By Ranjani Raghunathan, Intern – Media & Communication Division

Leadership, cannot be said to be synonymous with politics. Leaders can exist in any sphere, in any capacity, and are defined by their ability to inspire and motivate others to achieve great heights.

Thus when we talk of women leaders in India, along with naming those who have created their own space in the political scenario, it is imperative to acknowledge those women, who have set up their own endeavours to benefit society at large.

There are many such women, who have led, established and sustained successful social organizations. One leading example is Dr Shyama Chona, who founded an NGO “Tamana”, which aims to promote a better life for the mentally challenged and autistic people. She also initiated the start of the “Anubhav Shiksha Kendra”, which brings quality education to disadvantaged children through afternoon schools. Both these organizations are highly successful and have benefited many through their work.

Then there is Dr Shelly Batra, who has been working to provide free medical treatment to slum dwellers since 1991, which eventually led to the creation of the founder of Operation Asha. The organization provides tuberculosis treatment and education services in 1412 slums spread over six states. Nikita Ketkar, left a high profile job with the civil services, to start Masoom, an organization which aims to improve the quality of night schools. Dr Amita Vyas founded the Global India Fund, a non-profit organization committed to inspiring global philanthropy by providing secure and transparent giving options to individual and corporate donors. Dr Ranjana Kumari, is the Director of Centre for Social Research in Delhi, which is one of the most influential and leading institutions working in the field of informed social action and action-oriented research, with a focus on gender issues.

This is by no means an exhaustive list. There are countless women, many who remain nameless, who are continuingly taking charge, and creating platforms for a society where every member is able to lead a fulfilling life. It is important for governments, and policy makers, to understand the need to educate and train more women to adopt leadership positions, so that society as a whole benefits from the advantages which their leadership offers.

Shot, edited, directed by Ankur Kapoor, ‘Second Wind’ is a 20 minute documentary, which takes up the cases of three survivors of domestic violence, and narrates their life journeys, from the beginning of their abuse, to their current state.

‘Second Wind’ tells the heartwrenching stories of Ruksana, Nanhi Devi and Shabnam. Ruksana was married when she was young, as her family feared that she being crippled would affect chances of marriage in the future. She faces humiliation and endured abuse by her husband, in front of their children, and one day decided it was enough. She went to one of CSR’s Crisis Intervention Centres (CICs) initially to seek help, and today, she is appointed as an assistant counselor there. Nanhi Devi, was abused to such a great degree by her husband that she became handicapped, and would crawl in order to move around. Some women took her to the CIC, which collected money for her operation, and subsequent medical care, and today she’s able to walk on her feet. Shabnam was married when she was 13, and had her first child when she was 14. Her husband tried to poison her when she had contracted tuberculosis. But it was only when he poisoned her young son, subsequently killing him, did she seek divorce. Today she lives with her one surviving son, attends CIC meetings as often as she can, and manages to earn her own money.

The documentary covers not only the life stories of these three women, but it also shows what an important and supportive role which the CICs play. They act as an initial contact point for these women to share their problems with, and then, they act as a bridge between the police and these women, in case they need to seek police intervention. The documentary displays how the CICs provide the distressed women with information about their legal rights, and once they’re on their own, the CICs help them to stand on their own two feet, and become independent- not just in terms of working and earning money, but also becoming stronger individuals.

‘Second Wind’ is a crisp, hard hitting and soul stirring piece of work, which raises awareness about the plight of not just Ruksana, Nanhi Devi and Shabnam, but also of the countless, nameless women across the country and the world. It also provides hope and strength, especially when the women talk about their lives as of now, and how help from the CICs has changed their lives for the better. Above all, ‘Second Wind’ makes the viewer think about domestic violence and its repercussions, long after it’s over.

