Decisions Decisions Decisions

You are a working lady. It’s been a long, hard day at work. You come home and unravel, going through the events of the day in your mind. You have to choose between doing a presentation now and losing out on eight hours of solid sleep, or wake up early the next day and run into panic mode because you cannot finish your work after all.

Decisions!

You are a housewife. You have to risk getting caught in traffic; hence you may have to take the public transport. However, you do have to get to your friend’s home at the earliest and help her with her new business. There is a possibility that you may be asked to join in as well. It all depends on how much commitment you show at the initial stages.

Decisions!

You are a college going young lady. Your girlfriends are going out to party. However, you have a project to submit and your project partner, who also happens to be your crush, insists that you both get done with it already. You rather party than study, but you don’t want to miss out on the chance of completing a project in the company of your crush.

Decisions!

You are a woman. You are 49% of the country that votes. Inspite of this number, you find yourself in a system that is not entirely tuned into your needs. You want to roam the streets at 2 am but you can’t do so without a group. You want to wear what you feel like without being labelled guilty for the resulting ‘dirty stares’…..but, alas.

Decisions?

Welcome to reality. The reality is this – you are 49% of the democracy that votes. You are unconcerned to the fact that you STILL have these problems, election after election after election.

Think you need to take some important decisions now. Decisions that will affect you WAY more than the ones who worry about every day. So in the upcoming elections, decide to vote – as a group. Take your girlfriends, your mom, sisters. Take them along, make independent choices and vote.

Decide to use the #PowerOf49.

In Conversation With Dr Ranjana Kumari

Google Dr. Ranjana Kumari’s name and you will be met by a number of articles citing her great work, by numerous interviews she has done and by a number of papers she has authored. She is one of those rare human beings who have devoted their entire life’s work to a single cause, the matter of gender equality in India.

A dedicated social activist, admired academic, the Director of Centre for Social Research , President of Women Power Connect, Coordinator of the South Asia Network Against Trafficking and as of most recently a member of the National Mission for Empowerment of Women by the Prime Minister of India, Dr. Kumari works passionately at a grass-root as well as policy level on the causes of participation of women in democracy and governance, the termination of dowry practices and dowry-related violence, and the abolition of female foeticide.

We spoke with Dr. Kumari to try and get some insight for an expert on the participation (or lack thereof) of women in the voting and election process. Warm, firm and focused she told us “I know you want to talk about women voting but I believe there is a much larger issue at hand which must be addressed first, the Women’s Reservation Bill has got to be passed and we are running out of time”. The Women's Reservation Bill is a pending bill which proposes to amend the Constitution of India to reserve 33% of all seats in the Lower house of Parliament , the Lok Sabha, and in all state legislative assemblies for women. The Rajya Sabha passed the bill in 2010 but as of now no vote has been take on it by the Lower House.

“Women do not vote because they have no representation, that’s why” says Dr. Kumari. “It’s a power game, 90% of the seats are filled by men and they will not vote on the bill because it means that they will have to forfeit some amount of power.” “How can we call ourselves a gender equal democracy when there is almost no representation of one gender at the decision making level of government?”

We speak to her about the 49% voting bloc comprised of women and ask her opinion on why candidates have ignored the largest vote bloc all these years, she responds “ Women do not vote as a bloc. Minorities do and that is why candidates focus on them. The day women come out to the polling booths as a large mass, as a bloc, only then will their needs be addressed in manifestos of all candidates standing for election.” “ What the general population must understand is that this is all linked. Women don’t vote because candidates do nothing for them, but if the bill is passed then women would be represented by women candidate who understand and will cater to their needs. That in turn will get women more active in the democratic process and get them to vote.”

Dr Kumari answers our last question of ‘what the common woman can do to get the bill passed?’ with “Make a noise. Join the activist groups who are fighting for this, sign the petition, even write to the prime minister demanding it. This is what you can do, we work at a policy level but what we need is the people’s voice. We need the power of the people.”

And so lays the need of the hour, for every woman in India to raise her voice, to leverage her power. #PowerOf49.

Lighting Young Minds

Knowledge, when shared, realizes its truest potential. Bearing testimony to this fact are three young women in UP, who against all odds, decided to open a school for children, dispensing the education themselves.

