Atrocities on women are increasing day -by- day and they are struggling to cope with gruesome attacks by male. Disabled women, especially visually disabled, are all the more disadvantaged and their handicap is being used as a convenient condition for assault and exploitation. Recent example In Bhopal, a 53 year old visually impaired woman was allegedly raped by an unidentified[Read More…]
20th March 2020, the Nirbhaya accused were hanged in the wee hours, at 5 o’ clock, and we all woke up inhaling the sense of closure. Deep down it wasn’t so oblivious that the death sentence would actually never serve as a future deterrent. But, nevertheless the perpetrators left no stone unturned to make the crime what is called ‘the[Read More…]
A particular scene in Paatal Lok, which is a series in Amazon Prime used a racist and a sexist remark on a Khasi woman calling her a “Nepali whore” (in Hindi). This was followed by uproar and petitions from Nepalies across India demanding to mute that particular line followed by an apology for the same[i]. This recent incident further triggers[Read More…]
We are living in the time of Covid-19 pandemic caused by a newly identified coronavirus. This pandemic along with collateral economic crisis has threatened human life all around the globe. However, in these tough times, there is another shadow epidemic of domestic violence, which is putting the physical and mental health of many women in Indian households in danger. The[Read More…]
Our perception of ourselves; our bodies, our relationships, our understating and, above all, our behavior comes from the complex system of rules unconsciously governing us all the time. Like the rules of the popular sport cricket enable, constitute and control the identity of a cricketer, so does the rules of a culture discipline our collective behavior. On transgressing the organized[Read More…]
Two years back a little girl, Asifa Bano, was abducted, raped and murderd in india, where the people are so keen on emphasizing their culture and moral values in everything from salt to camphor. The cold blooded murder of the young Muslim girl is and always will be a shame! The realities and the aftermath of this case will haunt[Read More…]
Growing up in urban India, in an English-medium boys-only school run by Jesuits, I had access to all the English-language novels and comic-books that Indian kids do – Enid Blyton, Archies etc. Immersed in their world of boarding schools, “Riverdale High” etc, the one thing I never really got was the idea of lockers and locker-rooms, which were depicted in[Read More…]
Co-Written by Shilpi Shikha Phukan, Rinzing Ongmu Sherpa and Garima Rath. Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic depression, another issue that hit the internet recently is the ‘bois locker room’ controversy. Bois Locker Room, a closed Instagram page of elite South Delhi school-boys uploaded explicit sexual content of minor girls, objectifying women bodies to the extent of normalizing rape culture. The Delhi[Read More…]
The Story “Bois Locker Room” is a private instagram group of young teenage school boys, aged between 13 and 17 of prominent schools in Delhi. This group seems to have started as a meme group on Instagram – one of those fun groups where teenagers bond by exchanging jokes, silly videos and more. By the time it had around 50[Read More…]
How many of you can even imagine living 24×7 under the same roof as your abuser with the constant fear of what he (in rare cases she) might do next to hurt you? How would it feel when coughing results in merciless beating or throwing you out of the house on suspicion of COVID symptoms or your partner constantly meting[Read More…]
A third of Indian women cover up the signs of Domestic violence While the entire world is under the grip of COVID 19 thrashing human lives, some people are still doing their prey. In a time, when people are coming together to help each other, cases of domestic violence is still on the front-foot and for many victims it[Read More…]
The United Nations (UN) data estimates that 168 million people worldwide will need assistance in 2020 to deal with humanitarian crises, including natural disasters, extreme climate events, conflicts and infectious disease outbreaks. 25% of these will be women and girls of reproductive age. And they are the ones who are disproportionately affected during any humanitarian disaster – from being more[Read More…]
COVID-19 has imposed mandatory lockdowns in many countries including India. However, since the lockdown has been imposed, attention is being focused on its economic repercussions and on providing food and shelter to poor and migrants. But the pandemic has exposed vulnerabilities and created challenges at other fronts too. More specifically, women’s lack of autonomy in the patriarchal homes is further[Read More…]
The world is facing a health emergency of COVID- 19 which has forced to take some anomalous steps to save human life from this deadly virus. Humans are making efforts to adjust in this uncanny situation. Though this virus is equally dangerous for all of us but a section of society is even adversely affected because of the systematically organized[Read More…]
About 2,000 + members from transgender community and few allies across India wrote to the Union Home, Finance & Social Justice Ministries seeking Special Package for Covid Lockdown. Demanding subsistence allowance, rationkits, health support & protection from eviction. Assert rights as per NALSA. Letter welcomes NISD support but points out that interim relief of Rs. 1,500 / – covered[Read More…]
Co-Written by Priyanka Singh & Sujeet Singh What haunts more these days is not the Monster disease called Covid-19, but the harrowing position of the women in the middle of this Pandemic Era. It remains a poisonous truth of our society, that the women in the 21st century has still not got the same status as men. The degraded state of[Read More…]
“I told you Shakespeare had a sister, but She died young—alas, she never wrote a word. Now my belief is that this poet who never wrote a word lives in you and me, and in many other women who are not here tonight, for they are washing up the dishes and putting the children to bed”. Virginia Woolf A patient[Read More…]
In No Exit, the translated title of Jean-Paul Sartre’s play, Huis Clos, three deceased characters find themselves in a room, ostensibly in Hell, in what transpires as a permanent wait. Locked after being ushered in by a valet, with quite literally no means of escape, they are confronted with each other’s moods, lies and eventual confessions. Sadism, cowardice and mendacity[Read More…]
I am a 29 year old professional who has been staying away from home from the last 11 years. Being very much conscious about academics, studies, grades and future, I had always focused on my education and knowledge gaining. Even now, when we are all in the lockdown phase, I keep myself more engrossed in publication works, blog/article writing, reading[Read More…]
Co-Written by Shruti Sharma & Bikash Sarma The horrendous outbreak of SARS-CoV-2, and the sequence of ‘phantasmagoric’ events for the last few months, paved the way for strands of thinking and genres of debates on modernity, the networks of nature/culture, on quarantine–physical and social isolation, palliative measures, a virulent nature of bio-politics, the state of exception – and ways of[Read More…]
Before I found myself “sheltering in place,” this article was to be about women’s actions around the world to mark March 8th, International Women’s Day. From Pakistan to Chile, women in their millions filled the streets, demanding that we be able to control our bodies and our lives. Women came out in Iraq and Kyrgyzstan, Turkey and Peru, the Philippines and Malaysia. In some[Read More…]
With more and more people staying home due to covid-19 causing concern for entirely different problem like ” domestic violence”. WHO refers domestic violence as a violence ,abuse and intimidation between people who are currently or have previously been in an intimate relationship . The perpetrator uses violence to control and dominate the other person. This causes fear , physical[Read More…]
Co-Written by Prashastika Sharma and Neeraj K On March 22nd at 5 pm, India witnessed a spectacular event applauding doctors, frontline workers and other essential service delivery personnel. It was nothing we have witnessed before in the name of unity and gratitude in contemporary India. Noteworthy, it was requested by the Prime Minister. We have been now put under a national[Read More…]
During the first few decades of the feminist movement, it was assumed that women as a social group, as a political constituency could organise themselves as a unified entity in order for them to give voice to their demands. Underlying this assumption was the belief that women’s oppression was a more or less universal fact and so there was a[Read More…]
Puta Bhatta Jataka. The Buddha himself had narrated this story to a married couple. He had waited for them ‘like a hunter on the trail’ in his monastery cell in Jetvana, wishing to teach the husband a few lessons in gender equity. I read the Buddha’s skeletal story of his past birth enough times to know every word of it.[Read More…]
“I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have achieved”. (BR. Ambedkar) In the remembrance of the International Women’s Day, Sarojini Naidu Centre for women’s studies, Jamia Millia Islamia has organized 6th Sarojini Naidu annual memorial lecture on the theme of “Creation and Dissemination of Feminist Knowledge” on 3rd March 2020 at Jamia,[Read More…]
25 years after the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action set out a clear path on how to achieve gender equality, the world has witnessed remarkable progress. However, the Report of the UN Secretary-General on the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action points out that violence against women and girls remains pervasive. And, this is not just a gender gap[Read More…]
“If you educate a man, you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman, you educate a whole nation: – Dr James Emman Kwegyir Aggrey International women’s day is to be celebrated on 8-March this year with a theme of “Generations Equality’’ across the world. It is a worldwide event that celebrates the concernments and achievements of women all over the world.[Read More…]
We live in a world where strong visuals fill our brains through screens that surround us at all times. As such it becomes impossible to prevent the inception of an idea that may or may not have the potential to influence our psyche. In most cases visuals do leave a profound impact on how we perceive the world. These visuals[Read More…]
#Gender equality, #women’s empowerment & rights-based access to #SRHR are key for #SDGs | #APCRSHR10Watch this video on YouTube The Nairobi Statement endorsed to mark 25 years of the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD25) gives renewed hope and stronger thrust to gender equity and human rights. Achieving universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights[Read More…]
Beauty provokes harassment, the law says, but it looks through men’s eyes when deciding what provokes it. ~ Naomi Wolf As an Indian, I should be proud of my country and yes, I am proud of this land but what I’m not proud of are the civilians of this country. India became India when it had the concept of romance[Read More…]
Last month, as hundreds of thousands of people showed up for the Women’s March in Washington, D.C., a few miles from my home, I was at a karate dojo testing for my first belt. My fellow practitioners, ranging in age from five into their seventies, looked on as I hammered my fist through a two-inch piece of wood. The words of one[Read More…]
The differential ways in which our society reacts to the death of a patriarch and a housewife manifest categorically the extent to which patriarchy and the associated hierarchy cut across various facets of our day-to-day life. Incidentally, the orthodox social wisdom views the death of even the elderly male head of a family as a greater loss than that of[Read More…]
Women around the world, regardless of their status, nationality, color, are at a constant state of war with the patriarchy, a war that has been raging since the Agricultural Revolution and that has its roots deeply embedded in property relations. Rapes are the by-products of that war, patriarchy’s trophies won in shameless battles. And,as long aswe would not acknowledge the[Read More…]
It is a general observation that I am having over the past few days as an individual and as a woman in general. Women, I had observed over the years (with my mother and aunts), never really wish or thrive to take the front seat for anything, how much educated they may be! Women tend to be satisfied with the[Read More…]
I have lived in three Indian cities until now. Guwahati; my hometown, New Delhi; for higher studies, and Mumbai; as a research scholar. The question that lingers in my mind, no matter where I am is, “where is my safe space?” or “where can I go without feeling scared/observed?” This is absolutely a menacing fact. The girls or women facing[Read More…]
I often remember the female protagonist of the novel – Milkman by Anna Burns (Man Booker Prize for Fiction 2018). She was sexually harassed by a man when she would be walking while reading. A woman, with a book is an image that is one of the most infuriating sights to patriarchy. In that case, we can only imagine the[Read More…]
The horrendous rape and murder of Hyderabad’s vet doctor has again brought into light the dirty realities of our life that women remain the most vulnerable in India. The incidents of brutal rapes are fact of life here where leaders never get tired of sermonizing us of our ‘glorious’ past when women were regarded as ‘goddess’ and what not. Somehow[Read More…]
As an international student in UC-Berkeley who has only been in the United States for just over a month, my journey has not only been geographical, from Nanjing, China to Berkeley, USA, but also philosophical and intellectual. When going through the course offerings list, my attention was drawn by a seminar called “Intimate Partner Violence and the Law.” This was[Read More…]