To watch this video on our Youtube channel Click here

By Amitabh Kumar, Head of Media and Communication, CSR

Disclaimer: image courtesy hindustantimes.com

Channel surfing last night I came across this song on one of the popular music channels. Katrina Kaif dancing her heart out to a fast beat, but after about 20 seconds when I heard the lyrics and started noticing the background this wonderful picture turned real ugly. The film clip shows a girl dressed as a traditional Marathi ‘Fisher Women’ dancing, surrounded by shady looking men staring at her body parts like scavengers. If this was not appalling enough the lyrics of the song could win a prize for promoting most of the social evils responsible for violence against women. Its promoting alcohol, drugs, sex as a commodity for sale.

What sort of entertainment is this? Who is being entertained? I would really like to meet the director, lyricist and even Ms Kaif and ask them why they would want to create something so negative?
Freedom of expression is central to all democracies and it is important to ensure people’s ideas, thoughts and creativity is not censored. But in the case of this video and the many others like it, who is the target audience? Is meant for general viewing of should it be restricted to adults? Being an adult I can claim that my life would be just fine without viewing such trash. But children and adolescents are influenced by the entertainment industry and what they watch on TV has an impact on their values, understanding of society and their behavior. So, I would say that there should at least be an age bar on such videos.

The more time I spent on these music channels the more I realised that this video is not even exceptionally explicit, every second video is the same. How have we come to this? Has the biggest film industry in the world lost its creativity?

This is not an argument against freedom of expression. It is an argument against the objectification of women. There are parliamentary discussions if religion or a caste is mentioned in a song, but what about respect for women? Are gender relations in the country so bad that it’s seen as acceptable for women to be portrayed in such a way?

We as a society have a right to decide what we want to view as entertainment and our sensor boards need to reflect that decision. And the entertainment industry needs to start taking women’s rights seriously, rather than reinforcing gender difference and objectifying women.

Recent protests by anti-corruption protester Anna Hazare have reignited the anti-corruption movement and initiated many debates regarding the impact of corruption on India’s population. However, a noticeable omission from these discussions has been the impact of corruption on women throughout India. Women are more susceptible to the negative impacts of corruption for several reasons.

Firstly, women have less access to resources than their male counterparts and are therefore less able to function and progress in a society that is underpinned by corruption at the family, community and institutional level. Women, who are unable to pay bribes, are often unable to access vital public services such as medical care and education. The lack of access to these services leads to women experiencing poorer health, less jobs opportunities and further marginalisation from society.

Secondly, women generally have less access to capital and less ability to develop strong and influential networks within their community. This means that women have less access to decision making power and have limited capacity to influence decisions that directly or indirectly impact their lives. Corruption persists at all levels of government throughout India and access to and influence over decision makers is often dependent on connections and collateral. Women’s lack of access to both these resources renders them less able to influence decisions meaning that issues impacting women are perceived to be less important, are allocated fewer resources and in many cases are largely ignored.

Finally, the patriarchal nature of Indian society means that women are more at risk of exploitation and less likely to receive institutional protection and support. A major form of corruption that directly impacts women and children is sexual exploitation, such as providing sexual services in place of bribes, forced prostitution and trafficking. The marginalisation of women from social and economic recourses and capital restricts their capacity to participate equally within society and forces them to engage in behaviours and interactions that are harmful and disempowering. Corruption within government bodies and law enforcement agencies has led to a culture of ignoring corrupt and exploitative behaviours. Women receive little support and protection from corruption and are largely unable to successfully prosecute perpetrators of corrupt practices.

In a country where 49 percent of women are poor, corruption can both increase women’s marginalisation and poverty and stifle women’s attempts to address gender inequality within their communities. It is a central factor in the perpetuation of gender inequality within India. And, the fact that the gender dimensions of corruption continue to be overlooked is both concerning and detrimental to women’s empowerment.

“There is a need to start looking at women as human beings first rather than victims. Women are capable of looking after their own issues if the government gives them the right to governance, which has been on the back burner for decades”, said Director Ranjana Kumari at CSR’s National Conference 2011 on Why Gender Matters on Monday.