Aged 19, 19 and 18, Tabassum Bano, Tarannum Bano, and Rubina Bano took on the mantle of enlightening young minds with gift of education. They initially faced some resistance from the villagers. However, the women gradually managed to transform their animosity into a helpful one, so much so that the villagers arranged for electricity and related fittings.

Nearly 250 children from the age group of 7 to 15 flock this school. It is remarkable how together; these women pulled this off and how.

Imagine what 49% of the country who are women, can do if the entire country shared the same thought as well?

It All Begins By Asking Why

You wouldn’t expect a French speaking daughter of a diplomat to care much about a group of Rajasthani nomads who live on footpath or be teaching a batch of slum children spoken English in a shack in the Girinagar slum of Delhi, but that is exactly what Anouradha Bakshi does.

Propelled by a sense of needing to give back to society, Anouradha started out by making a difference to a handful of slum dwelling kids by giving them an education. She designed a curriculum that could be achieved by the children, gathered a few volunteers and began classes on pavements, in empty parks and in reclaimed garbage dumps. In time she gave over 800 slum children of Govindpuri an education and dignity.

In 2000 the idea behind Project WHY is to empower a community to pool its resources and run a sound support program for its children. Today, they have achieved that and so much more. Project WHY reaches out to over 1000 children and runs one early education programs, four primary and three secondary after school support programs, a day care and life skills programs for 20 children with disabilities and three computer centers as well.

Project WHY has no institutional or government support and hence depends entirely on individuals and donations from well wishers and supporters. Every teacher or aid worker in their network is a volunteer and at the helm of all of this is Anouradha, who works tirelessly everyday to bring together people to support the project and enlist volunteers to help run it. Her sense of responsibility and need to give back to society should be a lesson to every one of us. We might not be able to directly influence or change a life of another person in this country, but what we can do is lend out vote and the power behind it to the candidates and parties who will plan policy to help Anouradha do the work she does.

Women must take to the polling booths in the upcoming general election and leverage the #PowerOf49.

http://projectwhy.org

Beyond Being A Survivor

In 1992 the State Government of Rajasthan launched an anti-child marriage campaign. Employees of the state and members of the Women's Development Project (WDP), a grassroot initiative run by the government, went out to villages to try and educate people about the issue and stop the practice. One female worker from the WDP was met with hostility when she tried to stop a child marriage taking place in an affluent Gujjar family. She lodged a complaint at the local police station and by intervention on the part of the police the marriage was halted for that moment (though it eventually took place the following day).

Angered by her interference in their family affairs, the family got the entire village to turn on the woman. She and her family were tormented and socially boycotted. One evening, around four months after the incident of her lodging the police complaint, five men attacked her and gang raped her. A social worker took her to the police station and registered an FIR, she was then shunted from hospital to hospital to have a rape kit collected, was humiliated and was finally sent home broken and a victim.

Two years later she refused the monetary compensation offered to her by the family of her perpetrators in return for her dropping the charges. Her case went to court, numerous judged were changed and the final one ruled that the five men were not guilty as they were of an upper caste and hence would not stoop to touching, let alone raping her, a woman of a much lower caste. Injustice prevailed. She continued her fight to be heard and for justice to be served.

A woman speaking so openly about rape and the shocking verdict of the district court prompted women’s groups and NGO’s from across the state to take on and fight for her cause. A PIL was filed with the Supreme Court under the collective platform ‘Vishakha’ that aimed to criminalize sexual assault at the workplace. In 1997 a three-judge bench delivered a landmark judgment which outlined the basic constitutes of sexual harassment at the workplace and the guidelines on how to deal with it, these are more commonly known as the Vishakha Guidelines.

Over a decade after the heinous crime against her, she still prays that justice will be served. Her strength, conviction and will to carry on fighting has made her a beacon of hope amongst women in her village and the neighboring ones who seek out her advice. Women’s rights activists across the country invite her to be on panels and journalists still seek her interview.

Bhanwari Devi is a woman who refused to be set aside or silenced and though she may never receive justice, every woman who goes to work every day is assured that the law will protect her against sexual assault at the work place. This is the power of one woman, of a woman who rallied others to help fight with her, of a woman who’s perseverance has influenced policy and other victims to speak up, this is the story of Bhanwari Devi.

