Prajnya's first Women's Safety Audit

At a workshop organised by Jagori earlier this year, several organisations from across India learnt about Jagori's work on women's safety in public spaces in Delhi. A key objective of this workshop, which I attended, was to demonstrate the usefulness of the safety audit tool as a way to measure women's safety. Since then, we've been keen to pilot this in Chennai and decided to do so as part of this year's campaign.

Very simply, this is how a women's safety audit works:

You choose an area - either residential or a public space like a market or a mall or even a main road. A team of 5-6 members (primarily residents of that area) walk the area, looking to identify various factors that make it either safe or unsafe for women. This could include street lights, the presence/absence of hawkers/shops (who might respond if a woman needs help), pavements, empty lots with men hanging about, etc etc. In addition, the team also plots the area on a map, takes photos, videos and does spot interviews with people.

Moreover, one of the major objectives is to find ways to integrate issues of women's safety and sexual harassment into urban planning. This is why the walk actually looks at several aspects of urban infrastructure which are common to men and women - roads, lights, police support, etc etc. The idea is that if a city is safe for women, it is safe for everyone else too (including say, the disabled, for example). Equally, we believe that it is important to expand the idea of safety as something more than a law and order issue to include all these other factors.

We decided to audit a select area in Besant Nagar as a first step, for two reasons: the combination of a popular public space (the beach) and a residential area was particularly interesting and secondly, we identified an enthusiastic group, thanks to the enthusiastic involvement of Sharadha Shankar, a local resident of the area. Over the next few weeks, we identified the specific area we wanted to audit, revised the checklist shared by Jagori and explained the process to the team.

A report based on the preliminary findings is pasted below. Prajnya will now share the findings with relevant authorities and we also hope to expand the audit to other parts of the city.

Women’s Safety Audit, Besant Nagar

Preliminary Report

Who we are: A group of local residents living in the Besant Nagar area, along with a small team from Prajnya.

What we did: Undertook and carried out a women’s safety audit in select areas of Besant Nagar on Monday, 29 November 2010.

Why we did this: The safety audit is a tool used in several cities around the world to understand whether a particular area is safe for women. The audit helps local residents assess their own areas from the point of view of infrastructure, looking at roads and streets, lights, availability of public toilets, etc. The audit is based on the premise that a city safe for women is safe for everyone.

This area was chosen for a specific reason: it is a residential area but with a well-used and busy public place (the beach).

The area we covered: 5th Avenue, 32^nd, 33^rd and 34^th Cross Street, Besant Nagar.

What we found:

1. While the area is generally considered safe during the day, several of the inner streets are considered unsafe after dark, especially 32^nd Cross Street.
2. Lighting is a major concern:
1. The lights only come on at around 6pm, by which time it is already dark.
2. The only source of light, before the street lights come on, is from shops, who switch on their lights between 5.30pm and 5:45pm.
3. Several of the existing street lights do not function.
4. The light posts are so high up that they are hidden by the trees. Therefore the light is very dim.
3. There have been a few incidents of chain snatching, all targeting women, in recent months. These have taken place both at night and during the day.
4. Several of the footpaths are not accessible for the disabled or those with prams.
5. There is a run-down Electricity Board building behind the Metro Water complex. The windows are broken and residents report seeing men gather there, drinking and using the place as a toilet.
6. On the three inner lanes, despite several houses, there are few people on the road.
7. A section of the playground on 34^th Cross Street is cordoned off with tall aluminium sheets. There is virtually no lighting here, and this is a definite unsafe area.

What we recommend (based on our preliminary findings):

1. In ‘winter’ months, the lights need to come on earlier, at 5:30pm at least.
2. The existing street lights need to be fixed and new ones added on some of the inner lanes.
3. The height of the light posts could be lowered, so that they offer better light and are not blocked by the trees.
4. Something is done about the Electricity Board building: the windows are re-fixed, the building cordoned off or security appointed.

This audit was organised as part of the 2010 Prajnya 16 Days Campaign against Gender Violence.

Logging into (In)Security: ICTs and Gender Violence

Official Press Release

Chennai, 10 December: With the increased use of Information, Communications and Technology (ICT), there is increased potential for the abuse of ICT, with often humiliating and tragic consequences for women users. This was discussed at Logging into (In)Security, a seminar on ICT and Gender Violence, organised by Prajnya as part of the 2010 16 Days Campaign against Gender Violence, in partnership with Empowering women in IT (eWIT).

“Everyone is impacted by ICT, whether as users or non-users. We often assume that access to the ICTs automatically means inclusion and therefore empowerment. But there are digital dangers, with implications for the security of women”, said Ms. Chloe Zollman of Bangalore-based IT for Change.

Dr Rama Subramaniam, criminologist and CEO of Valiant Technologies pointed out that the majority of victims online are not aware that they had been victimized. “It is not possible for any individual to monitor every single website every day to see if his/her photo has been misused. By the time s/he discovers it by chance, the damage has been done”, he said.

Discussing the challenges that law enforcement officials commonly face, Dr. Sudhakar IPS, Asst. Commissioner, Cyber Crimes Cell, Chennai Police, reiterated the urgent need for a global law. “We are trying to address a problem that has an international dimension with a local law. We need something that will help us gather any required information from various intermediaries”, he said. He cited several examples of online abuse directed at women, especially after the breakup of a relationship or a marriage.

Ms. Jamuna Swamy, Head, Information Security, Hexaware Technologies, drew attention to the importance of both prevention and deterrence, as methods to anticipate and address online violence. All the speakers pointed out that technology itself can be used to fight back against exploitation. “It is possible to challenge violence and power in constructive ways, using digital technology to create safe spaces where people can meet, in a non-threatening way. But for this, we have to teach others to use the tools”, emphasised Ms. Zollman.

“A programme of this type is hugely beneficial to women in the IT and ITES industries, who are perhaps the largest users of ICT and therefore most vulnerable to its abuse”, pointed out Ms. Vijayalakshmi Rao, President, eWIT. “For Prajnya, the real challenge is to create the awareness that enables victims to identify what they experience as violence, and as something that is not their fault, whether in the real world or cyberspace”, said Dr. Swarna Rajagopalan, Managing Trustee, Prajnya.

The seminar, the first in partnership between eWIT and Prajnya, was chaired by Kalyani Narayanan, Vice President - eWIT and attended by a cross-section of IT professionals, students and other concerned citizens.

Intersect: Dialogue between Chennai Police and student representatives

The official press release:

College students in the city continue to face sexual harassment on the street and while using public transport. This was discussed today at Intersect, a consultative dialogue between students and the Chennai Police, facilitated by Prajnya as part of the 2010 16 Days Campaign against Gender Violence.

Invitations were sent to over 30 colleges in the city and nine responded positively, submitting a brief that summarized the specific concerns of students in their college.

Students revealed through their responses that they faced harassment particularly in buses, and around bus stands, irrespective of the college location. In addition, an emerging problem is that of SMS and cyber stalking.

The students representatives also observed that the majority of those harassed did not complain or ask for help, mainly because people would think they were making a fuss for no good reason. They welcomed the opportunity to interact directly with the police, suggesting that women police officer visit colleges more frequently and organise meetings and workshops.

Intersect was held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Outdoor Stadium meeting room and attended by representatives from Prajnya as well as several police officers including Joint Commissioner Chennai North Mr. Seshasayee, Deputy Commissioner Kilpauk Ms. S. Lakshmi, Asst Commissioner Vepery Mr. Ashokkumar, Inspector Kilpauk Police Station Subbaraj, Inspector Vepery Police Station Jawahar, Inspector Indian Coach Factory Police Station Muniandi and All-Women's Police Station, Kilpauk Inspector, Aryamala.

Know The Law - Sexual harassment at workplace :

As women try to fight economic disparity with men, a new form of crime emerges- sexual harassment at work place. Each incident of sexual harassment is also a violation of human rights, gender equality - fundamental rights enshrined in the constitution.

Gender equality includes protection from sexual harassment and right to
work with dignity, which is a universally recognised basic human right. The common
minimum requirement of this right has received global acceptance. The International
Conventions and norms are, therefore, of great significance in the formulation of the
guidelines to achieve this purpose.- Vishaka V State of Rajasthan . The judgement also set out guidelines which has till date been the norms for tackling sexual harassment at workplace.

The guidelines and norms prescribed herein area as under :-

Having regard to the definition of .human rights. in S. 2 (d) of the Protection
of Human Rights Act, 1993,
Taking note of the fact that the present civil and penal laws in India do not
adequately provide for specific protection of women from sexual harassment in work
places and that enactment of such legislation will take considerable time.
It is necessary and expedient form employers in work places as well as other
responsible persons or institutions to observe certain guidelines to ensure the
prevention of sexual harassment of women :

1. Duty of the Employer or other responsible persons in work places and
other institutions :
It shall be the duty of the employer or other responsible persons in work places
or other institutions to prevent or deter the commission of acts of sexual harassment
and to provide the procedures for the resolution, settlement or prosecution of acts of sexual harassment by taking all steps required.

2. Definition :
For this purpose,sexual harassment includes such unwelcome sexually
determined behaviour (Whether directly or by implication) as :
a) Physical contact and advances;
b) a demand or request for sexual favours;
c) sexually coloured remarks;
d) showing pornography;
e) any other unwelcome physical, verbal or non - verbal conduct of sexual
nature.
.
3. Preventive Step :
All employers or persons in charge of work place whether in the public or
private sector should take appropriate steps to prevent sexual harassment. Without
prejudice to the generality of this obligation they should take the following steps:
(a) Express prohibition of sexual harassment as defined above at the work
place should be notified, published and circulated in appropriate ways.
(b) The Rules/Regulations of Government and Public Sector bodies relating
to conduct and discipline should include rules/regulations prohibiting sexual harassment and provide for appropriate penalties in such rules against the offender.
(c) As regards private employers steps should be taken to include the
aforesaid prohibitions in the standing orders under the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946.
(d) Appropriate work conditions should be provided in respect of work, leisure,
health and hygiene to further ensure that there is no hostile environment towards
women at work places and no employee woman should have reasonable grounds to
believe that she is disadvantaged in connection with her employment.

4. Criminal Proceedings :
Where such conduct amounts to a specific offence under the Indian Penal Code
or under any other law, the employer shall initiate appropriate action in accordance
with law by making a complaint with the appropriate authority.
In particular, it should ensure that victims, or witnesses are not victimized or
discriminated against while dealing with complaints of sexual harassment. The victims
of sexual harassment should have the option to seek transfer of the perpetrator or
their own transfer.

5. Disciplinary Action :
Where such conduct amounts to misconduct in employment as defined by the
relevant service rules, appropriate disciplinary action should be initiated by the
employer in accordance with those rules.

6. Complaint Mechanism :
Whether or not such conduct constitutions an offence under law or a breach of
the service rules, an appropriate complaint mechanism should be created in the
employer’s organization for redress of the complaint made by the victim. Such
complaint mechanism should ensure time bound treatment of complaints.

7. Complaints Committee :
The complaint mechanism, referred to in (6) above, should be adequate to
provide, where necessary, Complaints Committee, a special counsellor or other support
service, including the maintenance of confidentiality. The Complaints Committee should be heated by a woman and not less than half of its member should be women. Further, to prevent the possibility of any undue pressure or influence from senior levels, such Complaints Committee should involve a third party, either NGO or other body who is familiar with the issue of sexual harassment.The Complaints Committee must make an annual report to the Government department concerned of the complaints and action taken by them.

8. Workers. Initiative :
Employees should be allowed to raise issues sexual harassment at workers.
meeting and in other appropriate forum and it should be affirmatively discussed in
Employer - Employee Meetings.

9. Awareness :
Awareness of the rights of female employees in this regard should be created
in particular by prominently notifying the guidelines ( and appropriate legislation when enacted on the subject ) in a suitable manner.

10. Third Party Harassment :
Where sexual harassment occurs as a result of an act or omission by any third
party or outsider, the employer and person in charge will take all steps necessary and reasonable to assist the affected person in terms of support and preventive action.

11. The Central / State Governments are requested to consider adopting
suitable measures including legislation to ensure that the guidelines laid down by this order are also observed by the employers in Private Sector.

12. These guidelines will not prejudice any rights available under the
Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993.