The conference, held at the India Habitat Centre in Delhi on 21 November, brought together leaders from India’s government agencies, civil society and renowned academic institutions to discuss action-based solutions to the issues of gender inequality and women’s rights and empowerment. Various speakers took to the mic throughout the day to address some of the key problems troubling women and girls across the country: pre-natal sex selection, domestic violence, human trafficking and gender and governance.

Kicking the event off during the inaugural session, Bharati Saliwal from UN Women said, “Changing the status of women needs a mindset change. Violence against women is not excusable, acceptable or pardonable.”

Three brave survivors then recounted their experiences of gender discrimination and of overcoming incidents of domestic violence and trafficking. One of the victims was forced to undergo the abortion of her second child since she already had one girl. When she subsequently fell pregnant with a third girl child, she was forced to leave her home and was abandoned by her husband. Another victim, a 48-year-old woman from Western Uttar Pradesh, talked about being married to a HIV positive man who died a year later. She tragically suffered domestic violence at the hands of her in-laws. However, with the help of CSR, the woman has since been able to obtain widow pension and register her daughter for the government’s Ladli scheme.

Nonetheless, the work to be done extends far beyond individual efforts and empowerment. Speakers of all four sessions at Why Gender Matters spoke passionately of the need for better laws and better implementation of those laws in order to improve Indian women’s lives. They also stressed the need for more interaction between media and the government.

Focusing on the promotion of action-based change through experience sharing and participatory discussion, Monday’s conference aimed to establish policy, programme or budget input for government agencies and representatives. The relaxed environment provided a strong platform for collective action amongst non-government organisations and civil society, and resulted in innovative recommendations for new approaches and activities for those working at the grassroots level on gender.

Attendees included key figures from the government, civil society and academic sectors. Esteemed speakers included Smt. Bharati Silawal, EVAW Specialist, UN Women, Dr. Roma Debabrata, President of STOP, Ms. Varsha Despande, a Lawyer from Satara, Maharashtra, Ms.  Bijayalaxmi Nanda,  University of Delhi, Ms. Poonam Kathuria, SWATI, Ms. Lotty Aloric, Lok Sabha TV, Ms. Padma Devasthali, CEHAT, Ms. Indira Jaisingh, President of Lawyers Collective, Ms. Madura Dutta, Resident Manager of Banglanatakdotcom, Mr. N. Sanyal, Additional Sec. MOWCD, Professor Simhadri, Institute of Constitutional and Parliamentary Studies, Ms. Arti Dogra, District Magistrate Bundi, Rajasthan, Ms. Anupama Jha, Transparency International, Ms. Sunita Sehrawat, Ex-Sarpanch, Haryana and Dr. Praveen Kumari Singh, Ministry of Home Affairs and ACP Pratima Sharma of the Special Police Unit for Women and Children.

By Sophie Hardefeldt, a Centre for Social Research Intern in the Gender Training Institute. Sophie recently graduated with a Masters in International Development from RMIT, Australia.

Tawakkul Karman, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and Leymah Gbowee

Earlier this month three women Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman, were each awarded a Nobel Prize “for their non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women’s rights to full participation in peace-building work”. The announcement got me thinking about the history of the global women rights movement and questioning why, 40 years after the women in development movement began, gender inequality remains so persuasive throughout most of the world.

Take India for example, where women make up almost half of the population and where women’s equality is enshrined within the constitution. Despite efforts being made to address gender inequality by government and non-government organisations, discrimination against women continues almost unabated. Now in 2011, India has the world’s worst sex ratio with only 940 girls being born for every 1000 boys, sex-selective abortions are on the rise, women receive less education and are more likely to be illiterate, women are less likely to find employment, are often restricted to the unorganised employment sector which lack security and workers rights, and receive lower wages than their male counterparts. Furthermore, violence against women persists in the form of domestic violence, honour and dowry killings, trafficking in persons, forced prostitution and harassment.

