The Women and Gender Development Cell (WGDC)

Gender discrimination has been a systematic affair in our society. It not only leads to multi-layered inequalities but also denies individuals of their rights to equal resources and opportunities. The Women and Gender Development Cell (WGDC) is a mandated body as per Section 3.2 (15) of UGC Guidelines that underscores Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal of Sexual Harassment of women employees and students in higher educational institutions Regulations, 2015. Scottish Church College, Kolkata is committed upholding the principle of gender justice and endorses a sustained engagement against any form of discrimination and abuse of power based on gender. The college is also committed creating a safe place for its students and faculties within the campus. Given the diverse and heterogeneous nature of the students, the institution believes in the principle of an inclusive society and reaching out to the marginal voices.

The WGDC is, therefore, mandated to initiate a perspective change in the definitions of gender and women’s rights. It plans to engage in debates, discussions and sensitisation; its deliberations and action plans are not confined to syllabus and curriculum rather sustained and interactive methods shall be applied to involve young minds. The Cell is inclined to consider the students and employees having experiences of injustice and harassment not as victims but as individuals with agency and capability. The objectives of the Cell aredesignedin compliance with the UGC-SAKSHAM Report, which believes that a safe and healthy environment is a condition for ensuring quality in research and education.

Objectives

To address the complaints of sexual harassment by the students and faculties within the College campus.
To conduct seminars and workshops ongender and women’s issues to break the taboos.
To initiate debates, discussions and dialogues with the students to enhance their awareness and enable them to locate their issues and vulnerabilities.
To create awareness on legal rights and Acts through the lectures by distinguished experts.
To train the students in gender-sensitive norms and motivate them to become responsible leaders to facilitate an integrated approach to gender that shapes our experiences.

The Members of the WGDC

Serial No.	Name	Department	E-Mail IDs
1.	Dr. Madhumanjari Mandal Member	Principal	principal@scottishchurch.ac.in
2.	Dr. Esita Sur Coordinator	Dept. of Political Science	esita.sur@scottishchurch.ac.in
3.	Dr. Indrani Kar Member	Dept. of Sanskrit	iksnsk@scottishchurch.ac.in
4.	Dr. Bidisha Sinha Member	Senatus Secretary	senatus@scottishchurch.ac.in
5.	Dr. Kakoli Mukhopadhyay Member	Dept. of Teacher Education	kmbed@scottishchurch.ac.in
6.	Dr. Debjani Ghosh Member	Dept. of Chemistry	dgchem@scottishchurch.ac.in
7.	Dr. Sushmita Gonsalves Member	Dept. of Political Science	sushmita.gonsalves@scottishchurch.ac.in
8.	Ms. Richa Arora Member	Dept. of Microbiology	richa.arora@scottishchurch.ac.in

A Tentative Planner of the Women and Gender Development Cell (April 2023 to May 2024)

Serial No.	Programme	Targets	Tentative Dates
1.	The WGDC Annual Lecture	All Students	September 2023
2.	Gender-Sensitisation workshop	All Students	November 2023
3.	Women’s Conclave (two days)	All Students and Faculty Members	Early February-March 2024
4.	Workshop on Sexual Harassment	All Students	May 2024

Report on the Webinar on Menstruation Heath and Hygiene Practices
The Women and Gender Development Cell, Scottish Church College in collaboration with Unicharm India and GlobalHunt Bangalore organised its first webinar on Menstruation Health and Hygiene Practices on the 21st of April 2022. The objective was to break out taboos on this issue and initiate a culture of debate and discussion. The resource person wasMs. Ankita Sukhwal, the CSR Executive of Unicharm India. Total 32 participants joined including faculties of the college.

Outcomes of the Webinar:

it enhanced awareness on Menstruation health and hygiene issues of the participants; the students came to know about the emotional aspects of the process.
The resource person also explained the importance of a healthy life style for our overall wellbeing.
The participants were also explained different hygiene practices during the menstruation period. The webinar helped us to understand the biological reasons behind it and break many of our preconceived notions on the subject.

Publication/Newsletter: