She can fight her own battles: Experimental evidence on the effects of increasing awareness about rights and self-defense training on female empowerment in India

Last registered on January 13, 2025

Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
She can fight her own battles: Experimental evidence on the effects of increasing awareness about rights and self-defense training on female empowerment in India
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0014842
Initial registration date
January 12, 2025

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
January 13, 2025, 2:03 PM EST

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Affiliation
Economic Research Unit, Indian Statistical Institute Kolkata

Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Affiliation
Higher School of Economics University, Moscow
PI Affiliation
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
PI Affiliation
Indian Institute of Management Kozhikode
PI Affiliation
Monash University

Additional Trial Information

Status
On going
Start date
2024-10-01
End date
2028-12-31
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
Crimes against women in India remain a significant social concern, with reports indicating frequent instances of harassment or eve-teasing as well as cruelty at home. Concurrently, the female labor force participation rate has experienced a notable decline, exacerbating women's dependency on familial structures for both physical and economic security. This study aims to address these issues through different awareness workshops targeted at adolescent girls in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh. These workshops are designed to educate participants about existing laws that protect women's rights and to provide self-defense training. The primary objective is to assess whether these interventions can enhance knowledge of legal protections, boost self-confidence, and positively influence participants' future aspirations, particularly in terms of pursuing higher education and engaging in the labor force.

External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Lalji, Chitwan et al. 2025. "She can fight her own battles: Experimental evidence on the effects of increasing awareness about rights and self-defense training on female empowerment in India." AEA RCT Registry. January 13. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.14842-1.0
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
This study aims to investigate the effects of knowledge dissemination (awareness workshop) and rigorous self-defense training sessions on increasing awareness and enhancing self-confidence among adolescent girls. We will explore whether these interventions influence their future aspirations and decision-making processes regarding whether to pursue higher education and willingness to participate in the labour force.
Intervention Start Date
2025-01-15
Intervention End Date
2025-03-31

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
knowledge scale, confidence to defend physical assault, confidence to defend sexual assault, confidence to fight back & neutralize an assailant, enrolment status, hope for the future, intention to complete schooling, intention to graduate college, highest level of education wish to pursue, intention to participate in labor force, locus of control and other personality traits
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Overall physical and mental health, happiness scale, academic performance and probability of selecting STEM and other professional courses. Spillover effects on other family members (siblings of the targeted participants) and friends.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
This study aims to investigate the effects of knowledge dissemination and self-defense training on increasing awareness and enhancing self-confidence among adolescent girls. We will explore whether these interventions influence their future aspirations and decision-making processes regarding higher education and employment opportunities.

To this end, we compare the endline outcomes of the adolescent girls from the treatment group, who receive the training and the awareness campaigns with those from the control group, which receives nothing.

Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
Randomization will be done in office by a computer.
Randomization Unit
Randomization shall be done at the school level.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
100 schools.
Sample size: planned number of observations
About 2,000 girl students.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
On an average 20 girl students will be targeted from each school. There will be 40 schools in control; and 30 schools in each of the two treatment groups.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
IIT Kanpur Institutional Ethics Committee
IRB Approval Date
2024-12-17
IRB Approval Number
IITK/IEC/2024-25/II/38