As ‘We Can’ India completes its second year and rides into the mid-phase of the campaign, representatives of campaign allies and 400 Change Makers active in the country’s 170 districts in 13 states came together at a mammoth two-day National Change Makers Assembly held from 10 to 12 December 2006 at Adivasi Pariya, Bhubaneswar, Orissa. It was also attended by Change Makers from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal.

The idea behind the meet was to share experiences about the campaign; enhance awareness of campaign issues for wide dissemination, review activities, consolidate gains on the field, assess challenges and strategise for the future.

What lent the National Change Makers Assembly a special flavour was the fact that was held during the crucial 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence period -- a time when groups across the world call for an elimination of all forms of violence against women through local, national, regional and international events and initiatives.

Participants for the assembly were chosen in a fair manner to represent the 350,000 Change Makers living in Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Tamil Nadu, Orissa, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi and Uttaranchal and the 300 alliance members.

The excitement at the venue was discernable with each state of the country setting up its stall with posters, banners and an array of communication material.

The picturesque Adivasi Pariya wore an even more festive look as the backdrop for stalls were synchronized in an earthy ochre shade with decorative hand paintings on the stage, lanterns on trees, huge and arresting banners and posters doting the sprawling grounds and a pastiche of banners from all states enclosing the venue. The participants were in their national costumes and all of them sported specially designed ‘We Can’ jackets.

The assembly began with an inaugural session. Sneha Mishra of ‘We Can’ Orissa, said, “to end all violence against women there needs to be a new and collective understanding stemming from changed mindsets, altered behaviour and new beliefs about gender inequities and violence against women.”

This, explained Anita Bhartiya of ‘We Can’ Rajasthan, is the core endeavour of the ‘We Can’ campaign. “By providing information, alternate ideas and social values, campaign allies and the Change Makers they have enlisted enable men and women to realise they have potential to change their own lives and help them work towards ensuring violence-free lives for women. ‘We Can’, thus, serves as a trigger for a new societal consciousness.”

Sarat Mohapatra, Lokpal of Orissa, the Mayor of Orissa, K B Singh Deo, Minister of Urban Development and Public Enterprise Government of Orissa, Padamshree-awardee Tulasi Munda, a tribal activist and actress-cum social activist Nandita Das extended support to the campaign while recognising the efforts of Change Makers in the country.

Cultural shows and workshops were juxtaposed with meetings and press briefings to capture the various dimensions and dynamics of the campaign. The cultural programme included, among others, ballets from Orissa, a live band from Sophia Girls College in Ajmer, songs and dances from different states, film clips, shadow puppets, a show on kite puppets, plays and a specially choreographed dance by the famous and internationally recognized Illiana Chitaristi.

What gives violence against women its hold in our society? How it is been legitimised in our ideologies and social structures over the years? What are the linkages between power relations in the home/ society and HIV? What will be the impact of the new Prevention of Domestic Violence Act 2005? How can we redress the worrying 'missing women' syndrome? What are the challenges faced by Change Makers? What is the role of the youth? And, in what ways can we creatively communicate campaign messages? What is the role of media in ending violence against women? These are some of the issues that the national meet raised at the different workshops held on 11 December 2006.

In many ways, the core issue being addressed at the meet was the question of power as ‘We Can’ aims to transform unequal power in personal relationships where men assume a sense of ‘entitlement’ and ‘control’ over women. Campaign allies and Change Makers see violence within homes as the starting point to address the larger crisis of violence against women in public spheres.

On the last day, the participants took their individual shows to various parts of the city and elicited public attention to the issue of violence against women, particularly domestic violence. They distributed pamphlets, leaflets and other communication materials. The day ended with a huge rally that took the participants with huge banners and multi-coloured flags across the city to raise public interest on the issue. The event and the issues it addresses drew wide media attention and the event was widely covered by the print, television and radio journalists.