Research, training and workshops

As a leading platform for Sexual and Reproductive rights (SRHR), Love Matters India (LMI) regularly conducts research, workshops and training to promote SRHR for all young people. Our research and workshops have focused on a range of topics under SRHR. and Love Matters has trained young people and professionals on pleasure positive approach to sex over the last few years. Please read more about our research, training, publications and workshop below:

Engaging with Health System for Accountable and Quality SRHR Services 

Love Matters India partnered with Center for Health and Social Justice (CHSJ) for a workshop in June 2018. The training was aimed at health sector professionals and focused on how basic human rights are important in the ambit of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights ( SRHR). 

LMI also put together a Health Professional Training Toolkit for the workshop and presented various modules from the same during the workshop. The main aim of the workshop was to help the health professionals understand the difference between risk-based and pleasure-based approach to SRHR. 

Sexual Pleasure –The forgotten link in sexual and reproductive health and rights

Love Matters India conducted a Global Advisory Board on Sexual Health and WellBeing (GAB) Training on Sexual Pleasure in August 2018 at The Zorba, New Delhi. The GAB is leading an initiative to promote sexual pleasure and create effective, meaningful links between sexual health, sexual rights and sexual pleasure. 

The workshop was attended by participants from various organizations dealing in SRHR issues like TARSHI, CREA, Nazariya, Haiyya, Pravah, HIV/AIDS Alliance etc. The workshop focused on GAB for Sexual Health and Wellbeing Toolkit, convened by Durex to advocate for a positive and inclusive approach to sexuality. 

In 2019, Love Matters India conducted another series of successful training in Delhi, Mumbai and Ahmedabad, on ‘Sexual Pleasure – The forgotten link in sexual and reproductive health and rights’. These sessions targeted medical students from different countries across Europe who were part of an exchange program in collaboration with the Medical Students Association. The countries represented were Italy, Germany, Portugal, Romania, the UK and India.

Press4Change Journalists Workshop, New Delhi 

Love Matters India, in partnership with the Keshav Suri Foundation organized a media workshop in December 2018 to initiate a dialogue with the grassroot journalists of the country and to promote better representation and depiction of the LGBTQ community. The workshop highlighted the role of journalists to bring about a social change and urged them to be the voice of the unheard. 

This workshop, conducted by Richa Vashista, who is an experienced trainer on mental health and LGBTQ issues, was the first event of the Press4Change project which aims to engage with the press at various levels so as to work together for better reporting. 

Certificate course for transgender, intersex and gender-diverse people

Love Matters India (LMI), along with the Centre for Health Law, Ethics and Technology (CHLET) in collaboration with the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) and organized a four-day residential certificate course for transgender, intersex and gender diverse people  at the O.P. Jindal Global University campus in Sonipat, from 6th May 2019 to 9th May 2019. Twenty people from around the country participated, including seven from the Northeast. The course was conducted in the form of lectures and workshops with faculty including activists, advocates and professors. 

Love, Sex, Relationship, Stigma & AI

Love Matters India collaborated with Haiyya on a session on “Love, Sex, Relationship, Stigma & AI” in July 2019 at Indian Habitat Centre. Engineering undergraduate students, Post Graduates, PhD students, Computer Science Engineers, academicians from Computer Science background were part of the elucidated programme. Haiyya and LMI created awareness about terms such as SRHR, stigma related to abortion and IPV and how they affecting our surroundings and us. 

Advancing SRHR and Digital Rights of young People in India – An Inclusive Dialogue

In November 2019, Love Matters India, in collaboration with Social Media Matters, and with support of UN Women organised a half-day dialogue with key relevant stakeholders from civil society organisations working on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) issues, academia, lawyers, youth activists, trans-persons, digital rights activists, technology platforms, etc. on the theme of understanding and addressing online censorship of educational and informative content related to gender and sexual health and rights on social media platforms in India.

RESEARCH AND PUBLICATIONS 

SRHR News Coverage in Indian Media - Part I and II

Love Matters India conducted media mapping studies in the years 2017 and 2019 to assess the mainstream media coverage of sexual health and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), including LGBT issues. 

The studies, conducted two years apart, found that SRHR issues got less than only 3% coverage during the study period news items in India’s top six newspapers (both English and Hindi). It is evident from this study that reporting on SRHR issues hadn't changed dramatically in the two year time period and even also after homosexuality was decriminalized in India. However, it is worth noting that the percentage of coverage of SRHR issues has increased significantly in the Hindi-language dailies in 2019 when compared to 2017. 

The findings of the 2017 report were presented at the Gender, Sexuality and Justice - Resilience in Uncertain Times conference at the Chinese University of Hong Kong in December 2018. 

Modern Masculinity 

In 2019, Love Matters India also conducted a series of focus group discussions (FGDs) on ‘Let’s Talk Modern Masculinity’ diverse groups of men in Delhi. The objective was to assess and understand their views, opinions, dilemmas, and concerns about the current discourse on issues ranging from #MeToo and consent, to changing paradigms and prevailing ideas about masculinity in contemporary India. 

The findings provided some insights into how young men in contemporary India are articulating  their ideas and views of changing and evolving notions of gender roles and masculinity at the individual, community and societal level. 

Pride In Reporting Tool Kit 

In November 2019, Love Matters India also launched Pride in Reporting: A Media Toolkit for encouraging rights-based reporting on LGBTQ issues in India, geared towards helping journalists and reporters to incorporate a rights-based and non-stigmatising lens when publishing stories on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) issues, specifically on LGBTQ issues. 

The toolkit is meant to be a simple and hands-on reference guide for all forms of reporting, providing information and understanding around terminology, language dos and don'ts, and some examples of developing rights-based reportage on LGBTQ issues. 

If you like a copy of any of our publications, please email us at lovemattersindia@devcons.org