Susheela is a teenager who hails from a middle-class family in Delhi. One may think that being a resident of the national capital, and being a girl of the new millennium, she must be aware of gender issues present in society. Unfortunately, no.

Susheela was deprived of attaining quality education in a good school -- where her brother used to go -- because it was a co-ed school. Not only this, she was discouraged from higher education despite her good marks. Susheela says, “My father told me that he doesn’t have the money to pay for my education, though he was very able to send my brother far away and bear the cost of engineering education. He said that he would have to pay for my dowry too in the end. I had to suffer because I am a girl and I am not supposed to make any decisions regarding my life.”

Susheela rebelled. She joined Plan India, a child-centred development organisation which promotes child rights. Now she dares to venture out of her home and go to faraway places sensitising men and boys towards gender equality.

On Friday, when Plan India released its annual State of the Girl Child Report 2011 titled “Engaging Men and Boys towards Gender Equality”, she was honoured as the special guest.

The Plan India report highlights the attitudes and awareness of men and boys on gender equality and recommends strategies to engage them in achieving the same. The report includes a primary research commissioned by Plan India in five states – Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Gujarat and Karnataka with over 6,000 respondents. It highlights the awareness and attitude of boys and girls, and young men and women (in the age groups of 10-14 and 15-35) towards gender roles, in areas of decision making, family planning and health, attitude and action relating to dowry and women’s economic and political rights, division of household chores among the men and women and thinking related to gender stereotypes.

The key findings of the report show that 67 percent of the girls reported their father and brothers as the decision makers for them and their family. The study reaffirms that the girls are groomed for household work from a very early age of 10-14 years, as nearly 80 percent of the girls reported being involved in cleaning their homes. Only 20 percent respondents held bank accounts while a mere 15 percent reported no discrimination in food habits.

The report was released by Sarina Narula, patron of Plan India, and children who are very active in bal panchayats and gender sensitisation. Narula said, “It is not just that the parents need to be sensitised, but it is the whole environment. We not only need to be aware but also be very active in implementing it.”

A panel discussion was also held on the topic of engaging men and boys towards gender equality. Among the panel were film-maker and Plan India board chairperson Govind Nihalani, Plan India board member Raj Nooyi, child rights activist Jyotsna Chatterjee, Sarina Narula from Plan UK, and International Center for Women regional director Ravi Verma who voiced the need for engaging men and boys towards gender sensitisation. The panel was moderated by eminent documentary maker Rahul Roy.

A short dance drama on gender equality named “Ek Pehel” by Raza and team was also staged where the troop beautifully showed the problems faced by a girl in different phases of her life.