Where do girls stand in the bureaucratic maze? : a case study of the collaborative relationships between girl children, NGOs, and government in West Bengal, India

Abstract

This research titled "Where Do Girls Stand In The Bureaucratic Maze? A Case Study Of The Collaborative Relationships Between Girl Children, NGOs and Government In West Bengal, India" is meant to find out how the situation of the girl child can be improved through a collaborative approach between the most prominent participators in most development projects, that is the government, the voluntary organizations and the girl children/women themselves in West Bengal, India. The research also tries to capture the experiences and feelings of the girl children, as expressed by them to gain knowledge that can be utilised for the feminist work of changing women's peripheral position in development planning.

Based on DAWN'S theory to integrate women into development assessment and action plans so that it can address women's needs and issues more effectively, this study proposes a feminist model of collaboration that is integrative as well as holistic. Under this model diverse organizations would come together involving various women's groups as well as women/girl children to make the collaboration more stronger and transformative.

Inclusion of girl children will help develop policies that are women-friendly, where women/girl children would become active participants, agents and partners of projects.