Reflections on Not Silence, but Verse

Belatedly, posting reflections by Uma Vangal on Not Silence, But Verse: a reading of poetry, held last Saturday at Full Circle.

The day? Saturday 27^th, November. the time: 630 pm The venue? Full Circle book shop.The event? Not silence, but verse, a poetry reading by four women poets. The occasion? Prajnya’s 16 day campaign against gender violence.

Full circle was full and that’s just the beginning. As the evening progressed, the full house was spell bound as they heard Kutti Revathi, Sharanya Manivannan, Salma and Srilata, their voices rising and falling with the emotions that echoed some universal experiences of women.

Vazhvin soonyangal and nammai piditha pisugal sharply brought out the burdens women carry around them in physical and intellectual terms and the fact that women are pilloried for their choices and actions even in their use of words. The ‘politics of the word’ demonstrated this with clarity as Kutti Revathi brought life to the words.

Sharnaya Manivannan, poet and columnist recited her sensuous and visually rich poems on abusive relationships, prejudices, the voids and women's deepest darkest desires and the pride of female lineage. The recurring motifs of fire and astronomical symbolism abound in her writing and reading.

“Men need onlt and paper to pen their poems; we women require courage, determination and fortitude to express ourselves”. When Salma began her recital with these words, the audience would have understood the enormous task these women have taken upon themselves. Salma went on to read thought-provoking poems on female identity, communal identity, menopause, inadequacy of one’s body as one’s identity and the courage displayed by women in extreme situations especially “The contract” that showed woman need to have some semblance of control and dominion over the men and remain “a placid lake” amidst all the turmoil, abuse and negativity they faces.

Srilata, poet, winner of several literary prizes and fellowships and professor at the humanities department of IIT, Madras began her reading with “not reaching out” on the casual encounters that never fructify in our lives, and on war victims evoking the horror faced by women in war and conflicts zones and the free flow of ideas one experiences. Finally, a bio note on the woman from Madras that resonated with references to a typical Madras upbringing and its contentment against all odds.

The conversation that followed the verse centred on the anger, anguish, suffering, courage, challenges and universality of themes in women’s literary writing and the need to also look into ways of translating the collective and personal experiences of women from the regional to the global language. Many comments, questions and suggestions were made along with the observation that opposition to feminist writing stemmed from both within and without.
As for those who oppose feminist writing and counter it with abuse and vehement criticism, Anita Ratnam from the audience quoted from Paulo Coelho

“Those who are jealous are confused admirers who cannot understand why we are popular”

Know the Law-Dowry and the Indian legal system

According to the Webster,s New Dictionary, dowry means “the money, goods or estate which a woman brings to her husband in marriage, the portion given with the wife”.

Section 2. Definition of `dowry’.-In this act, `dowry’ means any property or valuable security given or agreed to be given either directly or indirectly-

(a) by one party to a marriage to the other party to the marriage; or
(b) by the parents of either party to a marriage or by any other person, to either party to the marriage or to any other person;
at or before or any time after the marriage in connection with the marriage of said parties but does not include dower or mahr in the case of persons to whom the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) applies.
Explanation II.-The expression `valuable security’ has the same meaning as in Sec. 30 of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860).

Reason
For giving or taking dowry ----- 5 years, fine or amount of dowry whichever is more

For demanding dowry ------ 6 months extending to 2 years and fine

The Supreme Court in S.Gopal Reddy V State of A.P held that a demand made before marriage also amounts to an offence under Section 4 of the Act.

Any agreement pertaining to dowry is void and burden of proof is always on the person accused of demanding or taking dowry. Dowry prohibition officers are appointed under Section 8 of the Act. Two offences namely dowry death and cruelty has been introduced in the IPC to deal with harassment pertaining to dowry.

304B. Dowry death.- IPC
(1) Where the death of a woman is caused by any burns or bodily injury or occurs otherwise than under normal circumstances within seven years of her marriage and it is shown that soon before her death she was subjected to cruelty or harassment by her husband or any relative of her husband for, or in connection with, any demand for dowry, such death shall be called "dowry death" and such husband or relative shall be deemed to have caused her death.

Explanation:-For the purpose of this sub-section, "dowry" shall have the same meaning as in section 2 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 ( 28 of 1961).

(2) Whoever commits dowry death shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than seven years but which may extend to imprisonment for life.]

498A. Husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty.

Whoever, being the husband or the relative of the husband of a woman, subjects such woman to cruelty shall be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and shall also be liable to fine.

Explanation-For the purpose of this section, "cruelty" means-
(a) Any willful conduct which is of such a nature as is likely to drive the woman to commit suicide or to cause grave injury or danger to life, limb or health whether mental or physical) of the woman; or

(b) Harassment of the woman where such harassment is with a view to coercing her or any person related to her to meet any unlawful demand for any property or valuable security or is on account of failure by her or any person related to her meet such demand.]

The Indian Evidence Act and Dowry:

113B. Presumption as to dowry death - When the question is whether a person has committed the dowry death of a women and it is shown that soon before her death such woman had been subjected by such person to cruelty or harassment for, or in connection with, any demand for dowry; the court shall presume that such person had caused the dowry death.

Explanation - For the purposes of this section, "dowry death" shall have the same meaning as in section 304B of the Indian Penal Code (45 of 1860).

Know the Law - Prostitution, trafficking and the Indian woman:

“Women found in flesh trade, should be viewed more as victims of adverse socio-economic circumstances rather than offenders in our society. The commercial exploitation of sex may be regarded as a crime but those trapped in custom oriented prostitution and gender oriented prostitution should be viewed as victims of gender oriented vulnerability.” Goes the Supreme Court in Gaurav Jain V Union of Indian.

The constitution under Article 23 mandates prohibition of trafficking and all forms of exploitation. India being a signatory to the international Convention for the Suppression of Traffic in Persons and Exploitation, 1950 passed a Central law to implement the provisions of the convention. In 1956 the Immoral Traffic in Women and Girls Act known as SITA, was passed and after amendments it is now known as Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act.

