Aneka (which means diverse or plural) was initiated in Jan 2007 and was formally registered in January 2008. The chief functionaries of Aneka have over twenty years experience with various progressive movements.
Aneka aims to foster social justice and to enhance, promote and protect rights of marginalised communities especially sexual minorities, sexworkers, women, and people living with HIV (PLHIV). We focus on issues related to gender, health and human rights. Aneka supports community organisations, helps in capacity building of community leaders, is engaged in policy level advocacy for these groups, undertakes action research, and works to enhance understanding among various stakeholders on various issues through dialogue. We primarily focus our work in Bangalore and in Karnataka – though much of work has implications at the national and international level.
Area of Work:
Shubha Chacko
Approaches to implementing Community monitoring/accountability
Our strategies to promote accountability include:
Collectivisation whereby people see themselves as right-holders and feel strengthened to assert themselves and have an organised voice.
Action-research along with members of the communities that we work with where they are fellow researchers. This research becomes the basis for some of the advocacy work.
We are also involved in fact-finding missions that serve to highlight negligence and human rights violations by service providers including the medical establishment.
Vis-à-vis health the basic framework is the Economic Social and Cultural Rights one.
Within the organisation itself we have a system of peer audits where are books of accounts (including bills and vouchers) are systematically examined by members of the collectives (after some training) as well as other NGOs. This report is then sent to our auditor.
Our programmes and progress is also up for discussion at six-monthly consultation and the response and recommendations are incorporated into our report. We are in the process of streamlining this further by developing more appropriate tools and methods.
At the advocacy level we have made progress with various bodies
There has been a concerted effort to influence the HIV prevention intervention and the next phase of the intervention promises to be a little more of human rights.
In a first for India, the final report of Karnataka State Backward Classes Commission has recommended inclusion of transgender community under in the Other Backward Classes and inclusion of children of sex workers and HIV positive people
Following up on this transgenders were given a hearing by the Chief Minister of Karnataka B. S. Yeddyurappa, through the good offices of a Member of the Legislative Assembly and has promised some positive first steps towards recognizing transgender welfare. (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Transgenders-over-40-to-get-Rs-400-pension-in-Karnataka/articleshow/6296237.cms )
Various political parties have started to make contact with us and the transgender community to discuss their issues at the Public Hearing organized around the theme of Transgenders and MDGs. There was considerable public support from the three major political parties in the state. (http://www.hindu.com/2010/08/26/stories/2010082651680500.htm)
One of the results of this long process was a Government Order that upheld many of the demands made by transgenders – a pension for those over 40 years of age, special consideration in housing schemes, training for livelihood options etc. http://www.hindu.com/2010/11/12/stories/2010111267080400.htm
The State Tribunal on MDGs and Transgenders was historic indeed; as nothing on these lines had been organized in the country (and perhaps even in the Asia). The Tribunal organized in Bangalore, on August 25th 2010 was an attempt to broaden the idea of gender-based discrimination to include transgenders - people who challenge the traditional understanding of gender that seeks to equate it to sex.
Engagement with the Planning process in the country.
The interface of transgenders with members of the Planning Commission of India – the highest planning body in the country was another first. Even while the current Five-year Plan (Eleventh) has as its core the idea of inclusion; the problem is that the continued framing of the mainstream "gender equality" discourse as equality between male and female. This keeps transgenders out of the picture; even though they face a range of issues at the personal, economic, political, social, legal, and medical arena.
We have engaged with the three-member committee of jurists, constituted to give recommendations on amending laws related to sexual violence and assault (Justice Verma Commission). We inputted into the Justice Verma commission report by flagging issues of women, lesbians, gays, bisexual, transgender, intersex and sex worker communities.
There is number of lessons learnt
There is no substitute to collectivisation and working with people to build their and our capacity to undertake advocacy work
The means and the processes are as important as the achievements and results
Change is often slower and faster than one expects.
Building evidence and taking up sustained campaigns does yield results.
Many factors contribute to changes that are favourable or not favourable to the community and our efforts are just one of these factors