When a Man Helps Empower Women

There are persistent people and then there is Subhash Mendhapurkar. As the Founder and Director of SUTRA (Society for Social Uplift through Rural Action) he has persistently championed women’s empowerment in Shimla and roused the women of this quaint hilly region to demand that their rights be met.

Subhash has spurred, stood by and fought for and with the women, whether it’s for their livelihood or for their health benefits. Through SUTRA he recruited rural women as members and taught them how to thwart the problem of their husbands spending money on alcohol. Leveraging the fact that every liquor store had to get a permit from the Gram Panchayat if they wish to start business, he advised the women to oppose the opening of liquor shops by forming the majority in any Gram Panchayat meetings. The women did as advised and managed to solve the problem through this simple solution.

As women were largely ignored where their health was concerned, Subhash decided to egg the women on to demand the basic rights to healthy living. He began a campaign called the ‘Ekal Naari Shakti Sangathan’, keeping in mind the woes of single women who were left to fend for themselves. Under his guidance and constant motivation, in April 2008, 3000 women from rural Himachal met the CM to address their concerns about the lack of proper medical facilities. The CM promised to provide free treatment for all ailments in government hospitals.

The man can be credited with the honour of having transformed the lives of the women in rural Himachal for the better – but the best part is this; his efforts have helped stabilize the sex ration in Solan district!

One person may start something but to turn it into a revolution, he or she will still need the strength of numbers. It’s time the women of India come together and lend their individual numbers to form what could be the single largest voting bloc at the 2014 elections.

Curing the Problem

Change can come from anywhere and in any form. One doesn’t need resources as much as one needs sheer will to see the fulfilment of change. Ask Subhashini Mistry, who rose from adversity to help her fellow members, to ensure that they don’t suffer the same fate as she did.

Being born in a poor family, she was married of at the age of 12 to a poor farmer. Trying hard to make ends meet, she spent her days cooking food for her family. Tragedy struck when her husband fell ill and eventually passed away due to lack of medical assistance. That’s when she decided that she had to build a hospital for the needy.

However, with four small children to feed, Subhashini wondered how she would sustain a livelihood considering that she wasn’t educated at all and didn’t possess vocational training of any sort. Determined, she began saving money from selling vegetables. For 20 years, she toiled, never taking letting her hopes die. She saved as much as she could, spending only on food and her children’s upbringing. After having collected enough, she bought an acre of land.

She gathered the villagers and shared her ambition with them. She told them that she wanted to use the land to build a hospital and would only be able to do so if everyone pooled in some money. The villagers got together with her and gave her whatever they could afford; some donated a small sum, some raw material, while some offered their labour. They then went about announcing the need for doctors to voluntarily offer their services to the poor and the needy, at least once a week.

Slowly, yet steadily, doctors began to come in and attend to the patients. Word spread and the villagers began coming to Humanity Hospital, as it came to be known. However, during the monsoons, the thatched roof of the small hospital couldn’t sustain the downpour and the clinic would get flooded now and then.

Realizing the need for a concrete building, Subhasini and her son approached Malini Bhattacharya, Member of Parliament. Seeing her persistence and getting to know of her crusade to build a hospital that caters to the poor, Malini wholeheartedly lent her support in raising funds and ensured that the endeavours received ample media coverage. With media support, donations poured in swiftly. The hospital was shifted to bigger land, 3 more floors were added and special departments were added.

The journey was long and arduous, but Subhasini never lost sight of the real goal. She believed that she could spark change and that she could tempt fate to favour her. She persisted and approached an MP to address her concerns.

We all have something to learn from her persistence and determination – that if we want a solution to a problem, we must learn to be an active part of it. Subhashini also taught an invaluable lesson – that women need to believe in their individual strength and their collective power. Together, change can happen.

But we must agree to take the first step to change – and step forward together!

Laying the Path For Gender Equality In Politics

Thirty years ago, inspired by Gandhian principals and the dream of a truly democratic society, six social scientists from Jawaharlal Nehru University came together to establish the Centre for Social Research (CSR) in Delhi. Over the last three decades CSR has been a leader in the Indian women’s movement due to its unique work in the three areas of being a facilitator of grassroots programmes and trainings, of being an esteemed research institute and of being a lobbyist, advocate and advisor to government institutions on the issue of women’s empowerment.