October: its pumpkin spice lattes, its sweater weather, and its spooky Halloween. For a day, or even days if you count “Halloweekend” (or more appropriately “Halloweekends”), you can pretend to be someone or something else. You can escape your reality and dive head-first into a world of manufactured fear: laughing at every non-threatening jump scare, watching all too similar horror[Read More…]
I think that the greatest sin the powers that be, whatever and whoever those powers are or have been, have committed is the destruction of human potential. I believe that each of us is born with our own self defining potentials. In positive and supporting environments, these potentials can be realized. In negative and destructive environments, these potentials are unrealizable[Read More…]
Section 375 is an intense and layered courtroom drama revolving around the dialectics of justice and law. The movie comes at the time when the sensitization around the gender issues are seen to be taking their due space and the movie leaves the one thinking about the tenability of that same space. This movie is a profusion of debates around[Read More…]
How many Shovas have to endure violence, severe torture and sometimes death when extortionary dowry demands cannot be met? How many monstrous husbands and in-laws will abuse and kill innocent young women because their parents cannot pay the dowry amount to the husbands or to their families? Despite anti-dowry laws in Bangladesh, such crimes are unabated. This has been[Read More…]
Marx’s dialectical materialist philosophy rests on the axiom that humans have needs and desires the satisfaction of which exist outside themselves. Thus, humans must ‘go over’ into an “other” to find self satisfaction.. That “other” is on the one hand, nature, and on the other hand, others of their species. Because, according to Marx, man is by nature a social[Read More…]
Co-Written by Pooja Kalita and Prithiraj Borah “As a woman, I have no country. As a woman, I want no country. As a woman, my country is the whole world.” These famous words by Virginia Woolf perfectly fit the present political situation prevailing throughout the world. Assam too is no exception, as it seems to be perpetually engulfed in a[Read More…]
Much has been written about the excitement of Hindu Nationalist men at the prospect of being able to marry Kashmiri “girls”, but a question still remains. Why in the world would Kashmiri “girls”,or at least those interested in boys, want that – especially in light of the hotness quotient of Kashmiri men? This could well be damned as a politically[Read More…]
A friend had asked– What about gender discrimination in the valley? Can you guarantee that after Kashmiris are given Azaadi, violence against women would stop in the region?” The questions presume that Indians troops are occupying Kashmir because of Kashmiri-driven discrimination against women. Those new in the feminist theory would fall in the trap set by the Indian state and[Read More…]
[Source: gaylaxymag.com] Last month, while researching on Sex Worker’s rights movements in India for an academic project, I came across some extremely disturbing incidents mentioned by VAMP (Veshya Anyay Mukti Parishad) and other online articles describing the plight of Sex Worker’s in our country. One of the most glaring incidents mentioned by them was of a sex worker with speech[Read More…]
At a very young age, I learned about gender inequality that pervades our society. I was just six when my sister was born and my elation knew no bounds. However, I was bewildered that my sister was not welcomed with excitement and enthusiasm by some. Back then, I wasn’t able to comprehend the mocking gibes made by the conservative sundry[Read More…]
Background LGBTIQ community has been one of the marginalized communities in the world history that has been suffering from disgrace and exclusionfor a long time. There are around 70 countries where members from the LGBTIQ community are criminalized because of which they are not able to participate in the development of their country. These acts have resulted in several protests[Read More…]
Earlier to the mid-nineteenth century, the government influenced the powers delegated and was quite opaque and transgressing towards the rights of women. Only when the men began to speak up against the evil, oppressing practices to be followed by the women of India, like “Sati”, started the First-wave of The Feminist Movement in India. It was later joined by the[Read More…]
Caste, class, and religion are not determinants of a happy marriage, do not let these aspects come in the way of your children’s happiness. Ask any parent if they love their children unconditionally and you are bound to get a confused stare, and probably followed by a retort like, “What kind of a question is that?” Most parents love their[Read More…]
Most of the women in conservative environment spend all their time in service of men; especially to their husbands ― Making them breads, meal, chae, coffee in return they get abuse, subjugation, beating, rape (my husband), & insults. They will rarely give them daily or monthly remuneration as prescribed by God and when do so, that too with insulting remarks[Read More…]
The Personal Is Still Political – And It’s Planetary, Too I have never said this publicly before, but in December 1974 I had an abortion. I was 22 years old, living in a cold, dark house in Portland, Oregon, spending my days huddled in front of a wood stove trying to finish my undergraduate senior thesis. I did not want[Read More…]
Writing `herstory’ has never been an easy process in a male-dominated world where sexism, bigotry racism, casteism and fascism all have been used in an unimaginative way by the free market economy in congruence with the fascists forces to undermine democratic processes. The trio of totalitarian state, free market and increasing fundamentalism is giving new reasons to dissent every day.[Read More…]
In analyzing economic data, various sectors like industry, agriculture, services, etc are taken into account. But domestic work done by women is rarely ‘measured’ by analysts. A woman getting up early to make ready food for working husbands is very valuable but it does not figure in the estimates relating to economic figures. Some estimates In an article ( Women’s[Read More…]
In Bangladesh incidents of loot, plunder, enforced disappearances, breakdown of rule of law, extra-judicial killings, deaths and injuries in road accidents through reckless driving have become parts of daily news. Lately, news of audacious rapes, abductions of girls and women and sexual harassments in almost all parts of the country are also becoming common occurrences these days. Spates of horrifying[Read More…]
Co-Written by Meer Abass & Aurangzeb Arif ” to ask the victim what lies beneath the misery “ ” They say , I was never a part of this world ‘ Ever been to lanes of mockery, then you find what it takes the decorum of disgrace. The infamous rape of a girl child by the demonic 50 year old[Read More…]
Though small in number, transgender community is an integral part of the country. But when elections take place, they are not even considered by most political parties to contest. The first transgender candidate from India’s westernmost state for the Lok Sabha Jaysawal Naresh Babulal said that she would contest the elections eventhough she was forced to register as a male.[Read More…]
The famous Ghanian proverb attributed to the Ghanian scholar James Emmanuel Kwegyir- Aggrey “If you educate a man you educate an individual, but if you educate a women you educate a family” sheds light on how women were traditionally denied education. This maxim advocates for creating new opportunities for women by expanding their social space, but within the ideology of[Read More…]
For a number of years now I’ve been confounded by watching many of the straight upper-middle class women in the United States appearing to slide backwards in time into much more traditional roles. Why do so many women still do the heavy lifting of childcare, grocery shopping, housekeeping and cooking? Why do so many of them put the needs of[Read More…]
India celebrated another International Women’s Day on 8th March, with great enthusiasm and talked about the achievements of women in our country. Like a structured repeated event, much was discussed on how we can do more to empower our women, make India a women-friendly nation and our successes towards women empowerment. Nothing short of rhetoric and situational lip service, the[Read More…]
On International Women’s Day (8 March) the Western-dominated celebrations have laudably used the occasion to praise women’s achievements and to press for women’s rights, a more gender-balanced world, equal pay, equal parliamentary representation, gender equality, “Me too” activism, and an end to sexism, discrimination and violence against women. However, palpably ignored in this praiseworthy activism are the horrible and massive[Read More…]
![At the 2018 International Summit for Women in the Struggle called by the Zapatistas. The mural reads: “Capitalism converts everything, absolute everything into commodities. For it [capitalism] we women are propaganda, decorations…Down with this capitalist system!” Photo credit: Global Justice Now/Flickr/CC 2.0](https://countercurrents.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/zaptistas-200x150.jpg)
Women’s rights are at a tipping point. Rural and urban women workers on the frontlines of climate chaos experience the most acute violations of their rights to land, food, and territory at this time of escalating hunger and malnutrition, and steady erosion of democracies.Around the world, these women are taking the patriarchy to task, while healing the environment – all[Read More…]
Is the situation dismal? In a survey of experts done in 2018, India ranks as the world’s most dangerous country for women. It had ranked 4th in the same survey done 7 years ago. The Global Gender Gap Index 2017 by the World Economic Forum placed India at 108 position out of 144 countries benchmarked on the basis of gender[Read More…]
All lives have equal value. No matter where they live on the planet. No matter what state, city, and country you’re born in, whether you are male, female. – Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation The Gate s Foundation captures in it mission goal the true spiritual concept of human creation. But today we know that not all lives have[Read More…]
“There will be a time, when tourists will come to India to visit the colourful toilets”, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at the Swachch Shakthi -2019 awards ceremony. The Swachch Bharat Campaign,’clean toilets’ target, Swachch Sundar Shauchalaya contest, have all raised an active debate around what toilets we should be able to use. On an average, a person uses the[Read More…]
A plethora of articles have found space surrounding the recent comments made by Hardik Pandya on the popular television show, Koffee with Karan which has landed him into trouble in the cricket world. Although his cricket future does not seem to be in jeopardy at the moment, his comments come at a very crucial cross road of the increased awareness[Read More…]
Abstract In 2012 when Nirbhaya had been raped brutally in a moving bus in Delhi, the massive protest that went for several days could awake the then government which then constituted the Justice Verma Committee and made amendments in the criminal laws relating to rape. However, in January 2018, the socio-political situation is completely altered. Ironically, a Hindutva government is[Read More…]
Let me warn you this article is not for kids because kids in India are not supposed to read all these ‘ashlil vichaar’. Are you looking for a post supporting your misogynist thoughts ? Wait! Well, you are at the wrong place because this article will disappoint you. Recently, a Kolkata professor took to social media to teach young boys[Read More…]
“Untouchability is a crime against god and humanity,” said the Mahatma, the father of our nation. And untouchability is a crime in India. But Sabarimala temple in Kerala has been practising gender untouchability long since by imposing selective ban on menstruating women and the quite positive and progressive verdict of Supreme Court on Sept. 28, 2018 put an end to this selective[Read More…]
“Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people. The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness”. ~ Karl Marx. If we stand on the platform that Marx established then we can[Read More…]
Being from the male gender gathering information and taking a surveillance from the social networks on the obscene attacks over the female gender is easy but at the same time it is quite sadist for the mind and body. Social networks like Facebook, Twitter etc., though have been made to initiate connection but at the same time it has facilitated[Read More…]
Back in December 2012, all of us were filled with anger, frustration and willing to change society just immediately. It was a reaction after reading, talking and thinking about what happened in New Delhi and later to be called as the “Nirbhaya Case”. I was residing in Oslo as a student and wrote an article with another Indian friend who[Read More…]
The word abortion has been abominable to Catholic Church for centuries and the theological views on abortion from catholic perspective always painted abortion as a heinous moral sin. In tracing the Christian antipathy on abortion in the church history, it become rather an ironic factor[Read More…]
One of the major goals to be achieved in Sustainable development goals (SDG) policy by countries globally is ‘ food security.’ The UNDP made a ‘ universal call to action to end poverty , protect the planet , and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity’ in the year 2016 and India was one of the countries which agreed[Read More…]
