Ravi Verma

Last updated
Ravi Verma
BornMarch 22, 1953
NationalityIndian
Alma mater IIT Bombay, University of California, Los Angeles, Johns Hopkins School,
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Known forAIDS, Research on Men and Masculinity
SpouseLaxmi Verma
ChildrenAbhishek Verma (Son), Pooja Verma - Thapar (Daughter)
Scientific career
Institutions International Center for Research on Women, Population Council,
International Institute for Population Sciences

Ravi Verma is the regional director for the International Center for Research on Women's Asia Regional Office and leads the organization's local and regional efforts on various aspects related to research, providing expertise in building capacity and participating in policy dialogue on issues that include adolescent girls, reproductive health, HIV/AIDS, and gender-based violence. [1]

Contents

Education

Ravi Verma completed his master's in psychology from Allahabad University 1977. In the year 1981, he received his PhD in Social Sciences from IIT Bombay. There after he pursued a PG Diploma in health promotion from University of California, Los Angeles and leadership trainings on reproductive health and public health from London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Johns Hopkins University respectively. [1]

Career

Ravi Verma started his career with International Institute for Population Sciences where he was a Professor in the Department of Population Policies and Programs. He then joined as a program associate with Population Council where he worked on innovative operations research projects on gender and HIV. Ravi Verma joined ICRW in 2007. [1]

Expertise & Programs

Ravi Verma's areas of expertise include HIV and AIDS, Engaging Men and Boys, Population and Reproductive Health, Violence Against Women. [1] Ravi Verma has led many research programs and initiative of importance that include Gender-based violence, engaging the community to promote gender equality among young men, gender equality movement in schools(GEMS). [2] Some of the major programs conceived, implemented and executed by Ravi in collaboration with partner organizations are:

Awards and honors

Related Research Articles

Women's health differs from that of men's health in many unique ways. Women's health is an example of population health, where health is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity". Often treated as simply women's reproductive health, many groups argue for a broader definition pertaining to the overall health of women, better expressed as "The health of women". These differences are further exacerbated in developing countries where women, whose health includes both their risks and experiences, are further disadvantaged.

Reproductive rights are legal rights and freedoms relating to reproduction and reproductive health that vary amongst countries around the world. The World Health Organization defines reproductive rights as follows:

Reproductive rights rest on the recognition of the basic right of all couples and individuals to decide freely and responsibly the number, spacing and timing of their children and to have the information and means to do so, and the right to attain the highest standard of sexual and reproductive health. They also include the right of all to make decisions concerning reproduction free of discrimination, coercion and violence.

Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the state of valuing different behaviors, aspirations, and needs equally, regardless of gender.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United Nations Commission on the Status of Women</span> Advisory board

The Commission on the Status of Women is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), one of the principal organs of the United Nations. CSW has been described as the UN organ promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women. Every year, representatives of member states gather at United Nations Headquarters in New York to evaluate progress on gender equality, identify challenges, set global standards and formulate concrete policies to promote gender equality and advancement of women worldwide. In April 2017, ECOSOC elected 13 new members to CSW for a four-year term 2018–2022. One of the new members is Saudi Arabia, which has been criticised for its treatment of women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Population Council</span>

The Population Council is an international, nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The Council conducts research in biomedicine, social science, and public health and helps build research capacities in developing countries. One-third of its research relates to HIV and AIDS; while its other major program areas are still linked to its early foundation in reproductive health and its relation to poverty, youth, and gender. For example, the Population Council strives to teach boys that they can be involved in contraceptive methods regardless of stereotypes that limit male responsibility in child bearing. The organization held the license for Norplant contraceptive implant, and now holds the license for Mirena intrauterine system. The Population Council also publishes the journal Population and Development Review, which reports scientific research on the interrelationships between population and socioeconomic development. It also provides a forum for discussion on related issues of public policy and Studies in Family Planning, which focuses on public health, social science, and biomedical research involving sexual and reproductive health, fertility, and family planning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EngenderHealth</span> US non-profit organization

EngenderHealth is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., with a focus in sexual and reproductive health (SRH). The organization operates in nearly 20 countries throughout Africa, Asia, and North and South America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Center for Research on Women</span>

The International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) is a non-profit organization with offices in Washington, D.C., United States, New Delhi, Ranchi, and Jamtara, India, Nairobi, Kenya, and Kampala, Uganda. ICRW works to promote gender equity, inclusion and shared prosperity within the field of international development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Initiatives to prevent sexual violence</span> Responses aimed at combating sexual violence

As sexual violence affects all parts of society, the responses that arise to combat it are comprehensive, taking place on the individual, administrative, legal, and social levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Center for Women's Global Leadership</span> Organization for womens rights

The Center for Women's Global Leadership, based at Rutgers University, was founded in 1989 by Charlotte Bunch, the former executive director and an internationally renowned activist for women's human rights. Executive Director Krishanti Dharmaraj is also the founder of the Dignity Index and co-founder of WILD for Human Rights and the Sri Lanka Children's Fund. The former executive director, Radhika Balakrishnan, is now the faculty director, and a professor in the Department of Women's and Gender Studies at Rutgers, chair of the Board of the US Human Rights Network, and a board member of the Center for Constitutional Rights. Located on Douglass Residential College at Rutgers University, CWGL is a unit of International Programs within the School of Arts and Sciences and is a member of the Institute for Women's Leadership, a consortium of women's programs at Rutgers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abhay and Rani Bang</span> Indian social activists and researchers

Abhay Bang and Rani Bang are Indian activists and community health researchers working in the Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geeta Rao Gupta</span> Indian academic (born 1956)

Geeta Rao Gupta is a leader on gender, women's issues, and HIV/AIDS who is serving as United States Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women's Issues since May 2023. She previously served as executive director of the 3D Program for Girls and Women and senior fellow at the United Nations Foundation since 2017. She is frequently consulted on issues related to AIDS prevention and women's vulnerability to HIV and is an advocate for women's economic and social empowerment to fight disease, poverty and hunger.