Section 2:

Definitions.—In this Act. unless the context otherwise requires—
(a) “brothel“ includes any house, room, conveyance or place, or any portion of any house, room, conveyance or place, which is used for purposes of sexual exploitation or abuse for the gain of another person or for the mutual gain of two or more prostitutes;

(aa) “child“ means a person who has not completed the age of eighteen years;

(b) “corrective institution“ means an institution, by whatever name called (being an institution established or licensed as such under Section 21), in which persons, who are in need of correction, may be detained under this Act, and includes a shelter where under trials may be kept in pursuance of this Act;

(f) “prostitution“ means the sexual exploitation or abuse of persons for commercial purposes or for consideration in money or in any other kind, and the expression “prostitute” shall be construed accordingly;

(g) “protective home“ means an institution, by whatever name called (being an institution established or licensed as such under Section 21), in which persons who are in need of care and protection, may be kept under this Act and where appropriate technically qualified persons, equipments and other facilities have been provided but does not include,—

(i) a shelter where under trials may be kept in pursuance of this Act, or
(ii) a corrective institution;

(h) “public place“ means any place intended for use by, or accessible to, the public and includes any public conveyance;
(i) “special police officer” means a police officer appointed by or on behalf of the State Government to be in charge of police duties within a specified area for the purpose of this Act;

(j) “trafficking police officer“ means a police officer appointed by the Central Government under subsection


Punishment is also prescribed for seduction, detaining a person in a place where prostitution is carried on, for keeping a brothel and living on the earnings of prostitution. Special police officers can even arrest without warrants if it so demands. More often these powers bestowed on officers and biased view on prostitution leads to torture of the people involved in this profession.

AIKYA: The 2010 Campaign Concert, November 26, 2010

(LONG post alert. No apology!)

AIKYA is a Sanskrit word for harmony, for oneness, for coming together and for merging. When Sowmya and I were hunting for a single word that could bring together the three components of the 2010 Campaign, we stopped at AIKYA. It was perfect.

Backstory

Sowmya entered the Prajnya community last year with so much enthusiasm and warmth that when we started planning this year's campaign and decided to make a tradition of devoting the first Friday of the campaign to a music concert, we called her without a second thought for help. Two important considerations went into the way AIKYA was conceptualised. First, that we should involve more and more people and get them to think about the issue of gender violence. Second, that we would rather initiate a process than stage an event that people can enjoy and forget about.

At last year's concert, Prajnya had recognized the work of four Chennai organizations working for women’s rights. We remembered that one of them actually organized women’s unions and ran programmes for adolescent girls. We approached Renuka Bala at the Centre for Women’s Development and Research to see if we could train a small group from this large membership to perform at the concert. CWDR was very enthusiastic, taking no time to say yes.

Enthused, Sowmya approached her friend, Sudha Raja. Sudha Raja is one of Chennai’s best-regarded Carnatic music gurus, but as she puts it, if one of her eyes is Carnatic music, the other is a devotion to promoting choral music.

Anyone who has ever sung at a satsang or in a schoolbus en route an excursion or in the school or church choir can attest that singing together with other people is a truly uplifting experience. Hearing one’s voice raised in melody and harmony with others underscores the feeling that you are not alone. You step out of the satsang or the choir, revived and ready to continue your personal journey.

Sudha Raja trained with and sang in M.B. Srinivas’ Madras Youth Choir and then took over as conductor when the eminent musician passed away 22 years ago. In addition to MYC and the newly formed SaReGaa children’s choir, she also trains community organizations and schools across the state. Sudha defied Chennai’s seasonal rains to trek across the city thrice to conduct training sessions for CWDR members.

And what rains! We keep lamenting how inappropriate the global campaign dates are for Chennai programming. Exams and holidays, monsoon and the music season all mitigate against robust public participation in the campaign. And this last year, it has rained like the equatorial regional climate described by geography texts of my childhood. Every week has had a couple of monsoon-like days. And those were usually days that CWDR and Sudha scheduled training sessions! 

Anyway, we also asked Sudha if SaReGaa, the children’s choir she trains, could perform on the day. Founded in August 2010, the choir has over 50 children of ages 5-15 and they already have a full performance behind them. Sudha readily agreed.

The final component of the AIKYA programme was to be a Carnatic music kacheri. Chennai is the capital city of the Carnatic music world, and a gender violence awareness campaign that did not reach out to its afficionados was a job half-done. That was the rationale for including a kacheri last year, and it remained valid this year.

Vidya Kalyanaraman agreed enthusiastically to be part of the campaign and the campaign concert. This very young, rising musician trained with Padma Sandilyan and Suguna Varadhachari. Six years ago, she had already performed at Rashtrapati Bhavan. We were certainly lucky she was happy to sing for Prajnya programme!

That’s the backstory of how this very unusual evening of music was put together! Many phone calls, emails and auto-rides later, we were all at Srinivasa Sastri Hall, Mylapore, and it was show-time!

An evening of uplifting music

A word about Srinivasa Sastri Hall: I first heard of this venue when Sowmya mentioned it. Srinivasa Sastri Hall is located in the building of the South Indian National Association, which also houses the Ranade Library. Three things predisposed me favourably towards this venue. First, the magic word ‘Ranade.’ Those who have known me for a long time know this is special for two reasons. MG Ranade and I are both Elphinstonians. Moreover, I ran Elphi’s Ranade Society for History and Politics for two years. The second was just its historical antecedents. As a very new Chennai organization with a new-to-Chennai Managing Trustee (me), Prajnya is always happy to connect with positive and liberal elements of Chennai’s history. Finally, this was a venue where nationalist meetings took place and this was also a sought-after music venue in the old days. I only saw the hall on November 26, but already liked when I heard about it!

Back the evening itself, which actually began in the afternoon. Sudha Raja and the Snehidhi Singers—as we christened the CWDR group—met early for a dress rehearsal even as the Prajnya team and volunteers set up the hall. The Snehidhi Singers came dressed in maroon sarees and stood out everywhere! By 5 p.m., the first of the ‘podis’ (little ones, Tamils) began to arrive. Their arrival immediately made a festival out of the programme. Exuberant, energetic little presences filled the hall with positive vibrations. By 6 p.m., the hall was packed and the mood reminiscent of a musical gem from another world: Perpetual Motion!

This evening, for a change, Sowmya played MC! Taking an evening off from performing in the run-up to the Margazhi season, she introduced the programme and performers.

