PROBLEM STATEMENT

While most legislators understood and voiced the need to focus on child rights, Swaniti identified a gap in focused policy action on the same. Policy makers are important stakeholders in the pivotal field of children and women’s issues as they frame critical legislation in the field of women and children’s issues and hold the position of influencers within their community. However, while many legislators tried to create on-ground impact in their local communities, we were missing a national platform where consistent focus on the needs of children was present. There also was no policy support system present, that enabled policy makers to understand the issue from various aspects, often resulting in policies not being sustainable in the long run.

OUR APPROACH

Since Swaniti Initiative has the unique advantage of having Associates on the ground who aid in program implementation, as well as consistent interactions with Parliamentarians across party lines, we have been able to get a deeper understanding of the problem and relate it to stakeholders. Leveraging this experience, Swaniti worked to strengthen a convening body called the Parliamentarian’s’ Group of Children (PGC). PGC is a platform that convenes, informs and engages Members of Parliament (MPs) on issues of children’s rights. Swaniti is the technical assistance unit of the PGC where we work closely with Parliamentarians to hold roundtables, provide key knowledge insight on the topic and provide on ground implementation support in the constituency. Along with this, Swaniti also provides individual support in terms of policy documentation, data-focused research and any additional support requested by Parliamentarians.

IMPACT

Through its work in the field and a series of roundtables and one-to-one meetings, Swaniti has collaborated, with over 250 MPs to work towards better policy making for children in India.