Gender equality and justice in the National Youth Strategy

India has a long tradition of volunteerism, with initiatives such as the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (National Programme for Youth and Adolescent Development) and the National Service Scheme reaching out to over 11 million young people. This represents a huge potential for India as the country has a very young population, with one in four citizens aged 15–29 years. It is in this context that the National Youth Strategy has identified younger adults as an agent to bring about a lasting positive social change, targeting both gender equality and justice and social inclusion as two of its four key areas for intervention.

The Action Plan on Gender Equality and Justice

In 2017, the Government of India partnered with UNV and UNDP to develop an action plan for the growth of youth volunteerism in the area of gender equality and justice.

The strategies detailed in the action plan were drawn from the principles of CEDAW. The action plan seeks to ensure that the country’s youth volunteering structures and institutions are gender-responsive, help young people to understand the principles of gender equality and justice, encourage women and members of the LGBTI community to participate in volunteering activities, and protect and promote their rights.

The action plan has identified three targets that it expects to achieve by mobilizing young volunteers. The first target is to address the root causes of gender inequality, which stem from the traditional values that are instilled in individuals from an early age and that present a barrier to women’s full participation in society. The second target is to increase young people’s awareness about gender equality and justice, thus breaking the cycle of intergenerational gender bias. The third target is to bring innovation to gender equality and justice through the participation of dynamic young volunteers.

To achieve its targets, the action plan benefits from the capacity of young people, who act as agents of social change. Lasting positive social change can be achieved through educating younger generations on the need for gender equality, justice and non-discrimination.

Young adults, LGBTI individuals and marginalized groups

A particularly noteworthy feature of this action plan is that it not only focuses on gender equality and nondiscrimination between men and women, but also highlights the needs of other marginalized groups, such as members of the LGBTI community and Dalit women.

These groups have a more difficult position in society because they experience multiple vulnerabilities, such as being a woman, having a non-binary gender self-identification, or belonging to a lower cast. By addressing their needs, the action plan is not only helping to improve gender equality and justice within society, but also its inclusiveness, another key area of the National Youth Strategy.