“We say who, we say when, we say how much…” These are the words of Kit a minor character explaining to Vivienne( played by Julia Roberts) in the movie Pretty Woman about the nuances of their trade. Both of them are prostitutes. The dialogue sounds terrific, very empowering and…absolutely unrealistic. But movies are havens of escapist comfort and as we[Read More…]
tr Lakhs of women across the world, including in the developed western countries, rallied and joined demonstrations, to mark the UN’s International Day for Elimination of Violence Against Women on November 24. It is well known that patriarchy reigns around the world, East or West, and irrespective of religion, and irrespective of caste in India and South Asia, with variation[Read More…]
The # MeToo movement may have started out in the West but in the true spirit of ‘ sisterhood’ it has managed to draw in women set apart at least geographically…In India the first salvo was fired by Tanushree Dutta, an actor in the Indian film industry, who naturally was counter questioned by every passionate, concerned patriarchal voice who thought[Read More…]
To mark the International Day to Eliminate Violence Against Women (IDEVAW) and 16 Days of Activism (25 November to 10 December), public sector unions launched a campaign to demand paid leave for all survivors of domestic violence. This is a part of efforts to strengthen labour laws and policies that can help stop violence and harassment. “While the #MeToo movement[Read More…]
Smash Brahmanical Patriarchy has created a lot of hurt among the ‘liberal’ brahmins while the hardcore are threatening twitter to apologise. A privileged brahmin journalist wrote that it has become a norm to ‘blame’ brahmins who are a ‘minority’ community. She compared attacking brahmanism to Nazi treatment to jews during Hitler’s regime. If I am not wrong, Hitler was never[Read More…]
“We’re committing Twitter to help increase the collective health, openness, and civility of public conversation, and to hold ourselves publicly accountable towards progress” – says the pinned tweet of Jack Dorsey, CEO of Twitter Inc. It appears grand, socially sensitive and super cool. A giant social media platform ‘committed’ to ‘public conversation’ for the sake of ‘progress’? That’s just wow.[Read More…]
This is a story that needs a little background because as the story the background is equally important. I went to Oslo in 2010 to study a Master program at the Oslo University College (now Oslo Metropolitan University). Like any other European city, a lot of international students go to study in Oslo (and in Norway). Because of my inclination[Read More…]
While sifting through my Instagram feeds, I accidently stumbled upon a weird video of the actress Rakhi Sawant in which she wears a chain and a lock around her waist. In the video, she mocks every other woman coming out with the stories of the sexual abuse suffered at the hands of men and disparagingly suggests women to wear a[Read More…]
The courageous all-India Me-too campaign has nailed powerful male personalities ranging from film directors and actors to media journalists and political leaders. I expect the veteran Congress politician Renuka Chowdhury to join the campaign, since according to her own account she had suffered sexist remarks from no less a person than India’s present Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu. To recount, in March [Read More…]
From Hindu Code Bill to Sabarimala via Roop Kanwar ’s Sati — keeping women subjugated under the cloak of tradition It was mid-eighties when a eighteen year old Roop Kanwar’s burning on the pyre of her husband – under controversial circumstances – had made national headlines. There was national outrage over the incident because more than 150 years after the[Read More…]
In the centuries old struggle for justice and dignity, the question of women has always been at the centre, because in spite of forming half of humanity, they have always been wronged by the other half of it. Condemned as weak and inferior, their role was at most, that of being vassals to their self-proclaimed superiors. In our part of[Read More…]
The controversy on women’s entry to the Sabarimala temple has once again drawn attention to the intricacies of social change. One speaks of social change in general, not merely of gender equality. One cannot but support the aspiration for equality that Sabarimala represents. But one is also left with the impression that it is one more case of people from[Read More…]
This is a rare phase in history where women are fearlessly voicing their rights despite the obstacles raised by male chauvinists. While many people are applauding the movements some are either deriding or expressing some apprehensions. The movements have not only brought out tales of exploitation of women but also exposed caste contradiction and communal discrimination to the fore. As[Read More…]
The ongoing #MeToo revelations have rattled the Kerala society and taken down some names with it. Prominent among them are veteran journalist and resident of The Hindu in Kerala, C.Gouridasan Nair, the co-founder and secretary of India’s Kochi-Muziris Biennale, Riyas Komu and poet A. Ayyappan. Gouridasan Nair was relieved of his duties and forced to go on leave after Delhi[Read More…]
Over the past two week, #MeToo has bared some powerful men in Indian media and entertainment industry over alleged sexual misconduct, assault and harassment, however it is important to look at, a crowd sourced List of Sexual Harassment Accused (LoSha) made public exactly a year ago in October 2017, when the #MeToo campaign actually kicked off in India. The List[Read More…]
The Minister has spoken about her #metoo. Yes, in 2004 it was the two female ministers who did a #metoo when they thought that Mrs Sonia Gandhi might become the prime minister of the country. Ms Sushma Swaraj and Ms Uma Bharati threatened that if that happen that they would live like ‘widows’ by shaving their head and doing so[Read More…]
India is witnessing the crucial change where a few women courageously came out with their experience of sexual harrassment they have faced at their work placeand shared with the hastag #MeToo on the social media. Though, their number is small, yet the movement is reaching and spreading out. Still, what is being shared is just the tip of iceberg. There[Read More…]
Last year when more than 70 women came out with allegations of sexual harassment against celebrated movie producer Harvey Weinstein, the #MeToo Movement originally started by Tarana Burke succeeded in grabbing headlines. But Weinstein was not the only one who faced such accusations. Many other actors were accused of sexual harassment. Some like Kevin Spacey of House of Cards fame[Read More…]
Before we talk and discuss these perceivably status quo challenging movements, we are loud and clear that we have no contention in expressing full sympathies for every woman on the globe who undergo traumatic experiences due to their contact with the respective interaction points with Male chauvinists. This #MeToo movement is actually a movement imported from west started a year[Read More…]
Not a single one of us can’t say Me Too. Not once, twice or thrice, Each of us were several times. I was a little girl of seven, buying a loaf of bread Some uncle came from the back, Pressed his crotch in my butt crack. I squirmed and looked at others for help, With their business as usual[Read More…]
For the last few days, #MeToo movement has picked up momentum and many women are coming out with horrific tales of severe harassment in their past lives. They are not afraid anymore to expose famous persons including those at ministerial levels. As a senior journalist Neeraja Chowdhury opined ( An exit, a beginning, updated October 18, 2018, indianexpress.com), ” The[Read More…]
The persistence of ‘Me Too’ as used by Tarana Burke in 2006, was to endow women through empathy, mainly young and helpless women. In October 2017, Alyssa Milano refreshed using the catchphrase as a #tagMeToo, to help reveal the extent of problems with sexual harassment and assault by displayinghow many people have faced these events by themselves.Several #tags about sharing stories of[Read More…]
International Day of Rural Women–15 October The empowerment of rural women and girls is essential to building a prosperous equitable and peaceful future for all on a healthy planet — UN Secretary-General, António Guterres Gender inequality is not only a pressing moral and social issue but also a critical economic challenge. India has a larger relative economic value at stake[Read More…]
It is good enough rather necessary, requisite and a need of hour that women have came forward to report the cases of sexual harassment. It is indeed a step towards women empowerment. This campaign should have proceeded and contined with an aim and object to create awareness among women and make them feel empowered by registering such cases in police[Read More…]
Indian media has few pet topics that come with its own season. The universal themes for such season are Indian Muslims, Kashmir and Pakistan. Rape is another topic that has its own season though it comes in daily doses. Breaking the monotony of seasonal news feed a ‘new season’ has now in Indian media. This is allegation of sexual[Read More…]
Sexual assault and abuse have happened to me seven times. The incidents all took place when I was younger. They occurred when I was eighteen years old and in my twenties. One: I was on a rush hour subway in Manhattan. I felt a gooey sticky wad of something hit the backs of my legs. It was sperm from a[Read More…]
In a recent New York Times column, Jennifer Weiner plumbed the depths of her fury at the lifetime of patriarchal insult and injury faced by her and all women. But rather than aim her fury at ending sexual assault, violence against women, and the system that gives rise to it, she plunges headlong into a gruesome, small-minded vision of revenge.[Read More…]
Co-Written by Boddu Srujana & Boddu Bhaskar It’s been a long journey which we often hear about actors coming out on the existence of casting couch in film industries. Just earlier, in the past year did we come across on allegations of sexual harassment against the Hollywood film magnate Harvey Weinstein. Several actresses and artists came upfront in detailing the[Read More…]
September 6th, 2018 will perhaps be memorable in the history of socio-political struggles in India, not only as an achievement of LGBTIQKHA+ organising and movement, but as a legitimization of principles of democracy, the fundamental rights of equality, justice and freedom. Freedom of choice, right to form ‘companionships’, ‘be it physical, mental, sexual emotional’ (all quotes from Navtej Singh Johar[Read More…]
Beset with allegation of sexual abuse of minors by its clergy from around the world, Catholic Church is facing an unprecedented protest in Kerala, India. A group of nuns are on a week long protest in Kochi demanding justice for a fellow nun who was raped by the Jalandhar Bishop Franco Mulakkal. It’s the first time in the history of[Read More…]
On September 6, 2018, the Supreme Court of India in a historic judgment Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India heralded a new dawn for the personal liberty in India as it decriminalised section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. It is thought to be a major victory for the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community in India. It did[Read More…]
Supreme Court of India has ruled to decriminalise gay sex, in an historic and unanimous verdict handed down by a five-judge panel that will have a profound impact both here in India and across the world. The court ruled that consensual sex between adults of any gender was no longer deemed a crime. Until now, gay sex had been punishable[Read More…]
The conjugal act—the act of sexual intercourse—bring humanity into existence and sets in motion the next generations of society. Healthy societies maintain their stability by channeling the sexual energies of young adults into marriage, an institution that legitimizes sexual intercourse, protects the children that are the fruit of intercourse, and channels the giving and receiving of sexual pleasure in a[Read More…]
Haya Nahin Hai Zamane Ki Ankh Mein Baqi Khuda Kare Ke Jawani Teri Rahe Be-Dagh (Iqbal) Violence against woman is a universal phenomenon. The main idea behind this article is to see the multiple forms of violence against women prevalent in our society. Resorting to cruel treatment like sexual assault against her done by her brother-in-law, father-in-law, cousin,[Read More…]
#ALLWOMENBLEED a hashtag coined by prabha raj @deepsealioness on twitter sets the mood for these words that flow through … The capacity and strength of a woman to be herself standing tall in her femininity has been made wrong since time immemorial ! Against all odds whether it be mythology or fact it has been a woman who takes blame[Read More…]
Jabbar Patel’s ” Subah ” in Hindi & ” Umbartha ” in Marathi was a film, which won many awards. In that movie, Smita Patil plays the role of the in charge of a shelter home for women. She discovers that a local MLA has been abusing the inmates of the home for his lust.Umbartha was released way back in 1982. Jabbar Patel knew, about the[Read More…]
Co-Written by Snehil Kunwar Singh & Bhaskar Kumar A Constitution bench of the Supreme Court (SC) comprising of 5-judges headed by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Dipak Misra is examining the constitutional validity of S.497 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). This 158-year-old criminal provision is said to be archaic which promotes gender inequality and patriarchy. It reads, “Whosoever[Read More…]
Co-Written by Snehil Kunwar Singh & Bhaskar Kumar Few days ago, the All India Muslim Personal Board (AIMPLB) expressed its desire to establish Darul-Qaza (Sharia courts) in all districts of the country in order to provide speedy adjudication in matters of Muslim men and women as per the Islamic laws. The Government of India rejected the request by AIMPLB. In[Read More…]