CSR has tackled a number of issues related to gender inequality, women empowerment and underprivileged through their deep research, action oriented work. Some of their most successful projects and advances have been establishing the Gender Training Institute in ’97 that strives to facilitate the empowerment of women, the Meri Shakti, Meri Beti project to reduce pre-natal sex selection, managing a number of Crisis Intervention Centers that were founded to end violence against women at the grass root level… and the list goes on.

Two of their most unique program are what is probably is a starting point to meet the need of the hour, higher involvement of women in the political process and in office.

The first project, Enhancing the Role of Women in Strengthening Democracy commenced in 2008 with support from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). It was built to encourage the capacity of marginalized women to participate in state and national electoral politics. To reduce the gender deficit a pipeline of 1000 women leaders who were motivated to contest elections for state legislatures and national parliament were selected and trained. Political parties were lobbied to increase seats for women within and finally the capacity of women across India to contest elections was enhanced as political parties were made aware about this pool of trained women.

The second, launched in 2012, in collaboration with Centre for Public Policy, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIMB) the India-Women in Leadership i-WIL programme is designed to strengthen the capabilities and effectiveness of women leaders as they enter and progress in Indian democracy. It equips aspiring women leaders with the requisite skills, knowledge and expertise in the various aspects of governance.

The timing of the i-WIL programme is flawless, partly because of the issue of the Women’s Reservation Bill that seeks reserving 33% of seats in state legislatures and parliament for women. The hope is that the i-WIL will help all women in politics, regardless of caste, class, region or political party- to become more active and more effective political leaders.

http://csrindia.org

On Real Men

The debate on what makes a ‘Real Man’ is colorful, varied and will go on through every generation. Physical attributes like strength, muscle, a moustache are some commonly cited ones. Characteristics such as protective instincts, courage, the ability to provide, shoulder to lean on and honor are more markers of a real man. But one that always comes up and the one attribute that is usually listed to rank above all else is a man’s ability to respect women.

In a country like India with such diverse cultures, religions, traditions and with such varied socio economic divisions of society, a man’s respect for women does not often meet the standard expectations, yet that does not mean that it is not prevalent. If we take the case of the average middle class family and the primary male members of one, we will see the ways in which men respect the women. Fathers give their daughters equal opportunities, husbands encourage their wives to pursue their own careers or ambitions and brothers no longer tell their sisters what to wear. The average Indian man is caring, considerate, encouraging and honoring of the women in his life, but is he fully respectful?

In the traditional sense maybe, yes, but there is one large glaring caveat to that statement. Most Indian men do not respect the right of the women in their lives to vote. It’s not that they bar or discourage it, but it’s the fact that they do not encourage or facilitate it. As a primary influence in a wife, daughter or sister’s life it is the duty of every man to educate and encourage her to vote. Weather it means explaining the political system to your little sister or running around to get your wife’s voting card it is time the men of this country facilitate the power of women who make up 49% of the registered vote bloc.

The general elections are fast approaching in 2014, will the real men please stand up?

Why women must pay attention to the President's Speech: Budget 2015

At the start of the Budget session today, President Pranab Mukherjee delivered a speech before both the Houses of the Parliament. In his speech, he also remarked, "Women have had a place of reverence in our society since time immemorial. My Government has taken several measures to empower and protect the dignity of women"

Right before Election 2015, JaagoRe released a carefully assessed crowd-sourced manifesto which was presented to the leading parties. The Powerof49 Manifesto sought to achieve safety and development of women in all spheres in India.

Though the positive steps taken by the Government to uplift the status of women in India are welcome, we still need to ascertain the long road that lies ahead of us to achieve security and equality for women.

Let's look at the points mentioned by the President in the Budget speech today with regards to women. Let's also place it in perspective with the Powerof49 Manifesto, which can earmark how far we've come, and how much further we need to go to achieve independence for women.

Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Abhiyaan (Save girl child, educate girl child)

"The unabated decline in Child Sex Ratio since 1961 is a matter of grave concern. This trend has to be reversed. To ensure survival, protection and education of the girl child, my Government has launched Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao Abhiyaan, which seeks to change mindsets to celebrate the girl child," stated President Mukherjee.

This scheme was recently launched in January. Read more about here

Small saving scheme for girl child.

"A new small saving scheme 'Sukanya Samriddhi Account' has been notified for the girl child," as stated by President Mukherjee.

In January 2015, the Government launched a small deposit scheme for the girl child, as part of the 'Beti Bachao Beti Padhao' campaign. This scheme is specially designed for girl's higher education and marriage needs.

JaagoRe had released the Powerof49 Manifesto right before Elections 2015. One of the important demands raised was: Incentivise schooling for girls by providing financial saving schemes and free transportation

It may be far-fetched to say that we are achieving this, but this is certainly a step in the direction. Many more schemes like these and strictly overseeing them may go a long way in improving the financial status of the newer generation of women. It may also be wise to say that apart from allocating saving schemes for a girl's marriage, her overall financial needs (maternity, employment issues, housing needs, cheaper and inexpensive transportation etc.) be met with. The authorities have to acquire more importance to several other needs for women, rather than just education or marriage.

Lowering the age of juveniles to 16: Juvenile Justice Act

"A Bill to amend Juvenile Justice Act has been introduced in Parliament to reform the law relating to juvenile offences," said President Mukherjee.

The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection Children) Bill 2014 was introduced by the Government in August 2014. According to the revised act, a juvenile above the age of 16 years and below 18 years, involved in a henious act of crime like rape may be tried as an adult and be given the maximum punishment. Read more here

It may be remembered that one of Nirbhaya's offenders was 16 at that the time of the assault. Protests triggered the Government to lower the age of those accused of serious crimes.

Mobile app for women's safety in Delhi

"Another initiative has been the launch of Himmat, a mobile based application, to ensure women's safety in Delhi," stated President Mukherjee.

Read more about it here

One stop crisis centre for survivors of assault

"To provide complete support to women affected by violence, One Stop Crisis Centres, one in every State, are being set up for provision of integrated services including medical aid, police assistance, temporary shelter, and legal and psycho-social counseling," remarked President Mukherjee.

A one-stop-crisis centre was set up back in June 2014 in Bhopal. However, progress on the set up of similar centres remains to be seen.

Read more about them here

Powerof49 Manifesto key point: Provide complete medical, legal and psychological support to victims of domestic violence by instituting special family counselling centers in government buildings and policy centres.

While this has been assured by the Government several months ago, efforts to speed up and monitor the progress of setting up these centres has to come in place. A sensitised personnel at the one stop crisis centres could certainly aid the trauma of the survivors that seek rehabilitation and recovery.

SMART Police

"My Government is committed to implement the idea of SMART Police (Smart but Sensitive, Modern and Mobile, Alert and Accountable, Reliable and Responsive, Tech-savvy and well Trained) to provide efficient, courteous and effective citizen services and meet the operational needs of the police personnel including women police personnel," said President Mukherjee.

Powerof49 Manifesto stated: Increase percentage of women police personnel from current 5% to at least 33%

While rehashing the current state of Police forces is a welcome step, strong and concentrated efforts must be made to introduce and nurture more women in the Police forces. There has been sporadic news, but nothing concrete in this regard and this is something our Government needs to look into.

Committed to construct a toilet in every school by August 2015

"Government has rolled out 'Swachh Vidyalaya' programme and is committed to construct a toilet in every school before 15th August, 2015," said President Mukherjee.

Read about it here

PowerofManifesto key highlight: Build 1 crore women toilets within a year with privacy and 24/7 access to water

This move by the Government is critical. However, strict monitoring and practical measures to ensure this actually happens is equally important.

Powerof49 Manifesto – What Next?

While many measures have been announced time and again, crimes against women and even minor girls has not reduced. Where are we then, going wrong in ensuring a safer country where women can walk free? Have the authorities taken sufficient measures in the areas of transportation, employment and also in social and cultural contexts? Are there enough women today in the armed, police forces, or in politics? The answer may be No. The only way to resolve this is to confront these issues and for the authorities to not just commit, but speedily work to resolve them at the earliest.