WOMEN

A little discussed but horrifying statistic is getting lost in all the analysis of the effects of the total lockdown during the 2020-21 pandemic. Over 5000 women had complained to the National Commission for Women (NCW) of facing domestic violence in 2020. As compared to 3369 domestic violence complaints during 2019-2020. An NCW report adds that during 2020-2021, the number of such complaints had risen to 6049. The reason was obvious — more women faced abuse and violence as they were confined to their homes with their abusers. Globally, fewer than 40% of women who experience violence seek help of…

“The idea is to make Chennai, a welcoming city, as far as all genders are concerned,” says Raj Cherubal, CEO of Chennai Smart Limited. He was talking about the ‘Gender Lab’ initiative of the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC), which is aimed at improving the safety of women and other gender minorities in public spaces and ensure easy accessibility for all, in these spaces. In the words of Raj, it aims to make public places in Chennai more “gender sensitive”.  On September 30th this year, the Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank had formally approved a $150-million programme to…

There are two kinds of childbirths, a ‘normal’ childbirth - vaginal  - and a ‘lower section caesarean section’, more commonly known as a C-section.  A C-section is a surgery performed to deliver the baby through an incision made on the stomach and the womb. It involves expensive medical bills and the possibility of a medical emergency. The choice between a normal childbirth and a C-section is a burden on every expecting woman for many reasons, primarily, the side effects, the risks and the costs. In 2019, experts said that India may soon have the ‘most caesarean births in the world.’…

Parcham Collective, an organisation that facilitates football practice sessions for adolescent girls in Mumbra, Thane, organised a wall painting event in the area on October 2nd in the Fatima Bi Savitri Bai sports ground for girls, as an inauguration of the ground that the girls will now use for training officially. “The ground was reserved for the girls by the Thane municipal corporation, and the opposition party arranged for appropriate landscaping of the ground, a first by local authorities and the opposition.” said Sabah Khan, co-founder of Parcham. The name of the ground was an ode to Fatima Shaikh and Savitri…

"We have lost everything. Who has reaped? still, we are displaced in our freedoms" are the opening lines of the poem ईरपाल (erpal), meaning grievance, by local Koli poet Shahir Pundalik Mhatre; documented by the Tandel Fund of Archives, an archival project run by artists Parag Tandel and Kadambari Koli. The poem hallmarks the many years of displacement of the Kolis of Bombay, and the reclamation of their lands by the city's industries. The city's earliest inhabitants, its vibrant fisherfolk, are now fighting a long battle with their own home.  Morning travels in the Mumbai local trains are usually marked…

In the early hours of 10th September, a tempo driver named Mohan Chauhan killed a 32-year-old Dalit woman in Sakinaka. The woman was found severely injured, bleeding in a tempo and was immediately hospitalised, after a First Information Report (FIR) was registered. CCTV footage recovered by the police found that the accused had raped and assaulted the woman with an unknown object. He was then booked for rape, and after she succumbed to her injuries, a murder charge was added to the FIR. The police allegedly recovered evidence that the two knew each other prior to the incident.  Additionally, on…

Gender balance in Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications is crucial to the goal of bringing about positive social change through use of technology. With artificial intelligence becoming ever more widespread, gender diversity in platform, data and AI governance can present solutions to gender inequities, protect and empower communities facing gender-related violence, and support diversity in the technology industry. Some crucial issues which we need to look at are: The right to internet As per a UNESCO report, women have a very low share in advanced technology jobs which include non-­routine, cognitive tasks that are in demand in the digital economy. This is…

Translated by Sandhya Raju இம்மாத தொடக்கத்தில், அண்ணாநகரில் உள்ள ஒரு முக்கிய சந்திப்பில் தன்னை முன்பின் அறிந்திறாத நபர் ஒருவர் பின் தொடர்ந்ததாக சென்னையைச் சேர்ந்த பத்திரிகையாளர் கிரீஷ்மா குத்தார், தனது ட்விட்டர் பதிவில் குறிப்பிட்டிருந்தார். தன்னை இடைமறித்து பேச முயன்றவரை கண்டு கொள்ளாமல் சென்றதாகவும், ஆனால் வேகமாக பின் தொடர்ந்து மீண்டும் இடையூறு செய்ததாகவும் தெரிவித்திருந்தார். காவலர்களிடம் புகார் அளித்ததை அடுத்து அந்த நபரை காவலர்கள் பிடித்து விசாரித்தனர். அதன் முழு விவரமும் கீழே: படம்: கிரீஷ்மா குத்தார் தன்னுடைய தோழிகள் பலருக்கு இது போன்று இடையூறு ஏற்பட்டுள்ளது என குறிப்பிட்டுள்ளார். பொது முடக்கத்திற்க்கு பின் அலுவலகம் செல்ல ஆரம்பித்த மடிப்பாக்கத்தை சேர்ந்த 25 வயது ஆர். ரெஜினா தனது அனுபவத்தை பகிர்ந்தார், "என் வீட்டிலிருந்து இரண்டு தெரு தள்ளி வசிக்கும் ஒருவர், சில வாரங்களாக பின் தொடர்கிறார், எப்படி அதை தடுப்பது என தெரியவில்லை" என கூறினார்.…

India’s rapid urbanization has led to a significant rise in informal urban settlements, with over 35% of the country’s urban population occupying them. Characterized by makeshift infrastructure and poor hygiene conditions, these settlements are often the only affordable option for people who also work unsteady, non-contractual jobs. Women in these informal settlements, in particular, play a huge role in protecting the physical and financial health of their families.  Under the shadow of potential eviction and financial struggles, these women are almost always engaged in labour — both paid and unpaid. In many cases, their homes — comprising single rooms for…

Early this month, Chennai-based journalist Greeshma Kuthar found herself being stalked by a stranger at a prominent junction in Anna Nagar. The stalker stopped her and tried to initiate a conversation; Greeshma did not engage with him and simply rode ahead. He sped up and came in front of her scooter. Following a verbal exchange, she filed a stalking complaint with the police against the man, who was eventually nabbed by the police. Read the entire thread here: https://twitter.com/jeegujja/status/1435490467555131392?s=20 Greeshma, however, is not alone. In fact, in her tweet thread, she mentions that several of her friends too have been…