Co-Written by Bhaskar Kumar & Snehil Kunwar Singh A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court (SC) comprising CJI Dipak Misra and Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud are to conclude hearing on a PIL seeking complete ban on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Practice of FGM also known as ‘Khatna’ is highly prevalent among Dawoodi Bohra community among Muslim Shia. Also[Read More…]
‘I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection’ Sigmund Freud Condemning rapes and harassment of women has become a routine with increase of these cases over the years. Among the ten countries reporting incidents of rape, nations like America, Canada, Sweden and UK appear in the list ( wonderlist.com ,Ejaz Khan).[Read More…]
Today was the day many of us have been waiting for since 2013. That was the year the Supreme Court re-criminalised homosexuality. That case was set to be re-opened today with much anticipation. Petitioner for the respondents advocate Mr. Rohatgi and advocate Dattar represented the side of those appealing for reading down of IPC Section 377. In 2013 the SC[Read More…]
Starting on the 10th of July, the hearings on four important constitutional cases shall begin in the Supreme Court of India. Joseph Shine v. Union of India, one of the four cases, pertains to the constitutional validity of the Adultery Law in India. In this context, it becomes pertinent to revisit the Adultery Law in India and the judicial and[Read More…]
Since the stirring of “second wave” feminism a half century ago, the movement has become progressively more inclusive and systemic. Early on, Marxist-feminists argued that true women’s liberation required transcending both patriarchy and capitalism, and thus a politics at once feminist and anti-classist was essential. Soon, they, too, were challenged to broaden their theory and practice to acknowledge oppressions arising[Read More…]
With women entering job market, sexual abuse and harassment has increased. But, many women choose to keep ‘ silent ‘ on their exploitation by male higher authorities and management or superiors. This is mainly due to fear of job safety, undermined by their own colleagues and lack of support if they come out openly. Punam Sehgal and Aastha Dang (2017)[Read More…]
Suchitra Dey, formerly known as Hiranmey Dey, underwent a sex-reassignment surgery last year. She has an MA degree in Geography as well as in English and has also done her B.Ed. She teaches in a private school in Kolkata. In a recent interview, she talked to The Indian Express about her job interview experiences with some schools around Kolkata. Recounting[Read More…]
As atrocities on women are rising, it is becoming increasing unsafe for women to live without fear. The foindings of a global perception poll conducted by Thomson Reuters Foundation, a charity which surveyed 558 experts on women’s issues in order to assess nations on overall safety of women found that India is the least safe country. ( Tish Sanghera, June[Read More…]
The cult of 56 inches does not symbolize courage or strength, it portrays toxic masculinity. And toxic masculinity is not normal.It must be resisted. When Simon de Beauvoir[1] wrote about becoming women’ she was referring to the notion of social construction of a person as a woman. Similarly, masculinity is also related to the notion of becoming aman’ in a[Read More…]
Why do we deny it? Why do we accept it? Why is it so prevalent? Molestation by a known person is widely prevalent and is somehow, unfortunately acceptable and is considered unavoidable in family structures. As a victim of this heinous act, you can cry out to your mother or husband or friend about it…. And they will all either[Read More…]
Swami Vivekananda Kerala a ‘lunatic asylum’ 125 years ago because of its stringent caste system. It seems it holds true in more than one sense after the ‘honour killing’ of a young dalit bridegroom, Kevin P. Joseph, in Kottayam. Kevin and Neenu, a second year B.Com student had got married at a civil marriage ceremony on May 24. Neenu’s family[Read More…]
Holding on to the assumptions and apprehensions tightly may deny us, many a times, the opportunity to assess the concerns and constructive possibilities that lie ahead. This specially holds relevance in many domains of economic policy making in a development paradigm which require us to construct multidimensional, holistic approaches that not only go beyond the obvious but takes into account[Read More…]
“But my favourite colour is pink Mamma”, he said with pleading eyes for the umpteenth time. “I know, but blue is such a lovely colour. And grey, black, green are also so nice”, she tried persuading him. “No, I like pink and purple. I want to buy those pink shoes”, he persisted. “Pink is a very girlie colour, you know.[Read More…]
Now – a- days, the news of rapes and other forms of atrocities have become daily routine. While the number of crimes is rising, number of arrests, let alone convictions, is not increasing. Women and girls are losing confidence in the system. They are being abused in public by male with impunity. If one goes by the ruling of Chattisgarh[Read More…]
Dear Asifa, I have lost count of the endless letters I have written in my mind’s note pad to you since last month. There were so many moments when thoughts about you, the special life you led in the short time you lived and the memories shared by your parents and friends made me want to talk to you. But[Read More…]
“Witch-hunting is a modern phenomenon with ancient roots. We are perhaps familiar of people being branded as witches in medieval times when certain people were labelled as ‘witches’ and executed across Europe, Africa and Asia. The victims included Joan of Arc, who was burnt alive at the stake, at the age of 19 for heresy, on 30 May 1431.” But[Read More…]
Like every day, the narrow lane was filled with the loud laughter and giggles of the children running around that evening. Just like every other big society or play area, there were two groups among the children, those who played the rugged games… mostly boys and a rare girl or two and the girls gang with a rare boy. Yasha,[Read More…]
Now – a- days, the news of rapes and other forms of atrocities have become daily routine. While the number of crimes is rising, number of arrests, let alone convictions, is not increasing. Women and girls are losing confidence in the system. They are being abused in public by male with impunity. If one goes by the ruling of [Read More…]
Many parents unknowingly deprive their sons of pure and selfless love after a certain age. A son, unfortunately, is often treated like an asset, an investment or ‘an adhikar’. And a few things done for him are somewhere, unwittingly motivated by the selfish desire for a return on the emotional or monetary investment. Phrases like ‘shravan kumar’ and ‘agyakari beta’[Read More…]
The question of sexual violence, its systemic nature, its links to political power, its role in nation and community building – have all been thrown back to us with the rape and murder of 8-year old Asifa Bano in January this year. What followed the filing of the chargesheet and arrest of the accused has again made clear the Hindu[Read More…]
Republishing a letter written to a friend abroad enquiring about the horrific gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student in the Indian capital New Delhi five years ago. Nothing has really changed in India since then it seems, going by the continuing spree of rape – including by self-styled religious ‘Godmen’. Dear Joanna, Thanks for your letter. Yes,[Read More…]
“Chachi, you are so lucky ya. I must say you really married a handsome hunk.” chirped Sonia. “Your boys are so cute and fair and handsome, just like Chacha.” Meenal had heard this so many times before. In the fifteen years of her marriage, she had heard similar statements from friends, family and mere acquaintances a thousand times. Actually no.[Read More…]
We strongly condemn the recent incidents of rape and sexual violence in the country: the rape of an 8-year old girl in Kathua, Jammu, of a 15-year old in Unnao, UP, of a tea-shop owner as well as 15 year old girl in Meghalaya, of an 11-year old girl in Surat, Gujarat, a 15-year old in Faridabad whose corpse was[Read More…]
The cry seeking justice for Asifa is becoming stronger and deeper. From Delhi to the United Nations, from social and civil rights organizations to civil society citizens, more and more people are out on the streets shouting slogans and demanding justice for Asifa. The social media is parading her pictures, right from happier times to the horrifying end; protesters unfurl their[Read More…]
Rape as an instrument of terror will be detrimental to the social fabric Woman/ girl child, the indispensable part of our society continues to survive under the apprehension of fear. Females are soft-targets of violence ranging from domestic to sexual. But the sexual violence particularly rape is most common. Continually,headlines regarding sexual crimes against females, irrespective of their age appear[Read More…]
![By DonkeyHotey (Stormy Daniels - Caricature) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://countercurrents.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Stormy-photo1-200x150.jpg)
“The reasons a woman only has to make one porn film to be a ‘porn star’ are similar to the reasons a man has only to sign on the dotted government line to be a ‘war hero’. The ‘war hero’ and ‘porn star’ are calculated lies told by exploiters to keep expendable flesh walking through their doors.” (Samantha Berg) I’ve[Read More…]
It is the same women who raised hell over Nirbhaya’s rape and murder during UPA rule; the same ones who speak out of turn in matters that remotely do not concern them, the same ones who keep talking about gender justice. Sushma Swaraj, Smriti Irani, Nirmala Seetharaman, Shaina NC, Meenaxi Lekhi, Kirron Kher…the whole lot of them. Afisa and the[Read More…]
(This heinous crime has shaken the conscience of the entire world. The most important part now is that justice must not only be done but must appear to have been done!) The savagery and brutalization done with an innocent eight year old girl in a place of worship is an unparalleled crime which goes beyond condemnation. One shudders to think[Read More…]
Today, as I write this, the country is outraged at rapes seemingly happening around the country and causing outrage- in Kathua, Unnao, Surat and now Etah. Nothing has much changed since December 2012 when the rape and murder of a 21-year-old college student on a bus in New Delhi shook the conscience of the entire nation. The incident led to[Read More…]
What limits opinions? Especially by sportspeople, who are often confused for geniuses of the mind and ambassadors of tact outside their very limited field of endeavour. (Yes, he can dribble a ball with sigh-inducing majesty, so he must know a thing or so about social and intellectual problems.) The obverse tends to be true. The sporting personality, presuming it exists,[Read More…]
Atrocities on women including rapes and murders have been discussed and debated at length. Also, violence on girls and girl- child have been highlighted many times. But, these days, girls below teen age are not only raped and tortured for days but also killed in a most grotesque way. Any word, whether ‘ terrible ‘ or ‘ horrific ‘[Read More…]
Rape culture exists due to the society’s obsession with female bodies as a site to demonstrate power. Rape is unleashed onto a female body to proclaim that a woman has no ownership over her own body and that, she should never desire sex. By doing so, men convert a woman’s body into flesh that is tortured, mutilated, raped and[Read More…]
The way the Unnao Case was handled where accusations are on a BJP MLA that a teenage girl was gang raped is show of the poor police and civil administration in the state. It also shows how the poor and weak are treated in the country by protective institutions like police and civil administration. Now the probe has been handed[Read More…]
In this land of the dead You are the only one who is alive my child Don’t look askance at these faces with those horror stricken eyes For how will they answer you, they are nothing but corpses themselves They died the day they traded your pain with their own false insecurities They died the day they killed the God[Read More…]
What happened in Unnao? Latest reports from the Unnao town in the Uttar Pradesh state of India narrate a shocking story of gang rape of a minor girl and the subsequent horrific murder of her father who tried to get justice to his daughter through India’s public justice system. Though the case is under investigation and only the investigating agencies[Read More…]
On Mar 8, 2018, after an unnecessarily protracted wait, the Supreme Court of India passed an order holding that the High Court of Kerala should not have annulled the marriage of Hadiya to Shafin Jahan in a Habeas Corpus petition under Article 226 of the Constitution of India. The judgment of the High Court was set aside, and Hadiya was ‘allowed’[Read More…]
Do we enjoy the same quality of life as our male counterparts? How can we, when the figures of women in infleuntial positions tell us otherwise? Assuming that they are in those positions, it is a open secret that women are paid 25% less than men and in many cases much lessor. Some of the data regarding women are self[Read More…]
Sexual violence against women has been talked about on many occasions but the abuse meted out to disabled has not been addressed adequately. Specially, the women with intellectual disability suffer the most. They have to face male domination without even realising the dangers posed by sexual abuse by male. According to a report in theprint.in, the risk of sexual abuse[Read More…]
Dawn had only just broken over the mountains. While most of the women and children on the camping grounds were still asleep, others were already wide awake, huddling together in the first rays of sunlight and drinking coffee. To a casual observer, this place might have seemed similar to any mainstream festival campsite. A distinguishing factor, however, was that there[Read More…]