The Naz Foundation (India) Trust is a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in that country that works on HIV/AIDS and sexual health. It is based in the Indian capital of New Delhi.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geetanjali Misra</span>

Geetanjali Misra is the co-founder and executive director of Creating Resources for Empowerment in Action, a women's rights and non-governmental organization based in New Delhi. Geetanjali has worked at an activist, grant-making and policy levels on issues of sexuality, reproductive health, gender, human rights and gender-based violence. Presently, she is a member of the Amnesty International Gender Task Force, the Spotlight Civil Society reference group and a board member of Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sarah Degnan Kambou</span>

Sarah Degnan Kambou is president of the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), a global research institute that focuses on making women integral to alleviating poverty worldwide.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has defined health as "a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." Identified by the 2012 World Development Report as one of two key human capital endowments, health can influence an individual's ability to reach his or her full potential in society. Yet while gender equality has made the most progress in areas such as education and labor force participation, health inequality between men and women continues to harm many societies to this day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's health in India</span> Demographic health topic

Women's health in India can be examined in terms of multiple indicators, which vary by geography, socioeconomic standing and culture. To adequately improve the health of women in India multiple dimensions of wellbeing must be analysed in relation to global health averages and also in comparison to men in India. Health is an important factor that contributes to human wellbeing and economic growth.

Sexual and reproductive health and rights or SRHR is the concept of human rights applied to sexuality and reproduction. It is a combination of four fields that in some contexts are more or less distinct from each other, but less so or not at all in other contexts. These four fields are sexual health, sexual rights, reproductive health and reproductive rights. In the concept of SRHR, these four fields are treated as separate but inherently intertwined.

Sex education is controversial subject in India, sometimes viewed as a taboo topic; across the country and within the community, opinions on how or whether to deliver it are divided. The states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have banned or refused to implement sex education in schools. The BJP government in Madhya Pradesh said sex education had "no place in Indian culture" and plans to introduce yoga in schools instead. On the global level, India has notably fallen behind numerous countries, including underdeveloped and significantly smaller countries such as Sudan and the Congo Republic, where sex education is first taught at the primary level.

As of 2018, the African country Rwanda ranks in the top five countries for gender equality according to the Global Gender Gap Report. The idea of fairness that dominates this country arose after the genocide against the Tutsi that occurred in 1994. The government is committed to ensuring equal rights for women and men without prejudice to the principles of gender equality and complementarity in national development. These ideas are exhibited through the roles of Rwanda women in government, the respect for women's education and the role of women in Rwanda healthcare. The country also took an active stance against rape in genocide, created a national action plan after United Nations Resolution 1325, and is pushing towards ending gender-based violence.

Gender inequality in curriculum exposes indications that female and male learners are not treated equally in various types of curriculum. There are two types of curricula: formal and informal. Formal curricula are introduced by a government or an educational institution. Moreover, they are defined as sets of objectives, content, resources and assessment. Informal curricula, also defined as hidden or unofficial, refer to attitudes, values, beliefs, assumptions, behaviours and undeclared agendas underlying the learning process. These are formulated by individuals, families, societies, religions, cultures and traditions.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "ICRW Profile - Ravi Verma" . Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  2. 1 2 "GEMS Gender Equality Movement in Schools" . Retrieved July 30, 2014.
  3. Dhar, Aarti (31 August 2013). "RISHTA helps to shape the lives of these women - The Hindu". The Hindu.
  4. "Parivartan: Coaching Boys into Men".
  5. "ENGAGING COACHES AND ATHLETES IN FOSTERING GENDER EQUITY: Findings from the Parivartan Program in Mumbai, India" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-11-23. Retrieved 2014-07-30.
  6. Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : Maidan Summit 2011 - Ravi Verma, International Centre for Research on Women. YouTube .
  7. "Shifting support for inequitable gender norms among young indian men to reduce HIV risk and partner violence" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-08-11. Retrieved 2014-07-30.
  8. "Sakhi Saheli – Promoting Gender Equity and Empowering Young Women" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-02-26.
  9. ""Let's Raise Our Voices" - London event on preventing violence against women on Vimeo". Archived from the original on 2014-08-11. Retrieved 2014-08-04.
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  12. "Press Information Bureau".
  13. "ICRW's Ravi Verma Selected to Advise on Family Planning Commitments | ICRW". Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2014-07-31.
  14. "Women at the Center - 2019 Progress Report". Archived from the original on 2020-11-25.
  15. "Building a roadmap for structural, system-wide change on gender and global health". Archived from the original on 2022-11-18.