laadli‘ is Population First’s Girl Child campaign against sex selection and falling sex ratio. It focuses on creating a positive image of the Girl Child in society.

     

    Veteran adperson Bobby Sista is Executive Trustee, of Population First. Mr Sista spoke to MxMIndia about the positive response from the advertising world towards the issue, “The response from the advertising world has been encouraging. We, at Population First are absolutely delighted that at last a global body has recognised that the girl child is a special category that needs special, global attention. One of our primary focuses is to eradicate the horrible practice of pre-birth sex selection. I have been highlighting and propagating the economic value of the woman as a homemaker in our society and her contribution to the country’s GDP. A woman is at least four times better at being a manager, or doing any job today. Why always talk about the girl child in a suppressed context? What is it that a woman cannot do today, that a man can do?”

     

    Dr A L Sharada, Director, Population First spoke about the need for activists and media bodies to work together to bring about social change, “It is important that activists working on gender issues and the regulatory bodies of media and advertising work together to ensure that the media does not project demeaning and negative images of girls. There is a lot of potential for change. New media and its various options are also democratizing the way news now reaches out and has gained momentum with youth across the country as tools for creating public opinion. It is an exciting time to be, in terms of working with media on social issues.”

     

    Part of the multi-stage campaign, ‘Question Everything’ was a two-day workshop on Creative Thinking, Communication and Gender. Organized by ‘Laadli’ Changemakers Club of Population First, the workshop engaged students from Mass Media colleges across Mumbai, with an aim to involve the youth in a dialogue on gender issues, with a focus on enhancing the image of the girl child. Highly experienced advertising and media professionals such as Gautam Rakshit, Gopi Kukde, K V Sridhar (eka Pops), Dolly Thakore and Zoya Akhtar shared their expertise and guidance with students. The event will see the launch of 1MM, one-minute movies made by college students questioning gender inequality and injustice.

     

    Says Mr Sridhar, National Creative Director, Leo Burnett , “We have realised that at times, lack of knowledge and sensitivity tend to be the reason for negative content. But when you’re creating something, you have a white paper in front of you, you can create anything. We need to influence content creators first, then clients, then people themselves to come out of years of reinforced images of family planning. When you sensitise teens and youngsters, power to impact is higher. The new mantra for communication in the digital era is- Play, Buy and then Share. Young minds involved in making a one minute movie raise issues without fear to express and once you get involved, you think about it, play it with experience, then you buy into the philosophy, then you share it. Youth sharing via mass media tool such as Facebook or Twitter have a far reaching impact. This is a process that has been initiated. That is how social revolutions were made, religions and value were spread.”

     

    Part of the event’s agenda is to recognise young women achievers such as the female fire-fighters of the Mumbai Fire Brigade. The event will also felicitate celebrity parents and daughters who have made a mark for themselves in media, corporate and political circles.

     

    Population First has also introduced the Laadli Media Awards for Gender Sensitivity to encourage and recognise media content that has positive social messages for the girl child.

     

    Disclosure: MxMIndia has published for Population First a special volume on the First International Day of the Girl Child that will be released at an event in Mumbai this evening (October 11). Also, we strongly believe in the cause and feel that media and entertainment can play a key role in changing gender perceptions. – Ed.