The Directorate of Women Empowerment (WED), in partnership with the Centre for Advocacy and Research (CFAR), has completed the first leg of a training programme aimed at building a cadre of master trainers to prevent and address gender-based violence (GBV) across Rajasthan.
A total of 28 Sathins and Supervisors from Ajmer, Bhilwara, Baran, and Nagaur districts participated in the three-day intensive workshop in Jaipur. This marks the first of four planned training sessions designed to strengthen the role of grassroots functionaries in tackling GBV.
“The objective is to thoroughly equip the Sathins with the necessary skills and knowledge to serve as master trainers,” said Seema Sharma, Additional Director, WED. She added that the training was structured to build their capacity to connect survivors of GBV with essential support services, conduct gender audits, and advocate for gender-responsive budgeting.
Rakhee Badhwar, Deputy Director, CFAR, told The Indian Express, “in the first phase, 15 districts have been chosen where the master trainers are being trained in four different batches – with a three-day training per batch. Each batch has about 30 persons, including 25 Saathins and the remaining Supervisors.” At the end of the first phase, over 105 master trainers would have been trained. They will go back to their districts and train more Sathins, as part of a cascading model.
Of the over 11,200 Gram Panchayats in Rajasthan, there are 10,798 working Saathins as per the WED.
Sharma said that, “The training focused on building the capacity of Sathins to connect survivors of GBV with essential support services, conduct gender audits, allowing them to assess the impact of policies and programmes on women and girls and advocate for gender-responsive budgeting, ensuring that resources are allocated in a way that addresses the specific needs and priorities of women.”
Officials from the Panchayati Raj Department and the Rajasthan State Legal Services Authority (RSLSA) also joined the effort. Emphasising the role of gram panchayat development plans, G D Ramana, Deputy Director, Plan, highlighted the push to integrate gender budgeting and enhance women’s participation in decision-making at the village level.
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RSLSA Deputy Secretary Pradeep Kumawat briefed participants on the latest legal initiatives, including easier access to free legal aid through the NALSA app, updates to the Rajasthan Victim Compensation Scheme, and new schemes such as the Eco-feminism Srujan ki Suraksha scheme and child-friendly legal services.
The training initiative, according to WED officials, is expected to create a ripple effect at the community level by enabling trained Sathins and Supervisors to serve as key resources in preventing and responding to gender-based violence.