The neoliberal economy has changed the manner in which labour, love and relationshipshave been recognized,appreciated and structured in a society. The economic crisis which has cropped up in recent years, where the employment is shrinking, the economy is deteriorating, the common people are left with little options to earn their livelihoods and the state is rolling back from its[Read More…]
Women Against Sexual Violence and State Repression (WSS) stands firmly with all those who have come forward to report their experiences of sexual harassment and assault in university spaces and colleges across the country by male faculty members. The feminist movement has acknowledged that there is no one way to seek justice and each complainant must have the autonomy to[Read More…]
Women insurgents wearing the Zapatista’s iconic black balaclavas greeted thousands of women from over four dozen countries at the entrance to the Zapatista Caracol in the highlands of Chiapas under a vibrant banner reading “Welcome women of the world.” The insurgents ushered visitors through gates emblazoned with red stars and the letters EZLN into what would be a women-only space[Read More…]
” By propagating women’s nature as non – violent they are discouraging women from becoming fighters in the struggle for their own liberation and that of society ..” Anuradha Ghandy , “Philosophical Trends in the Feminist Movement ( Part I) International women’s day is one of the many occasions to debate various pros and cons of present feminist movements and[Read More…]
Feminism took root with the aim of establishing social, political and economic equality between men and women. Based on how one tackles the problem of gender equality, feminism took various forms such as, Liberal Feminism, Radical Feminism, Marxist or Socialist Feminism and Cultural Feminism. Propagating various revolutionary thoughts to annihilate male chauvinism by identifying the root cause for various forms[Read More…]
It was while discussing ways to thwart my parent’s plans of getting me married that one of my friend said, “Doesn’t saying yes to marriage equate saying yes to patriarchy? I mean how different are the two?” The more we delved into the question, the more we found the two similar. But it would be wrong not to contextualise the[Read More…]
‘Fatherhood’ is a status attained by having a child and it is irrevocable. The term, fatherhood in contemporary research is used interchangeably with the kins fathering- childbearing roles, activities, duties and responsibilities that fathers are expected to perform and fulfill regardless of whether they carry out by biological or non-biological fathers. Therefore, fatherhood is primarily nothing but responsibility and obligation,[Read More…]
(CNS): The photograph accompanying this article, was clicked on Chinese New Year (16th February 2018) in Chiang Mai, Thailand. It is a signpost/ notice written in Thai, English and Chinese (in that order) in a temple, having a statue of Ganesha, situated in the heart of the city in front of Maya Mall. I reproduce the English version: “1. Women[Read More…]
Rohtak may not be a prominent city on the map of India but is, all the same, an important city and major hub of education in Haryana. In the very recent past it was witness to an unprecedented development on the campus of one of the foremost universities of the state, once again forcing one to think about the[Read More…]
We are living in darker times and these are turning more darker with each passing day. Killing of children in conflict zones like Kashmir, Palestine, Syria, Afghanistan is continuing with no stop to these. From 2008 onwards in Kashmir we have seen in popular uprisings, how children have been killed and blinded by state backed forces. Year after year, we[Read More…]
Recent months have seen a righteous outpouring against the pervasive abuse, harassment, sexual assault, discrimination, humiliation, and degradation women are forced to endure in every realm of life. This is extremely positive and takes on heightened importance in light of—and, no doubt, is fueled by—the ugly shock of Trump, a bragging sexual predator, assuming the presidency and using the[Read More…]
Gender inequality is not only a pressing moral and social issue but also a critical economic challenge. India has a larger relative economic value at stake from advancing gender equality than any of the ten regions analysed in a McKinsey Global Institute report, The Power of Parity: How Advancing Women’s Equality Can add $12 Trillion To Global Growth. The report[Read More…]
For my entire adult life, I’ve tried to help homeless people. For years, I wrote for Street News — a once-popular advocacy newspaper mostly produced and sold by homeless people in New York City. I’ve spoken at rallies in support of homeless people from coast to coast. Mostly, I never left my house without a pocket full of change to give out[Read More…]
Not long after Nirmala Geghate took over as sarpanch in Wanoja, a remote hamlet in northern Maharashtra, groups of young men stopped hanging out in front of the shop at the village square, where they used to ogle and catcall female laborers who walked by in dusty saris. There were several ripple effects of the new found women power[Read More…]
In an ashram perched high on a hill above the city of Guwahati is a small exhibit commemorating the life of India’s most famous son. Alongside a bed where Mahatma Gandhi himself slept is a display reminding visitors of something the man himself said in 1921: “Of all the evils for which man has made himself responsible, none is so[Read More…]
From every nook and corner of the world, a term; “Progress and Development” resounds regularly. Over this term, there is existing competition among nations. Nations strive hard; utilize a big chunk of their budget on this name. However, the concept of progress and development we hold lets us down at once especially the moment we experience moral bankruptcy, discrimination, injustice,[Read More…]
Ay Chaand Yahan Na Nikla Kar! Yeh Des Hai Andhe Lougoo Ka! (O! moon. Do not Rise here! Our’s is a country of Blinds!) These verses of Habib Jaalib are a fair display of our contemporary world. The[Read More…]
The recent dastardly incidents of the rape and murder of Zainab in Kasur, Pakistan, Ayesha in Mardan, Pakistan, Asifa in Kathua, two young girls in Jind and Panipat in Harayana, and also the unabated rape incidents in other parts of India, have and must shock us all. Here in Kashmir, as we are yet to come to terms with the[Read More…]
Of all the lawful acts the most detestable to God is divorce. – Prophet Muhammad [This an authentic saying recorded by Abdullah ibn Umar, a highly respected companion of the prophet in an authoritative treatise “Divorce (Kitab Al-Talaq)” of Sunan Abu-Dawud (Ref. 63-2173)] India is currently mired in a war between theology and law as it tries to articulate[Read More…]
Freedom of opinion also means we are all entitled to opinions and that we don’t necessarily have to share the same opinion about anything. The difference in opinion paves way for a debate which may or may not settle the root cause, this type of aggression and war of words are nothing unfamiliar but with the advent of social media[Read More…]
Are we going for retribution or transformation? In the last two weeks, there has been a great deal of controversy and commentary on recent comments from the actor Matt Damon about the #MeToo movement. This has ranged from substantive critiques to complaints that the problem is that he, as a man, is speaking at all. There has even been[Read More…]
Kulbhushan Jadhav’s mother and wife were made to look like widow, said our external affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj in parliament. She added that the Pakistani authorities actually asked them to remove their Mangalsutra, bindi and Saree and wear simple salwar kameej, before meeting Jadhav in the Jail. It is humiliating, she said, forcing the married woman to look like[Read More…]
The recent controversy over Jimmy Choo’s advertisement that critics are calling tone-deaf has me wondering who indeed is above reproach here. No doubt, such ads are incredibly demeaning to women and in the age when powerful men are being exposed as Emperors with, well, no clothes, this ad is in incredibly poor taste, but in our rush to brandish our[Read More…]
They came in large numbers from all over the country to protest against attempt to criminalise the issues of Transgender Communities under the The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016 which actually rather than helping them, criminalises them and prone to their exploitation at all level. Transgendered have suffered isolation, discrimination and prejudices and therefore we can describe them[Read More…]
“Learn this now and learn it well, my daughter: Like a compass needle that points north, a man’s accusing finger always finds a woman. Always.” In Khaled Hosseini’s novel about life in Afghanistan, A Thousand Splendid Suns, the character Nana, a poor unwed mother, gives this grim advice to her five-year-old daughter, Mariam. In 25 words, she tries to sum up[Read More…]
Poor women’s suffering has long been a sure-fire way to pull on the heartstrings of rich donors, but in recent years there has been a newfound appreciation for the role that these women play in breaking the cycle of poverty and stabilising fragile societies. It has been said that women who are closest to the world’s most pressing issues are[Read More…]
The overthrow of iniquitous power relations is a point many would celebrate. But such overthrows are themselves marked by the contradiction of their origins. Any revolution must, by its very nature, suffer inconsistency, defeats and weaknesses. In the United States, a different sort of sexual revolution is taking place. It is not linked to liberation in the way sex was[Read More…]
In his remarks on the recent International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women – see‘Violence Against Women is Fundamentally About Power’– United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres inadvertantly demonstrated why well-meaning efforts being undertaken globally to reduce violence against women fail to make any progress in addressing this pervasive crisis. Hence, while the UN might be ‘committed to addressing[Read More…]
The Supreme Court recently gave the judgment that sex with minor wife can be considered a rape but if 18 years and beyond, marital rape cannot be considered a criminal offence. As per exception 2 of section 375 of IPC sexual intercourse by a man with his own wife, the wife not being under 18 years of age, is not[Read More…]
Women and girls play a lesser recognised role as drivers of growth and progress and powerful agents of change. Gender remains a critically important and largely ignored lens to view development issues across the world. Gender inequality is not only a pressing moral and social issue but also a critical economic challenge. India has a larger relative economic value at[Read More…]
Scholars have wondered what “triggers” might be in the social furniture of a culture that might propel a people to embrace a bill of rights. Australia remains proudly, and idiosyncratically, opposed. Previous efforts to enshrine a charter of rights have failed, accused of being totalitarian usurpations, dangerous incorporations of foreign laws, and a straightjacket on political will. Rights, in actual[Read More…]
The poor themselves can create a poverty-free world all we have to do is to free them from the chains that we have put around them -Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus When I first initiated livelihood finance projects for women, more than two decades back, I encountered stiff resistance from the local elders who couldn’t believe that their women could[Read More…]
Women Against Sexual Violence and State Repression (WSS) stands firmly with the survivors who have faced sexual harassment at the hands of the perpetrators on and off the list and, most importantly, extends solidarity in this moment of unravelling narratives, disjointed arguments and personal struggles of individuals voicing their experiences. The last few weeks have seen lists of sexual harassers[Read More…]
The overall figure was comfortable, though hardly dashing. 62 percent of Australians (7.82 million) decided that same sex marriage was a perfectly feasible, even desirable notion, while 38 percent (4.87 million) did not.[1] Out of 150 federal seats, 133 registered affirmative totals in returning their response to the question “Should the law be changed to allow same-sex couples to marry?”. [Read More…]
I am not as abusive as Harvey Weinstein, nor as narcissistic as Bill O’Reilly. I’m more respectful to women than Donald Trump, and not as sleazy as Anthony Weiner. Judged by the standards set by these public reprobates, most of the rest of us men appear almost saintly, and therein lies a danger. The public disclosure of these men’s behavior—from[Read More…]
Rats fleeing a sinking ship – the ship of white male privilege The floodgates have opened. All the disgusting, depraved details are surfacing. Now the “public” is learning what the majority of us already knew – that men of power have been sexually abusing and harassing women for generations. It was simply the norm. Most women have experienced it in[Read More…]
There has been much sound and fury on social media recently, about the posting of a list of alleged sexual harassers in the Indian academe, on Facebook. Much of this has centred around the question of “due process”, and the importance of observing this. Before discussing this, I want to draw attention to another related point of profound importance, that[Read More…]
Dear Men I am a woman. You meet at least one of my kind every day. You will find my kind everywhere. At home, at school, in college, at your workplace, using the public transport, working out at the gym, jogging in the park, at the cafe enjoying a nice cup of coffee or having fun at a club. So[Read More…]