The programme began with the children singing. They had already become restless waiting for the clock to strike six. Even before the MC took the mike, Sudha and her colleague Rangashri had to herd them up to stage just to occupy them and use up some of their energy!

To be very honest, most of us in the audience did not know whether to look at the darlings and gush or listen to them and gush. Whatever grown-up cares we brought to Srinivasa Sastri Hall were erased—if only temporarily—by the SaReGaa performance. The children sang:

1.                  Vaarungal Vaarungal

2.                  Shanti Geet

3.                  Raama Janaardhana

4.                  Kuttanaadu

5.                  Ye Waqt ki Aawaaz Hai

6.                  Maitrim Bhajata

Second on stage, the Snehidhi Singers sang joyously, and the ‘Tandanadana Tandanana’ of their Kummi Adi, is still ringing in my ears as I write this. Their performance had joy and dignity and resolve. We only managed a few training sessions, as I wrote earlier, but determination and practice had truly made them perfect. We were all moved but their dedication and discipline; so many of us take opportunities like this for granted.

Music is a gift—whether you are singing or playing an instrument or listening. The Snehidhi Singers, through their resolve and performance, showed that they recognized the value of this gift—perhaps more than many of us who have more opportunitues do. They sang:

1.      Kummi Adi

2.      Odi Vilayaadu

3.      Siru Siru Malarai

The words of the last song, similar to ‘Little drops of water… make the mighty ocean,’ were so appropriate for AIKYA, a programme that brought together girls (and a few boys) and women from different parts of Chennai, different life-stages and singing in different styles to say one simple thing: We will not allow the silence about gender violence to continue. We will talk. We will write. We will organize. We will sing. We will end that silence.

In the strong, sure single voice of Vidya Kalyanaraman, the buzz of the many voices merged—as if particles into essence. Vidya was accompanied by B.Ananthakrishnan on the violin and Kallidaikurichi Shivakumar on the mridangam. She chose to sing songs by women composers, some as well-known as Andal and Ambujam Krishna and others less well-known like Rukmini Raman. She even forsook the traditional Mangalam ending for a song about Hanuman, which was written by a woman.

Carnatic music afficionados attending the concert who were hearing Vidya for the first time were very impressed by her performance. I know I felt a great deal of stress and exhaustion wash away as I closed my eyes and listened to her sing. A few short years from now, not even that long, Prajnya can proudly say: “Oh, Vidya performed at the campaign concert in 2010! She’s an old friend of ours!”

Are you tired of my gushing? There’s only one solution, to come to our programmes so you don’t have to read about them. And if you really couldn’t make it and wish you had, we did record the proceedings and will post here when we figure out what we want to do with the recordings.

PS: Blogger won't let me post pictures in here. Will do so separately. 

Day 2: Aikya, an evening of music

Uma Vangal looks back at Aikya, an evening of music, on day two of our campaign

The women silently filed on to the stage and when they rendered kummiyadi penne gummiyadi … nammai piditha pisasugal poyina nanami kandom endru kummiyadi, it was not just a folk song that was being sung. These women, largely from the domestic workers association of CWDR formed the Snehidhi singers. They followed this up with siru siru malargal and odi vilayudu paapa, songs on women’s freedom penned by the immortal Tamil poet, Bharathi. And as they sang paadhagam seybavarai kandaal avar mugathil umizhndhu vidu paapa, the children in the audience got the message that gender violence was unacceptable

After all, just a little earlier, a host of voices lifted in gusto, as a group of 40 children ranging from 4 to 14 sang ‘santhi geet’, ‘yeh waqt ki awaaz’

and other songs on national integration, integrity and tolerance. When they ended the with maithrim bajatham the applause was deafening. The parents and other guests rewarded the two groups of performers a resounding round of applause

Both groups were trained in harmonic singing by Sudha Raja who has been singing in the Madras Youth Choir since her 9^th grade for over 30 years now. With tears welling up she says proudly “these women have been training for merely 2 weeks and juts 3 classes while the children have been training for just 12 classes. For me it is a touching moment as these women sang with their heart and soul” She adds that the children too have been taught to sing after understanding the import of the lyrics. “I am overwhelmed by their performance today” she says with pride amidst her tears.

Such were the moments that marked Aikya, an evening of music

organized by the Prajnya trust as part of its ongoing 16 day awareness campaign on gender violence. The musical evening was held at Srinivasa Sastri hall and began with S. Sowmya, well known carnatic musician and trustee, Prajnya, introducing Prajnya’s 3^rd edition of the campaign.

For the next 2 hours Vidya Kalyanaraman sang 8 songs composed by women - mangalam ganapathy, andal, rukmini ramani, padma veeraraghavan, ambujam krishna , neela ramamurthy, a meera bhajan and suguna purushotthaman.

For Vidya, it was a different experience from her usual concerts since this was the first time she worked on thematic selection of compositions. “ it has made me more sensitive to women as composers and musicians and how they get left out just as mush as other work by women across professions”

On what motivated her to organize 3 such different performances for the evening, Sowmya shared “It was true confluence of these musical genres and diverse groups of people we reached out to this evening. The domestic workers, the children and through them their parents and also carnatic artistic community and music aficionados have all been sensitized to the issues of gender violence. This will go along way on also making music and art a means of sensitizing people to such issues.”

If choral music proved therapeutic for the snehidhi singers, the evening proved to be a sensitive yet elevating experience for the audience, if the deafening applause was anything to go by

Know the Law - PCPNDT Act

India is not known for its high standard of gender equality. A standing example is the prevalence of rampant female foeticide throughout the country. The implementation of the PCPNDT Act (Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques Act) is another way to try and placate the radical scenario with respect to female foeticide. This Act tries to control the misuse of sex determination techniques. Its the irony of ironies that one on hand we are technologically moving ahead but on the other we are grossly misusing the technology to not give a child the basic right, a chance to live. The use of technology to such perverse measures does not really speak highly of the Indian mentality with regards to the girl child.

The statistics are also a cause for concern.
YEAR - SEX RATIO
Females per 1,000 males
1901 - 972
1911 - 964
1921 - 955
1931 - 950
1941 - 945
1951 - 946
1961 - 941
1971 - 930
1981 - 934
1991 - 927
2001 - 933
Source: Census of India, 2001.