While gender inequality is generally recognised as being detrimental for women, the wider impacts on society are often ignored and the issue is marginalised in favour of more ‘mainstream’ economic concerns. The myriad of social, cultural and economic benefits that the empowerment of women has for women, men and society at large is often forgotten, or simply undervalued and ignored.

So what are the benefits of promoting women’s rights?

Educating women leads to a reduction in child mortality and improves nutrition and health within families. Educated women are also more likely to promote education within their community and are more able to generate an income outside of the home.

Women are more likely to invest in families than men and increasing women’s access to income and control over resources not only benefits women but also improves child nutrition, education levels and healthcare attendance amongst their families and communities.

Addressing violence against women reduces levels of mortality and morbidity, ensures that women are physically and emotionally able to participate within their communities and leads to a more healthy and happy family environment.

Furthermore, when women participate in the political arena they are more able to address issues of discrimination against women and girls and are empowered them to address gender imbalances within their community.

It’s encouraging to see Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman being recognised for their contribution to the women’s rights movement. It would be truly amazing if their objectives could be realised and gender equality was achieved across the world. The benefits for women and men would be endless.

By Dr. Ranjana Kumari, Director of Centre for Social Research.

Despite the fact that the safety of women is an issue raised time and time again, for women in India fear is a constant companion. A recent survey by Trustlaw Women has re-affirmed those fears after ranking India as the fourth most dangerous country for women in the world. As they strike out on their search for economic and social independence, such a dangerous environment can become akin to terror on women.

Worryingly, Indian women are often treated as the catalyst of violence and sexual assault rather than the victim. Cases of rape provide a good example. For instance, rather than find out the details of the case or ask why the police didn’t arrive at the scene on time, blame is usually placed on the aggrieved girl herself – ‘why was she out in an unsafe place at night?’, ‘why was she alone?’, ‘why was she wearing provocative and revealing clothes?’. This reflects not only the attitudes of a few, but also the mindset of Indian people on the whole. Victim blaming exists within the general public, within families, and even within the institutions which are supposed to be keeping our cities safe. This kind of thinking perpetuates crime against women and is an obstacle in the road for organisations like CSR who are working to create a safer environment for women and girls within their own homes and their own country.

Statistics compiled by the National Crime Record Bureau show that the number of reported rapes across the country has increased substantially from only 
2,487 in 1971 to 21,176 in 2008. An incredible number of additional, unreported instances of rape are missing from this picture. And, while it is fair to point out that Indian population has risen during this period but so too has the strength and number of policemen deployed for citizens’ safety. The answer to these problems does not lie in the more old-fashioned approach of prohibiting the freedom of mobility of women, but in educating people about the wrongs of violence against women, and convicting the perpetrators who are unfit to live in our society. We must strive to ensure women’s freedom and make the streets and households of Delhi safer for all.

It is saddening that even in urban India, people do not feel safe. In a 2004 survey of 13,000 people for the Delhi Human Development Report (HDR), only 19% of those asked said that they felt Delhi is safe for women. The HDR recommended a shift from a more traditional, restrictive approach to women’s safety to one that concentrates on ‘women’s right to a life free from fear and violence’. This is exactly the kind of approach we should be promoting. Earlier this year the Delhi Police Commissioner outraged people by saying “you (women) cannot drive alone at 2am 
on Delhi roads and then claim that the Capital is unsafe”. Why did his comment tick people off? Largely because, instead of vowing to think up new and innovative ways to protect the city’s women, he advised them to do something which in fact impinges upon their freedom and only adds to their fears. This kind of attitude is detrimental to efforts being made to change conservative Indian mentality. While approaches to women’s safety in the past revolved around concepts of fear, restriction and self-preservation, we now need to focus on empowering women and giving them the confidence to walk the streets, ride public transport and enjoy everything that this city has to offer. This confident outlook will only be achieved by making the Capital a safer place for women, men, and children alike.