The social media is flooding with #metoo (me too) hashtags. Sexual assault survivors are using this hashtag to call out on the cancer-like spread of sexual crime in our society. This is a consequence of the disclosure of Hollywood’s larger than life (nay, God?) figure Harvey Weinstein’s sexual predatoriness . More and more actresses have publicly stated their harassment at[Read More…]
The Banaras Hindu University episode of lathi-charge on students protesting against inaction of authorities at the molestation of a girl-student forces us, once again, to think where we are headed. The December 2012 ‘Nirbhaya’ episode, the epic struggle of the girl for survival after the brutally inhuman assault on her and the subsequent protests leading up to the Justice[Read More…]
We live in a world in which women living in poverty face gross inequalities and injustice from birth to death. The global statistics on poverty are numbing. The real brunt has always fallen on women and sometimes it is very cruel. Women are commonly married young, quickly become mothers, and are then burdened by stringent domestic and financial responsibilities.[Read More…]
Psychoanalysis has always been a bit harsh, if not downright suspicious of altruism. However, the spectacle of the overwhelming concern for Muslim women from Prime Minister Modi to U.P. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the whole gamut of Hindu organisations does seem to strain credulity a trifle. Perhaps, the caution of psychology to step back and examine our narcissistic feelings[Read More…]
Advocate Dr Shalu Nigam Last few days witnessed the pronouncement of several significant celebrated judgements by the courts in the cases relating to right to privacy[1], triple talaq[2], and sentencing of 20-years life term to a self-proclaimed Godman who raped women[3]. All these three cases, somehow uphold people’s trust in courts as the custodian of rule of law. Even otherwise,[Read More…]
The rapist is not the stranger in the night. Between pitaji ki maafi and pati ka haq most rapes in India are covered. A good portion of rapes in India happen with a known person rather than a stranger. The 2015 National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) data shows that in 95 percent of all rape cases, the offender knew the victim.[1] Many[Read More…]
One of the major pre requisites of women empowerment has been increasing educational opportunities for women. Such a need was acknowledged by various social reformers in India followed by Indian forefathers and fore mothers as well. After independence, various efforts were taken by the Indian government to educate women in order to achieve the goal of gender equality. Education was[Read More…]
“One day, when my first child was barely 6 months old, my husband kicked away the water and food I had served him. On asking him the reason, he started pulling my hair and thrashing me. I was stunned at his sudden violent behaviour. But this was just the start of a never-ending saga of domestic violence that continues till[Read More…]
The poor themselves can create a poverty-free world all we have to do is to free them from the chains that we have put around them -Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus When I first initiated livelihood finance projects through women collectives called as self help groups, more than two decades back, I encountered stiff resistance from the local elders who[Read More…]
K.P Sasi is a film maker, writer, activist and cartoonist. He can be reached at kpsasi36@gmail.com
In Multan a 17 years girl was ordered to be raped by panchayat because his brother had raped another girl. Thus revenge rape was ordered by the kangaroo court. The incident took place and innocent girl was raped according to the order issued by panchayat. According to CNN “the Village elders in Pakistan ordered the rape of a 17-year-old girl[Read More…]
It is important to recognize how gender injustices underpin the caste, class and social inequities. “I did start going to school. But as I am a Dalit (untouchable), I was made to sit away from the rest of the children. If I touched some upper caste child, even by mistake, I would be thrashed by the teachers – who were[Read More…]
Woman Work I’ve got the children to tend The clothes to mend The floor to mop The food to shop Then the chicken to fry The baby to dry I got company to feed The garden to weed I’ve got shirts to press The tots to dress The can to be cut I gotta clean up this hut Then[Read More…]
The portrayal of Muslim women in the media is grim and sombre. The public perception of them is one of stubborn stereotypes: supposedly powerless and oppressed, behind walls and veils, demure, voiceless and silent figures, discriminated and bereft of even basic rights. This picture keeps reinforcing itself, largely because this is how the Western media caricatures women in Islam.[Read More…]
Book Review: Bashir Ahmad Dabla. Domestic Violence Against Women in Kashmir Valley. Srinagar: Jay Kay Book Shop, 2009. XIII+ 115 PP. Rs. 495 (INR). ISBN 81-87221-23-2 Professor Bashir Ahmad Dabla, was a prominent Sociologist the soil of Kashmir has ever produced. He was the founder of the Department of Sociology and Social Work at University of Kashmir. Dabla , has[Read More…]
Known worldwide as the champion of human rights and gender equality, the United States of America, it seems, has failed miserably to live up to its own standards when it comes to the issue of gender pay gap. A report by PayScale Inc., published on July 5, 2017 said that for equal work women in the U.S are paid less[Read More…]
The experience of violence that women face behind closed doors is a global disease. There are no boundaries, cultural or social, for this violence, as it is deeply ingrained in a society that is patriarchal. Domestic Violence is a phenomenon that is usually accepted within families and is brushed under the carpet as a matter that is personal, so others[Read More…]
On the 30th of June 2017, the lower house of the German Parliament passed a bill legalizing same sex marriages throughout Germany. A long pending move in Germany and something that has been in the docks for quite some time. However, a complete understanding of the relevance and significance of Germany legalizing same-sex marriage will be incomplete unless a historical[Read More…]
Two years ago, on the 26th of June, 2015 the Federal Supreme Court of the United States of America held in Obergefell v. Hodges that state level bans on same-sex marriages is unconstitutional. Until then, the legality of same-sex marriages was different in different states. Obergefell, by proclaiming the unconstitutionality of banning same-sex marriages, created a new common pattern throughout[Read More…]
The whole issue of triple talaq is resounding with conversations on gender equality and rights of women and minorities. There is sudden “awakening” about women’s rights and gender equality. It cannot be mere coincidence that this matter was chosen to be heard by Supreme Court in vacation while delaying equally important issues of right to privacy and threatened surveillance by[Read More…]
The Indian women farmer, almost never publicly acknowledged, reviled by superstition and patriarchy, and increasingly troubled by entrenched social and cultural mores and taboos bears the real burden of farm labour. Nearly 98 million Indian women have agricultural jobs, but around 63% of them, or 61.6 million women, are agricultural labourers, dependent on the farms of others, according to[Read More…]
Nobel Laureate, Economist Amartya Sen, in way back 1990’s introduced the term “missing women”, showing a deficit in the number of women relative to the expected number of women in a region. He argues that “an advantage they enjoy not only after they are forty years old but also at the beginning of life, especially during the months immediately following birth, and even in the womb”. Thus Sen, attributes the phenomenon to the discrimination in basic nutrition and health care.
India has recently seen a spate of allegations of sexual harassment at the workplace. While analysing the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, we caught ourselves wondering – would the Act have changed anything for Bhanwari Devi?
The large swathes of cotton farms in Central India have been the epicenter of a global crisis that has gripped the rural population in crippling debts and has driven thousands of them to suicide. But the great news is women in this region have creatively and doggedly used the power of hope to reemerge form the ruins. This new[Read More…]
We live in a world in which women living in poverty face gross inequalities and injustice from birth to death. From poor education to poor nutrition to vulnerable and low pay employment, the sequence of discrimination that a woman may suffer during her entire life is unacceptable but all too common. When we want to help the poor, we usually[Read More…]
On May 28, 2016, a gorilla named Harambe was killed at the Cincinnati Zoo. A small child had fallen into the primate’s enclosure and… well, you know the rest. “As I watched the sort of public outrage and mourning rarely afforded murdered women, it was the final straw,” explains Dawn Wilcox, a registered nurse for 22 years. Wilcox is no “expert,”[Read More…]
Pride and dignity would belong to women if only men would leave them alone. Egyptian Proverb Gender inequality is not only a pressing moral and social issue but also a critical economic challenge. India has a larger relative economic value at stake from advancing gender equality than any of the ten regions analyzed in a McKinsey Global Institute report, The Power of Parity:[Read More…]
Woman must not accept; she must challenge. She must not be awed by that which has been built up around her; she must reverence that woman in her which struggles for expression. – Margaret Sanger Providing women with more and better opportunities to fulfill their social, economic, and political roles is now deemed so essential for reducing poverty and[Read More…]
Women are the mainstays of small-scale agriculture, the farm labour force and day-to-day family subsistence. The biggest myth is that the rural woman is part of her land’s wealth. Yes, but only to the extent of generating it. They don’t own land but produce secondary crops, gather food and firewood, process, store and prepare family food and fetch water[Read More…]
“Anti-Romeo Squads” are policemen and women and vigilante groups, operating outside the purview of law, with the support of the Uttar Pradesh State, which threaten women’s freedoms. The serious issue of violence against women and routine sexual harassment of women in Uttar Pradesh cannot be addressed by setting up anti-Romeo squads. These “squads” impose their own aggressive and arbitrary code[Read More…]
Not too long ago, while leaving the gym, I overheard a conversation about the best female tennis players of all-time. As I walked home, I pondered my own list and came up with five women with whom we’re on a first name basis: Serena, Steffi, Martina, Chrissie, and Venus. When considering who might be next, I suddenly remembered Monica Seles.[Read More…]
First, the facts. Yes, crimes against women are a major problem in Uttar Pradesh. As per the data of the National Crime Records Bureau, the state has the dubious distinction of being the most unsafe Indian state for women in 2015 despite losing ‘top rank’ in number of rapes reported, to Madhya Pradesh, followed by Maharashtra. Further, the state lost[Read More…]
On March 11, survivors of violence against women and their allies and supporters held marches in six Caribbean countries. Started by two Barbadian women, Ronelle King and Allyson Benn, the movement had the hashtag #LifeInLeggings. In Jamaica, one of the groups marching was the Tambourine Army, a movement of activists dedicated to eradicating sexual violence against women and girls. Some[Read More…]
Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women ― Maya Angelou Over the years several strategies have been used to empower women .One of them relies on community groups whose members can be trained and equipped to use their collective strength and wisdom to tackle their problems. [Read More…]
“A political system devoted to decline instinctively does much to speed up that process.” — Jean-Paul Sartre One does not have to be a supporter of Donald Trump to recoil in horror at the unprecedented attack that’s being waged on an ongoing basis against the new First Lady. The late night comedy shows are going to town at her[Read More…]
A recent report from Equality Now titled ‘The World’s Shame: The Global Rape Epidemic’ http://www.equalitynow.org/campaigns/rape-laws-report offered a series of recommendations for strengthened laws to deter and punish sexual violence against women and girls. However, there is substantial evidence that legal approaches to dealing with violence in any context are ineffective. For example, the empirical evidence on threats of punishment (that[Read More…]
A recent move by the Government to allow child marriage is tantamount to excluding many Bangladeshis from the benefits of growth and development. Women are likely to become the main victims of the recently enacted Child Marriage Restraint Act-2017. It allows a Bangladeshi boy or girl to get married before reaching the minimum age limit – 18 for women[Read More…]
I don’t want you to celebrate my existence on a particular day I want you to understand that before being a woman I am a human, just as you I don’t want you to offer me to stand ahead of you in a queue I want you to let me stand on my own, just as you I don’t want[Read More…]
We, a group of responsible and committed citizens, are writing to you with suggestions to improve and ensure the safety of women in Indian railways. The Railways is an important communication link in our country. Every day, millions of Indians commute through the railways. However, there are several challenges in this sector. Recently, there have been many efforts to improve the Indian railways but a lot needs to be done for the safety of passengers, especially the women passengers.