If we are to take a look at the census report we would agree with the serious issues raised by raised by the Supreme Court in CEHAT Vs Union of India.

The Supreme Court, taking a serious view of the onslaught of sex-selective discriminatory practices by the medical fraternity, and the connection it may have with the use of pre-natal sex determination, directed the Centre to implement the PC & PNDT Act in all its aspects. The order came following a public interest petition filed by the centre for the Enquiry of Health and Allied Themes (CEHAT), the Mahila Sarvangeen Utkarsh Mandal (MASUM) and Dr. Sabu George, who had done extensive research in this area.

Salient Features of the Act:

The Act provides for prohibition of the technique for sex determination of the foetus, prohibits the advertising of the technique and also provides for regulation of the technique including penalties for offending parties.
The exceptional circumstances for the usage of the technique includes:
detection of any of the following abnormalities, namely:—
(i) chromosomal abnormalities;
(ii) genetic metabolic diseases;
(iii) haemoglobinopathies;
(iv) sex-linked genetic diseases;
(v) congenital anomalies;
(vi) any other abnormalities or diseases as may be specified by the Central Supervisory Board;

any of the following conditions are to be fulfilled, namely:—

(i) age of the pregnant woman is above thirty-five years;
(ii) the pregnant woman has undergone of two or more spontaneous abortions or foetal loss;
(iii) the pregnant woman had been exposed to potentially teratogenic agents such as drugs,
radiation, infection or chemicals;
(iv) the pregnant woman or her spouse has a family history of mental retardation or physical
deformities such as, spasticity or any other genetic disease;
(v) any other condition as may be specified by the Central Supervisory Board;

Section 5 of the Act also insists on the importance of women’s written consent. Section 24 lays down that unless the contrary is proved the court shall presume that a pregnant woman was compelled by her husband or relatives to undergo the test and such person shall be held for abetment of the offence.

The Act also provides that the Genetic counselling centres and clinics will be registered under the Act and will be under the scanner. The Central Supervisory Board will advice and aid in implementation of policy matters with regards to the Act. There is also an Advisory Board in place to facilitate smooth functioning of the Act. The offences under this Act are non-bailable, non-compoundable and cognizable.
It is very sad indeed that the unprotected so-called burdensome girl child needs a legislation to protect every human’s basic right- the right to live. Is this a mark of civilization is the question every Indian should be asking.

Day 1: Gender violence and Social Work

And before we know, its 25 November again. The first day of the third edition of the Prajnya 16 Days Campaign against Gender Violence.

We'd decided to begin the campaign with a workshop for social work students, in partnership with the Madras School of Social Work. So 2pm, and we're in a room with 70 MSW students, including some from other colleges in Chennai. I was very happy to see that there were more young men than women in the room, and was really hoping I'd be able to keep them awake, interested and thinking about the issue.

First up, a brief introduction to Prajnya and the campaign, and most importantly, the answer to that frequently asked question: why do you do this campaign? Next, several 'activities' to get the group thinking about gender violence: a word association game, a drawing exercise, a quick group discussion. I then switched over the lecture mode briefly, highlighting some key conceptual issues, clarifying definitions (gender violence v/s violence against women, for instance), and discussing the many forms of violence.

One hour in, and it was Namitha's turn to take over. As a social work graudate herself, Namitha was really best places to discuss some practical, real-life situations with the group, drawing on her own experiences. What do you say to someone who asks you if your vocational training programme will help her earn more than she did as a sex worker? What do you say to doctors and nurses who don't even realise or document burn injuries inflicted on a wife by her husband? How do you help a woman who has been raped by her father get an abortion if your personal faith says its the wrong thing to do? The objective was to illustrate that you just can't find some answers in the classroom.

My turn again, and this time, we moved on to discussing the specific role of a social worker in addressing gender violence. I was keen to emphasise a few key points: that no matter what kind of organisation they joined after graduation, this would be relevant, it isn't just a women's issue; that they would have direct opportunities to help those who'd experienced violence and therefore ought to make sure they knew their facts and used the right vocabulary; and that they needed to understand the importance of keeping careful records, of respecting privacy and confidentiality, and above all, prioritising safety.

Several questions, some with easy others, others that didn't have any. But all in all, a wonderful day, and a great beginning to the 2010 campaign!

Know the Law - Indian Constitution and Women

The constitution is the basic document guaranteeing our rights, duties and declares the principles governing the operations of the organs of the Government. The Indian constitution guarantees political, economic and social rights to its citizens, special provisions are also made n the constitution for women and children.

Article 14 guarantees right to equality and Article 15 provides that there will be no discrimination on the grounds of sex. Article 16 provides equal opportunities for all and prohibits discrimination against women.

Article 15 :

Prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth

(1) The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them

(2) No citizen shall, on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them, be subject to any disability, liability, restriction or condition with regard to

(a) access to shops, public restaurants, hotels and palaces of public entertainment; or

(b) the use of wells, tanks, bathing ghats, roads and places of public resort maintained wholly or partly out of State funds or dedicated to the use of the general public

(3) Nothing in this article shall prevent the State from making any special provision for women and children

(4) Nothing in this article or in clause ( 2 ) of Article 29 shall prevent the State from making any special provision for the advancement of any socially and educationally backward classes of citizens or for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes

Justice Krishna Iyer stroke down the arguments put forth in favour of women employees compulsory retiring in case of marriage in the case of Air India Vs Nargis Dutta. Article 15 was used to prove that discrimination against women on the basis of sex. Another landmark judgement which paved the way for gender equality was the case of Gita Hariharan Vs Reserve Bank of India. For the first time the court recognized that the mother can be the natural guardian of a minor.

Article 21 guarantees right to life and liberty. An LIC questionnaire which sought to know about the menstrual cycle of women candidates was consideres a violation of Article 21 in the case of Neera Mathur Vs LIC. The unforgettable Vishaka Vs State of Rajasthan reiterated the need for laws on sexual harassment and right to work with dignity as recognized by the Indian Constitution.

Right against exploitation is recognized under Article 23 of the Indian Constitution. The Article prohibits trafficking.

