Are Women in India Safer Today?

Here's the question: after the wave of publicity following the Delhi rape of December 2012, and actions by the government in response, how's it going?  Do women feel safer?  Might they actually BE safer? Thanks to the fantastic work of ICRW - the International Center for Research on Women - we may soon know. In 2012, an ICRW survey asked about public safety in Delhi. The results found that 90% of women and girls had experienced some form of sexual violence in their lifetime. Ninety percent?  Did you catch that right?  In my book, that's pretty close to everyone.  That should…

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Shop for a Cause: Kamalini

Kamalini's spring Mela is coming up!  Kamalini works to empower underprivileged young women by providing basic education, useful skills, and confidence-boosting activities through two centers in Delhi and numerous outreach programs.   This Mela features women's and children's clothes donated by El Corte Ingles, a large Spanish department store. Shop for bargains and help Kamalini at the same time.

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The Catalyst Conference

Attending The Catalyst Conference Wednesday and Thursday this week: Addressing Sexual Violence in India: Transforming Attitudes, Changing Behaviours. Five key issues will be addressed: Men's Attitudes Toward Women in India Access to Education Economic Opportunities Arts and Media The Law and How it is Implemented Read more about the conference or apply to attend here.

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Glimpses of Asia: Success!

GLIMPSES OF ASIA   FUNDRAISER FOR APNE AAP Friday April 11 A great night for  Glimpses of Asia and a great event for Apne Aap.      One hundred and fifty people crowded the house and garden near Khan Market graciously offered by one of our AWA members. Every photo was auctioned and 38 lucky guests came away high bidders. Our colleagues from Apne Aap offered news of the organization and provided inspiration for further bidding, though we missed Apne Aap founder Ruchira Gupta who had to be in New York that night. Apne Aap works in Delhi, West Bengal and Bihar; today…

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It’s All Local – and Global

Women in India, those living on the equivalent of $2 a day, often struggle to advance in education or jobs because of time spend caring for others.  (This  ‘Care Imperative’ has been noted recently by UN Women.)  Their lives are too constrained by the human imperatives of unpaid care for others to be able to take advantage of better opportunities. And India is not unique among developing countries. But what about elsewhere, in richer countries? No surprise: a persistent gender pay gap persists due to ...you guessed it...women’s responsibilities for care.  American culture often shames women into care giving responsibilities…

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The Care Imperative

Women and the MDG (Millennium Development Goals) What About All That Unpaid Labour? Two ideas are promising, both for proponents of gender equity and for policy makers looking to boost economic growth: Women's empowerment is now widely seen as central to reducing poverty and creating better health outcomes. Countries with greater gender equity in employment and education have higher rates of human development and economic growth. Super, you think.  Everyone will now have an interest in greater gender equity throughout society. So, the logic goes, to improve overall economic growth and human development, get those women jobs and political power. Voila.…

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The Poop Guy – Sanitation in India

For good reason, India is often called the open defecation capital of the world.  The fact that toilets are intensely stigmatized has a huge, deleterious impact on public health.  On an personal level, the burden and cost of this preference for public urination and defecation falls disproportionately on women and girls. For all intents and purposes, public spaces in much of India belong to men. Women are not welcome, whether or not they are overtly banned.  They may be stared at, groped, verbally hassled, or worse, but they also have no place to relieve themselves.  In India a woman cannot…

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Apne Aap

Yes, that's Gloria Steinem and yes, this is a link to Apne Aap. But the connection is apt. Steinem is 'mother' to many a feminist organization, and Apne Aap is a fitting daughter.  This book of Steinem's writings was edited and annotated by Ruchira Gupta, head of Apne Apt, with the goal of spreading Steinem's works to an Indian audience. Apne Aap was founded by twenty-two women from Mumbai's red light district, with a vision of "a world where no woman could be bought or sold."  Those twenty-two women had been part of an award winning documentary (The Selling of Innocents,…

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Apne Aap

  Apne Aap: one the forefront of grassroots movements to end trafficking of girls and women in India.  Also the beneficiary of the Glimpses of Asia photo exhibit on April 11, 2014.  Read about them here.  And see founder Ruchira Gupta's joint reports with Gloria Steinem published in the New York Times here.   Yes, that's Gloria Steinem and yes, this is a link to Apne Aap. But the connection is apt. Steinem is 'mother' to many a feminist organization, and Apne Aap is a fitting daughter.  This book of Steinem's writings was edited and annotated by Ruchira Gupta, head…

  • Post category:HealthIndiaWomen
  • Reading time:3 mins read
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President Jimmy Carter

President Jimmy Carter and the Carter Center have a long history of diving into unpopular causes.  His diplomatic efforts stretch from the Sudan to the Middle East, Haiti, Bosnia, and North Korea.  He has taken on, and stuck with, programs to eradicate Guinea Worm and schistosomiasis in West Africa, two diseases which are incredibly debilitating and can be prevented but do not make it to the priority list of governments and foundations looking for sexy, technology-oriented new initiatives. He has supported legalized abortion in the US and demonstrated that a deeply religious person can support that position. He has promoted…

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