To celebrate Women’s Day without recognizing the contribution of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule, Savitribai Phule, and Ambedkar is hypocrisy and shameful act. Here are few of the highlights of work done by Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and Savitribai Phule for women empowerment. On 1st Jan. 1848, India’s first school for girls was started at Bhide’s wada in Pune by Mahatma Jyotirao Phule[Read More…]
The present day post modern, neo liberal world is still embedded with social inequity and discrimination. The situations of women in the larger world and within the systems of State, community and family control, coerces her to exist without self-expression, thereby forcing her to live within the[Read More…]
Recent reports of criminal activities committed by some clergies of the Kerala Church have shaken many of its faithful followers. These reports have become favourite themes of the social media,not only among the Malayalam speaking community in Kerala but also among people from other states too[1]. It is a grave situation and has precipitated a crisis within the Catholic[Read More…]
We must create a society in which women – including Black women, Native women, poor women, immigrant women,[Dalit and Adivasi women], disabled women, Muslim women, lesbian queer and trans women – are free and able to care for and nurture their families, however they are formed, in safe and healthy environments free from structural impediments. –Statement from Women’s March’s Unity Principles, with[Read More…]
Of all the world’s major ills – such as war, hunger, and natural disasters – none can quite compare to the millions of baby girls and female fetuses killed by parents .The National Family Health Survey 4 data for 2015-16 indicates that the practice of aborting female fetuses and murdering girls after birth is being contained efforts The sex[Read More…]
The workers and their Union are holding a strike and demonstration on 8th March 2017 at BBMP main office, Corporation Circle from 10.00 a.m. onwards. Please join and show your support and solidarity. On 8th March, International Working Women’s Day, the BBMP Contract Powrakarmika Union of Bengaluru are going on strike and will hold a large rally to intensify their ongoing struggle for[Read More…]
Bangkok, Thailand –The Indian authorities must end discrimination against people based on sexual orientation and gender identity in the formal justice system, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ)said in a report released today. The 60-paged report “Unnatural Offences”: Obstacles to Justice in India Based on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identitydocuments the challenges queer persons in India facewhile trying to access[Read More…]
Give women more opportunity to realize the world of tomorrow, because male dominance has not brought the promised Kingdom so far, and has not brought the Paradise on Earth, which is truly around us, but simply not seen. There is currently no world peace, which every sensible person strives for and desires. Remarkable is the crucial role of the man.[Read More…]
This book is a tour de force that seeks to answer the complexities that surround the questions linked to gendered understanding of leadership. It adds appreciably scholarly knowledge to the issues related to leadership, union democracy and gender. It shares certain aporetic quality via generating intellectually rigorous critique on patriarchal culture of the trade union leadership. Canonical connections that exist[Read More…]
Three separate events that unfolded over the past few days, all with varied backdrops depict the pathetic state of patriarchy that we live in under the shadow of a constitutional democracy. The women involved in these episodes belong to vastly different social strata of the immensely complex Hindu society but all are victims of their womanhood in their own respect.[Read More…]
PUDR condemns the anti-women stand of the Naga HoHo/ Naga Tribes Action Committee (NTAC) in the context of reservation of seats for women in elections to local urban bodies. The accompanying mob-violence and the threats to women who wanted to contest from reserved seats, reveals the irony that a movement fighting for freedom for Naga people is willing to suppress[Read More…]
![By Charles Steinhacker [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons](https://countercurrents.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/pornography-200x150.jpg)
The Dworkin-MacKinnon Ordinance — originally written in 1983 by Andrea Dworkin and Catharine MacKinnon — was an amendment to a civil rights law. It stands as a mostly ignored template for creating law-based change within the system. Rather than taking the traditional “obscenity” angle, the Dworkin-MacKinnon Ordinance proposed that: Pornography is a violation of women’s civil rights Woman harmed by[Read More…]
The confusion stands in the minds, the body and the soul. It gets enhanced by the challenges and ignorance set forth by laws, society, family, peer groups, faith, patriarchal conventions and so-called guardians of custom and social laws. At an age when it seemed that with the assistance of knowledge and technology, the wall of confusion, isolation and loneliness would[Read More…]
A few kilometers outside Ahmedabad in Gujarat, I visited a Mahila Shakti Kendra about a year ago. I was amazed at what I saw and heard. In a community building, right in the center of a buzzing market, was a decent sized room. There were info graphics on the wall, a group of women of all ages having a charcha.[Read More…]
A short history Our Earth was formed about 4.56 billion years (4.560.000.000 years) ago by accretion of material from the Solar Nebula. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accretion_(astrophysics) Compared to many other species, the history of mankind covers a very short period. Early modern humans (Homo sapiens) were born in Africa about 200,000 years B.C., and have since spread around the world. This development began[Read More…]
We all might concur that stalking in India is an annoyingly rampant issue. However, we must also concur that we will not be engaging with the issue entirely without engaging with the culture that furnishes a celebration, even appreciation, of stalking and voyeuristic behaviour. Two issues that have come to the light in the recent past further gives support to[Read More…]
We live in a world in which women living in poverty face gross inequalities and injustice from birth to death. From poor education to poor nutrition to vulnerable and low pay employment, the sequence of discrimination is very hard, but all too common. They face significant constraints in maximizing their But there are also silvery strands in this dark[Read More…]
This woman, who is your beloved, is in fact a ray of His light, She is not a mere creature. She is like a creator -Rumi In recent years, due to the global socio-political climate, the phrase “Muslim woman” might conjure an image of a demure un-empowered woman sheltered by her veil Yet this image is not what our[Read More…]
If you’re in trouble, or hurt or need – go to the poor people. They’re the only ones that’ll help – the only ones. ― John Steinbeck The Indian women farmer, almost never publicly acknowledged, reviled by superstition and patriarchy, and increasingly troubled by entrenched social and cultural mores and taboos bears the real burden of farm labour. Nearly 98 million[Read More…]
It is unfortunate that the Kerala Forest Department is continuing the practice of denying entry for women to the Agasthyamala. The Forest Secretary gave an explanation referring to somebody’s fancy religious sentiment and you have explained it as due to the lack of toilet facilities and the threat of wild animals which only amounted to adding insult to injury as it is oblivious to the fact that women visit and stay even in dense forests as researchers, photographers, foresters or as tourists, and that numerous women have scaled Everest.