The Directive Principles of State Policy also can be used to reiterate our rights but unfortunately these rights as guaranteed by the directive principles are not enforceable. Article 39 guarantees equal pay for equal work for men and women.

Article 39

Certain principles of policy to be followed by the State: The State shall, in particular, direct its policy towards securing

(a) that the citizens, men and women equally, have the right to an adequate means to livelihood;

(b) that the ownership and control of the material resources of the community are so distributed as best to subserve the common good;

(c) that the operation of the economic system does not result in the concentration of wealth and means of production to the common detriment;

(d) that there is equal pay for equal work for both men and women;

(e) that the health and strength of workers, men and women, and the tender age of children are not abused and that citizens are not forced by economic necessity to enter avocations unsuited to their age or strength;

(f) that children are given opportunities and facilities to develop in a healthy manner and in conditions of freedom and dignity and that childhood and youth are protected against exploitation and against moral and material abandonment

Women’s representation in local bodies is guaranteed by the 73rd and the 74th amendments. Thus the Indian Constitution offers adequate rights to women, its implementation is however the question lingering on all minds.

Know the law

The Prajnya 16 Days Campaign against Gender Violence begins TODAY.

We're delighted to announce the launch of a new series on this blog, 'Know the law', by Sandhya Ramaswamy, one of our volunteers who is a law student at ILS Law College in Pune. Over the next 16 days, Sandhya will outline and explain the basic provisions of several laws related to the issue of gender violence and violence against women.

For the last two decades, there has been sustained lobbying and advocacy by women's organisations, for effective legislation. As a result, India has several strong laws on many different of violence including pre-natal sex selection and domestic violence. A law on workplace sexual harassment and substantial revisions to legislation on rape are also in the pipeline.

It is up to each one of us to become legally literatre, to know our laws, understand how we can use them. Of course, legislation isn't a one-step solution - there are issues related to effective implementation of the laws as well as other concerns outside the judicial sphere.

But the fact is, this is a critical step towards eliminating violence against women. So follow the Campaign Chronicle, know your laws and of course, feel free to give us any relevant feedback.

16 Days Global calendar

The global 16 Days Calendar is up!

Take a look: http://16dayscwgl.rutgers.edu/campaign-calendar

Check out the India page to see what Prajnya, and other organisations are doing as part of this year's campaign.

RI to warders in Rita Mary case 2001

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chennai/HC-confirms-10-yr-RI-to-warders-who-raped-teen-in-jail/articleshow/6838156.cms

Wife Beating ok!!!???

ABU DHABI (UAE): A man can beat his wife and young children, as long as he leaves no marks on the body, UAE's highest court has ruled. Ruling in a case where a man beat up his wife and adult daughter, the court took exception to the cuts and bruises he caused.

The decision by the Federal Supreme Court shows the strong influence of Islamic law in the Emirates, which, in fact, is less conservative than some Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, where women are forbidden from driving and travelling without male company.

It said the man was guilty of harming the women but noted that Islamic codes allow for ``discipline'' if no marks are left. It added that children who have reached ``adulthood'' -- approximately puberty -- cannot be struck.

``Although the (law) permits the husband to use his right (to discipline), he has to abide by the limits of this right," an Abu Dhabi daily quoted chief justice Falah al-Hajeri as saying in the ruling released on Sunday. The man's daughter was 23, hence too old to be disciplined in this fashion, it noted.

Read more: UAE court says okay to wife-beating - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/UAE-court-says-okay-to-wife-beating/articleshow/6771422.cms#ixzz12mLGnMFK

Honour killing

Here is an example of the naked face of misogyny as similarly depicted in the film "The Stoning of Soraya M." which takes place in Iran. Adding insult to injury, Tony Blair stopped an inquiry into kickbacks on Saudi/UK arms deals when the Saudis threatened to stop sharing intelligence about terrorist activity if the inquiry went forward. This kind of government collusion of silence in the face of outrageously misogynistic behavior and policies in Islamic states must end. "British diplomats believe that to do so would in effect be to highlight the persecution of women in Saudi Arabia, which would be viewed as open criticism of the House of Saud and lead to embarrassing publicity for both governments." - this is a damning indictment!

Kathy Sloan
NOW
Princess facing Saudi death penalty given secret UK asylum
Woman feared she would be stoned after giving birth to an illegitimate child in Britain
By Robert Verkaik, Home Affairs Editor
Monday, 20 July 2009
The Independent

A Saudi Arabian princess who had an illegitimate child with a British man has secretly been granted asylum in this country after she claimed she would face the death penalty if she were forced to return home. The young woman, who has been granted anonymity by the courts, won her claim for refugee status after telling a judge that her adulterous affair made her liable to death by stoning.

Her case is one of a small number of claims for asylum brought by citizens of Saudi Arabia which are not openly acknowledged by either government. British diplomats believe that to do so would in effect be to highlight the persecution of women in Saudi Arabia, which would be viewed as open criticism of the House of Saud and lead to embarrassing publicity for both governments.

The woman, who comes from a very wealthy Saudi family, says she met her English boyfriend – who is not a Muslim – during a visit to London. They struck up a relationship.
Related articles
* Fate of another royal found guilty of adultery
* Saudi film festival is cancelled in state crackdown on culture
* Gerd Nonneman: Delicate relationship where national interests and morality often conflict
She became pregnant the following year and worried that her elderly husband – a member of the Royal Family of Saudi Arabia – had become suspicious of her behaviour, she persuaded him to let her visit the UK again to give birth in secret. She feared for her life if she returned to Saudi Arabia.

She persuaded the court that if she returned to the Gulf state she and her child would be subject to capital punishment under Sharia law – specifically flogging and stoning to death. She was also worried about the possibility of an honour killing.

Since she fled Saudi Arabia, her family and her husband's family have broken off contact with her.

The woman has been granted permanent leave to remain in the UK after the Immigration and Asylum tribunal allowed her appeal.

The Home Office yesterday declined to discuss the case. A spokesman for the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia in London said that he would call back but subsequently became unavailable.

Relations between the UK and Saudi Arabia have been strained in recent years and were brought to a head in 2006 when Tony Blair intervened to end a Serious Fraud Office (SFO) inquiry into alleged kickbacks paid in a multibillion military aircraft deal between the two states.

