Gender Empowerment & Institutional  Dev. District Neelum is situated in the North <(>&<)> North East of Muzaffarabad city the capital of Azad Jammu <(>&<)> Kashmir. District Neelum covers an area of 3621Km. Administratively, district Neelum is divided into two Tehsil( Athmuqam  <(>&<)> Sharda) and a town area Atmuqam.

Total population of the district is 0.19 Million. Average household size is 7 individuals, while growth rate is 2.90 %. Additionally, people with disabilities are 2.34 % male and 1.95 % female. Literacy rate of male is 64.28 % while female is 35.4%. Its geographic location (mountainous terrain), poor communication facilities and repeated Natural and Man mad disasters are the factors having significant adverse effects on economic Beside these other factors like discrimination in distribution of resources, limited livelihood opportunity, lake of awareness, poor social and physical infrastructure especially health, education, networks and alliance have equally contributed in the current situation of the area.

Like other part of country the women are traditionally been marginalized gender in our male dominant society. Beside their overburden indoor activities they are involved in outdoor laborious work that has made their life miserable. Here women have limited access to their basic rights like education, health ( basic <(>&<)> Reproductive) decision making, access to information and  relation building. Thus the voice of female (especially girls and younggirls) is always suppressed.

Inaccessibility to basic human right, the lack of sexual and reproductive health information and services has led to alarming situation in the area. Medical officers and specialist are limited to DHQ, THQ or some BHu and non-availability of lady doctors in remote areas has make the situation more vulnerable to women inreproductive age.

 Sexual and reproductive health related issues like lack of information, poor service delivery, miscarriage, death during delivery, issue of malnutrition, gapbetween youth and caretakers or poor counselling, limited knowledge and understanding of HIV/AIDS and STIs prevention, lake of decision making power especially at puberty stage, lake of formal and non-formal system for  education to youth (girls <(>&<)> Boys) on sexual and Reproductive health and rights, political interference and religious pressure are the main factor contributing in the vulnerability of youth and women in district Neelum AJK.

Youth (girls <(>&<)> boys) are caught in the web of ignorance, discrimination, frustration and confusion. The situation is even more complicatedand serious, when it comes to girls and gender disparities. Theirchances to access such information is even more restricted than boys. Hence the present challenge is to sensitize these communitiesregarding SRHR and STIs issues and to communicate and interact with youth and adolescents to provide quality counselling.

Early and forced marriages were common in district Neelum in Recent past. Currently this ratio has decreased due to youth (girls and boys) access to education, youth migration to other cities for jobs but still it#s one of the major gender inequality factors in the area. Beside lack of information, ignorance, poverty is one the factor contributing in this unjust act in our society. These alternatives may be to ensure there access to education, skills, counselling facilities, improved and effective implementation of legislation

Tofostering an enabling environment for effective citizenship and responsive governance for gender justice and SRHR rights especiallyyouth ( girls <(>&<)> Boys) andyoung women, it required involve male in this process otherwise we could not create any change in this  male dominant  society. There is a growing need to effectively address attitudes and beliefs of men and boys. Inadequate attention to men#s SRH needs,results in women mainly carrying the consequences of their family#s sexual and reproductive health. Women onlySRHR programs do nothing to challenge the misconception that men are not responsible for their own or their partner#s sexual and reproductive health and rights.  The project will develop an informed and skilled cohort of youth, caretakers and gatekeepers enabled to claim, practice and support adherence of sexual and reproductive health rights in a more favorable policy environment in DistrictNeelum.