“It seemed that there was a need for a book that laid out the problem of patriarchy in plain language.” (Robert Jensen) While we’ve never met in person, Robert Jensen and I have known each other (in that internet kind of way) for decades. We have friends in common, often wrote on similar topics for the same websites, and even[Read More…]
When I first initiated livelihood finance projects through women collectives called as Self Help Groups, more than two decades back, I encountered stiff resistance from the local elders who couldn’t believe that their women could attend a meeting without a male chaperone. There were some who felt that since I was a male, I had no customary sanction to interact[Read More…]
It is fourth anniversary of 16 December 2012, the brutal gang rape and murder of a student in Delhi that shook the conscience of the nation and led to unprecedented protests against sexual violence across India. Crime against women has been common in India, as has been the support for such crime in the form of misogynist statements by those[Read More…]
The portrayal of Muslim women that we glimpse in the media is grim and somber. The public perception of them is one of stubborn stereotypes: supposedly powerless and oppressed, behind walls and veils, demure, voiceless and silent figures, discriminated and bereft of even basic rights. This picture keeps reinforcing itself, largely because this is how the Western media caricatures women[Read More…]
Co-Written by Shobha Aggarwal & Dr. P.S. Sahni 11 August, 1992: ABVA organized the first ever protest demonstration in India condemning police atrocities on gay people, at Police Headquarters, New Delhi Twenty-five years ago in November-December 1991, the AIDS BhedbhavVirodhiAndolan (AIDS Anti-discrimination Movement, ABVA) brought out the first Report titled ‘Less Than Gay’ on the status of homosexuality in India,[Read More…]
The best of you are those who are the kindest to their wives. Prophet Muhammad The Allahabad High Court has finally got the clock of judicial activism ticking by saying that triple talaq is unconstitutional. It was no surprise and the liberal strands in Muslims thought had already stood out clear. Indeed, one of the reasons triple talaq has[Read More…]
As you all know, I tried the “activism” thing. I really tried. But now, I’m ready to focus my energies on two things desperately needed in the Trump Era: cultivating serious resistance and providing support for the most vulnerable. I also want to do something specifically for the largest oppressed group on earth: females. With those last two goals in[Read More…]
Each year on November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is commemorated. A commemoration in essence is an opportunity to reflect on the challenges, prove that progress can be made and celebrate victories. It is also a reminder of the obligations and the responsibility we all must own at both the private and the public[Read More…]
The Indian women farmer, almost never publicly acknowledged, reviled by superstition and patriarchy, and increasingly troubled by entrenched social and cultural mores and taboos bears the real burden of farm labour. Nearly 98 million Indian women have agricultural jobs, but around 63% of them, or 61.6 million women, are agricultural labourers, dependent on the farms of others, according to 2011[Read More…]
Worldwide millions of women have traditional responsibilities as food growers, water and fuel gatherers, and care-givers. In South Asia, women make up make up 43% of the agriculture workforce in developing countries and account for around 66% of the world’s subsistence livestock keepers. Women secure clean water for drinking and cooking; they are familiar with non-timber forest products (medicinal plants[Read More…]
India is confronted with a situation that has acquired, unfortunately, political primacy in a gender equality discourse. The religion of Islam bestowed upon equal rights for men and women devoid of any distinction including right to divorce. The utopian union of the husband and wife is a perennial pre-requisite for conjugal covertures in all civilized societies. Invariably, all religions advocate[Read More…]
Press Release By Democratic Students Organization Punjabi University, Patiala is considered one of the premier institutions of higher education in Punjab but when it comes to developing or fostering a just, equal, and gender-friendly environment, its patriarchal character comes to the fore. This report tends to deal with the struggle led by Democratic Students Organization against hostel curfews and other associated[Read More…]
The transformation of women’s roles is the last great impediment to universal progress. Indian women haven’t always had much by way of social agency or power whereby they could formulate strategic choices, and control resources and decisions that affect important life outcomes. This , however, hasn’t stopped them from elbowing past certain patriarchal structures to powerful effect. The introduction of[Read More…]
It has been more than 20 years since the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts – termed as post-Independent India’s most revolutionary exercise in democratic decentralization and devolution of power – were passed by the Parliament, mandating one-third seats in all local governments be reserved for women. The biggest significance of women’s reservation was that it unlocked the power, talent[Read More…]
Recognition of womens’ dignity, health, education, work, and political inclusion are some of the prerequisite actions for gender equality, however, despite of such acceptance, women either at work or domestic life face mental, physical and emotional harassment by working colleagues, life partners and blood relations. Even the worst is that all this shameful is conceived and dealt as normal routine[Read More…]
New Delhi: Asian Centre for Human Rights released its 290 page report, “The State of the PC&PNDT Act: India’s losing battle against female foeticide”, the first ever comprehensive study on the status of implementation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC&PNDT) Act, 1994. The report is available at: http://www.stopfemaleinfanticide.org/files/TheStateofthePCPNDTAct2016.pdf The key findings of the report, “The State of the PC&PNDT Act: India’s[Read More…]
If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman -Margaret Thatcher If we want to bring a truly transformative gender revolution, we must remember that all women, regardless of their marital status, need access to education, good jobs, and support for domestic duties. Although transforming long-held laws, beliefs and practices may be difficult,[Read More…]
A mother is a school. Empower her and you empower a great nation. -Hafez Ibrahim, Egyptian poet The real tragedy of the poor, particularly the women among them, is that their voice is unheard in forums, even at those which are exclusively devoted to their problems. As the Madagasy proverb goes, “poverty won’t allow him to lift his head, dignity[Read More…]
Kerala becomes 60 years old on 1st November. Over the past 60 years, this Indian state has witnessed phenomenal changes in politics, economy and ecology. Such changes may be true for other Indian states too. Individuals, groups, and communities everywhere in Indiaare indeed changing. But the trajectory of change for the women in Keralais different – both as ‘change makers’[Read More…]
Money is the seed of money, and the first guinea is sometimes more difficult to acquire than the second million. —Jean-Jacques Rousseau The 21st century poses many challenges that require new ways of thinking, none more important than the economic role of women in a rapidly changing world. Over the last several decades, it has become accepted wisdom that improving the[Read More…]
The Prime Minister recently made a statement that he can’t allow lives of Muslim women to be ruined by Triple Talaq. He tried to pass on the message that he stands with women from minority communities on issues of gender justice. Saffron brigade as a whole has been consistently arguing for Uniform Civil Code. In this process, the Uniform Civil[Read More…]
It is time to pivot the plus. The very symbol that has served as an anachronistic additive for the LGBTQIA community has woefully subtracted. The very “+” that has elucidated the “freedom” that comes along with identifying as LGBTQIA has heretofore restricted. That is, the very image of the “+” has not invited intersectionality into the conversation but invalidated identities. It has not[Read More…]
The clogged channels of my mind were set into action by an innocent status of a friend recently. -“I would’nt shoot the man who made the cage , but the bird that sings happily inside “! The complexities that lay enmeshed within these simple words taking me by surprise ! A coin has two sides …the beauty being they never[Read More…]
Ban Ki-Moon’s second term as the Secretary General of the United Nations is ending this December. He was the most ideal man for the job as far as the United States and its allies are concerned. Of course, there will always be other Ban Ki-Moons. In fact, the man himself was a modified version of his predecessor, Kofi Annan. The[Read More…]
I stumbled across so many posts on social media about the new bollywood movie, PINK. Watching a few clips of the movie, compelled me to write something that has been in my sub conscious mind for a long time now. Movies can create a social impact. I recall one such instance; a friend of mine refused to pay a kickback[Read More…]
Instances of rape are quite common in India. According to National Crimes Record Bureau (NCRB), about 93 rapes take place in India every day. Two different perspectives emerge in relation to cause of rapes. There is a prevalent patriarchal view with a base in feudal mindset, which blames the victim. It argues that rapes do happen due to lack[Read More…]
Nikita Azad is back with #HappyToBleed campaign once again. Last year, on November 21, 2015, #HappyToBleed campaign was launched as a counter attack against the sexist statement given by Devaswom chief Prayar Gopalakrishnan who had stated that women will be allowed to enter the famous Sabarimala temple in Kerala only after a machine to “check the purity of women”. Countercurrents.org[Read More…]
When a marriage is no longer sacrosanct, can assisting in getting a divorce be called profane?
Recently, I was tagged on Facebook to participate in something called the “80s Music Challenge.” I excitedly agreed but such social media shenanigans did not come without an ugly lesson. You see, when I contemplated which songs to post, I encountered many that contained horribly insensitive and misogynistic lyrics — by performers like Public Enemy, Van Halen, Beastie Boys, Ice[Read More…]
Reproduction precedes social production. Touch the women, touch the rock. 1 – Peter Linebaugh At least since the Zapatistas took over the zócalo in San Cristobal de las Casas on December 31, 1993, to protest legislation dissolving the ejidal lands of Mexico, the concept of “the commons” has been gaining popularity.2 There are important reasons why this apparently archaic idea has[Read More…]
Over the last decade, a shift in approach towards domestic violence has taken place and several legal reforms have been directed to assist the survivors. The Protection of Women Against Domestic Violence Act is one of such law that has been enacted in the year 2005 to provide civil remedies to the survivors besides criminalizing domestic violence. While these legal[Read More…]
Delhi, the national capital of India, has witnessed another gory incident involving the rape-murder of a minor. This time, a 16-year-old was allegedly raped, strangled, and then set on fire in her own house in East Delhi. The police reportedly tried to pass off the crime as suicide, filing a case of rape and murder only after the autopsy proved[Read More…]
In a rule of law jurisdiction, the story of a victim of gang rape being raped by the same accused against whom court proceedings continue, might be outlandish. But, in India today, these are the common stories that confront anyone willing to see reality: A Dalit gang rape survivor has allegedly been gang raped again by the same five accused[Read More…]
There was a small news item in the Times of India dated 3rd July, 2016.It related to Bhopal .It read , ” 3 peons breach MPs-2 child norm ,sacked.” It stated that they were removed from service at Damoh District Court as the year long enquiry determined that they had more than two children.It went to to say that more peons would[Read More…]
The allegations came recently in newspapers that two transsexuals are brutally attacked by the police in Kochi. This is the current situation of transgender life in Kerala albeit the existence of the transgender policy the state triumphs. They are being faced discrimination continuously in various forms. Apropos to this incident the allegation is charged against those who should actually assure[Read More…]
Over the years, I’ve written a fair amount of autobiographical pieces but it’s only recently that I’ve begun to re-explore some of these episodes from a more critical, radical perspective. With that in mind, to follow is yet another revised memoir-of-sorts. Even though I grew up in a “tough” neighborhood and trained myself in hand-to-hand combat, I’ve never been eager[Read More…]
Hilary Wainwright, of the Transnational Institute and co-editor of Red Pepper magazine, made a lasting impression on the Commons Transition/P2P Foundation team with her panel presentation at the recent Commons Collaborative Economies event in Barcelona. During her presentation, Wainwright shared her insights on the hidden commons of care. “Women have been creating a Commons for a long time: the domestic[Read More…]
What the Women and Child Development Minister Ms. Maneka Gandhi, admitted on the floor of the Lok Sabha was startling, between 2012 and 2014, around 25,000 women either committed suicide or were killed due to dowry harassment; this vindicates the claim of women’s movement in India. Taunts, mental and physical abuse and ultimate death by murder or ‘forced-to-commit-suicide’ is an open fact of the Indian society
The abortion right in the United States, given full force in Roe v Wade, has never been a plain sailing affair.[1] The language of rights is ever a prickly matter, marred by the undergrowth of burdensome reasoning and poor application. In a country where the foetus, less than quality of life, is holy, obstacles will always exist. The subject before[Read More…]
By J Nigam and Shalu Nigam Mature men and some women in mysterious black coats, a weary face listening, though with little attention, to these two segments arguing, fighting, abusing and shouting, and an allegorical lady justice with blindfolds balancing some scales- that’s a courtroom in my eyes as a four year old child! Though I had barely opened my[Read More…]
Being female in this world means having been robbed of the potential for human choice by men who love to hate us. One does not make choices in freedom. Instead, one conforms in body type and behavior and values to become an object of male sexual desire, which requires an abandonment of a wide-ranging capacity for choice… Andrea Dworkin[Read More…]
On achieving independence in 1947, it was expected and believed that India will become a nation wherein there will be no place for any kind of seclusion, exclusion and suppression in the name of caste, religion, sex or language. With the same objective, the founding fathers of our nation gave us a Constitution which guarantees the values of equality, equity[Read More…]
Punjab is a predominantly patriarchal agrarian society . Men head the family and women playing a subordinate role . Sikhism and Hinduism are the major religions , with Muslims and Christians as Minorties . What are Punjabis thoughts on Sex , Sexuality , Transgender and Homosexuality ? Punjabi people are deeply religious and religion dictates sexual attitudes . Kam /[Read More…]
A communal organization derives its ideology, base and support from religion and tradition, that is, from the past or the existing social order, and functions as a bridge between religion and politics. Tradition is the continuation of the ‘glorious past’ as perceived, and projected, by the ideologies of such organizations, which may or may not bear any resemblance to historical[Read More…]
There is a fine line between prevention and normalisation of any entity. When an event manifests itself through the acceptance of society , passively as an everyday occurrence or something that is unavoidable, it already is nurturing a dysfunctional repressed violent idea. One of the celebrated deviant normalcy in the Indian society is that of a Rape. What imparts it[Read More…]
By Shobha Aggarwal & Dr. P.S. Sahni “If there are two daughters born in the home, and the third child born is also a daughter, then she is told, now I want a son, so get another wife. Even if the fault is with the man, the entire burden of the fault is on the woman’s head, and so our[Read More…]
There is a long history of social critics and progressive thinkers offering critiques of human society. Among those who are better known, Karl Marx offered a critique of capitalism, anarchists have critiqued the state, Mohandas K. Gandhi offered a critique of industrial society, Sigmund Freud and Herbert Marcuse offered critiques of civilization, and feminists have critiqued patriarchy. In addition, critiques[Read More…]
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