In a small room in Amrut Nagar near railway lines in Bandra (E), 15 boys in the age group of 8-15, are a part of a gender equality awareness campaign undertaken by the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA), a group that fights for equal rights for women. All boys are residents of nearby slums.
Noorjehan Safia Niaz pulls up a boy for hitting his sister. He is then directed to apologise to her instantly, and promise to never repeat the act.
In a small room in Amrut Nagar near railway lines in Bandra (E), 15 boys in the age group of 8-15, are a part of a gender equality awareness campaign undertaken by the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA), a group that fights for equal rights for women. All boys are residents of nearby slums.
"The awareness campaign, which is about to complete one year, was started by building a rapport with kids. We would first take them for movies or for other outings. The idea is that they grow up to be wiser and treat women equally. It is better if men treat women equally and we do not have to fight it out with them later," said BMMA founder Niaz. The group has filed a petition in the high court for access to women in the sanctum sanctorum of Haji Ali dargah.
On Tuesday, when Niaz started off the hour-long weekly session, she asked the children what they remembered from the previous session. "We should not hit a girl and not marry at an age lesser than 18 years," said one.
"It is too late to advice them if they have grown older. They do not listen to it and then marry young girls," said Niaz. The larger part of the lecture, however, focused on discrimination that the young girls go through, which is in contradiction to Quranic teachings.
Three short films are also relied upon to convey the message. Wahid Patel (14) said, "I do not hit my sister anymore. Also, if she is washing clothes, I help her by mopping the floor." The group said that soon they will be taking up the issue of educating boys in personal laws of the Muslim community.
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