The Saudi royal family was deeply concerned about the idea that the investigators might try o open up their Swiss bank accounts, it was alleged at the time.

This led the Saudis to threaten to restrict the sharing of intelligence relating to terror activity if the prosecution went ahead. They also threatened to pull out of other highly-lucrative arms deals.

Last year, the House of Lords ruled that the SFO's decision to drop the corruption investigation into the £43bn Saudi arms deal with BAE Systems was unlawful.

In a hard-hitting ruling, two High Court judges described the SFO's decision as "an outrage".

One of them, Lord Justice Moses, said the SFO and the Government had given into "blatant threats" that Saudi intelligence co-operation would end unless the probe into corruption was halted.

"No one, whether within this country or outside, is entitled to interfere with the course of our justice," he said. "It is the failure of government and the defendant to bear that essential principle in mind that justifies the intervention of this court."

The Middle East state has been shrouded in controversy over oppressive policies against women and homosexuals. Secrecy surrounds much of the Saudi legal system, but in a recent report on the use of the death penalty in the kingdom, the human rights group Amnesty International highlighted its extensive use against men and women.

Adulterers face public stonings and floggings and, in the most serious cases, beheadings and hangings.

The high numbers of executions in Saudi Arabia in 2007 continued into 2008. There were at least 102 executions of men and women last year – at an average rate of two every week. Amnesty is aware of at least 136 individuals currently awaiting execution.

Last week, Saudi Arabia's religious police were blamed for the death of two sisters who were murdered in what was deemed an "honour killing" by their brother, after the sisters were arrested for allegedly mixing with men to whom they were not related.

The Society for Defending Women's Rights in Saudi Arabia said that the religious police had arrested the two sisters, aged 19 and 21, thus putting their lives in danger.

Their brother shot them dead in front of their father when they left a women's shelter in Riyadh on 5 July, according to Saudi news reports.

In 2007, in a case that shocked Saudis, a woman from Qatif was sentenced to 200 lashes and six months in prison after being gang-raped. She offended cultural expectations because she was unaccompanied when she got into a car with a former boyfriend.

The man had agreed to hand back a photograph of the woman who was about to marry another man, but as they drove along a street they were stopped and seized by seven men who raped them both. The woman was originally sentenced to 90 lashes but the sentence was increased when she appealed. Eventually, after an international outcry, she was pardoned.

In 2007, King Abdullah II of Saudi Arabia was jeered during a state visit to Britain as dozens of demonstrators turned out to protest at his country's human rights record.
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child abuse

The most shocking part of Delhi's recent case of child abuse over a period of 18 months a school van driver repeatedly drugged, raped and sodomised three children aged between seven and 12 entrusted in his care is the swiftness with which it has been erased from public memory. Distracted by the ongoing violence in Kashmir, and the skeletons falling out of the closet of the CWG, the media seem to have lost interest in the case. There have been few follow-up stories, barring a couple which said that the police were allegedly reluctant to pursue the case as some senior classmates of the victims, who were accomplices in the crime, are said to belong to so-called 'well-connected' families. Media indifference apart, there appears to be a general public reluctance to confront the entire issue of child abuse, the most repugnant and unforgivable of crimes, more so even than murder or rape. In this particular case, the unspeakable torment that the children suffered went on unnoticed for a year and a half till, finally, a suspicious mother, noticing the strange and withdrawn behaviour of the children, and the marks on their arms where they had been injected with drugs to make them more compliant, told a neighbour who, in turn, alerted the police. Even as the Catholic church, in Ireland and elsewhere, has been shaken to its roots by the exposure of widespread paedophilia amongst its clergy and subsequent attempts to cover up such incidents in India we seem deliberately to look away from this most shameful of perversions, the corruption of innocence. These things happen in other places; they don't happen here, in our country, in our culture. Mohandas Gandhi's recorded practice of sharing his bed with nubile girls in order to test his ability to overcome physical arousal? That was an experiment in truth, not child abuse, no matter what psychological and emotional effects this may have had on those who were so experimented upon. Gandhi's experiments with truth while being violative of current norms of child protection, at least as practised in other countries did not constitute paedophilia. But to believe that paedophilia, the physical defilement of children, does not occur in India, or is very rare, would be a dangerous delusion. Reviewing Mira Nair's film, Monsoon Wedding, a Delhi-based film critic took exception to the character who had sexually abused his niece when she was a child, saying that this was an un-Indian anomaly. As Pinki Virani's unflinching testimony, Bitter Chocolate, reveals, far from being an anomaly, child abuse is horrifyingly common in India. Though the joint family system may have become outmoded, cramped quarters are frequently shared by adults and children, often breeding unhealthy proximity. The practice of leaving children with domestic help increasingly common in a milieu where both husband and wife are working can also lead to abusive practices. Some commentators have pointed out that the issue of child abuse has been overplayed in the West, with people being coaxed by motivated researchers to concoct false 'memories' of being victims of sexual predation when they were children. But if this most destructive of social diseases has indeed been overplayed in the West, it has been criminally underplayed in India. Sexual abuse apart, India's children are victims of economic necessity which compels them to do hard manual labour, often in hazardous and brutal conditions, in order to survive. India has the Right to Education Act and it has more anti-child labour laws than any other country in the world; it also has the largest number of child workers. We like to idolise childhood and infancy. But despite all our sentimentalism, Bal Krishna would have a sorry time of it in 21st century India.

Read more: Suffer the children - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/Suffer-the-children/articleshow/6692659.cms#ixzz11aTU7l1Y

2010 16 Days Campaign Kit

CWGL's 16 Days Campaign Kit is ready and can be accessed here. Take a look at the very useful resources.

Incidentally, this year marks 20 years of the 16 Days Campaign. Prajnya is proud to be part of this effort, in our own small way!

1st meeting

Had my first official meeting in Chennai yesterday. I got to learn a little bit about the transgender community. Everybody faces violence, discrimination at one end or the other. And the best thing about it though we experience it everyday we donot realize that it is happening (0r rather refuse to realize that it can happen) to us. A word or a gesture saying "I am there" is all that is needed but guess it is getting too much to ask for these days.......This is where being a part of the Prajnya 16 days campaign can help voice out......am glad I am a part of it..its your turn now......