“Protect women’s rights at India’s tourist destinations”: Equations on the environmental, social and cultural impacts of tourism

Posted on 07/01/2021 by website administrator
Search select websites: Govt. of India, NGOs, Indian universities
and international organisations >>

EQUATIONS envisions a just and equitable world, where all people have the freedom and the right to determine their lives and future. | Learn more on the Equations website | Equations blog >>

We envision forms of tourism which are non-exploitative, where decision making is democratised, and access to and benefits of tourism are equitably distributed. EQUATIONS believes in the capacity of individuals and communities to actualise their potential for the well-being of society. We work toward justice, equity, people centred and movement centred activism, democratisation and dialogue.

Everyday we hear that tourism brings economic development, it creates jobs and revenues. But who really benefits from it? The local community, the village elite, or the owner?

There’s been an exponential increase in tourism in India over the last several decades, fueled by the growing economy and disposable incomes. The tourism industry in India has expanded wildly in an unregulated fashion with no regard for environmental, social and cultural impacts.

[…] Please find attached EQUATIONS submission on concerns we have in relation to tourism’s role in the exploitation of women. Key concerns we would like to raise are summarised below:
 
In our quest for tourism that is more equitable, sustainable and just we have had on our radar the impact that current forms of tourism development have on women’s lives. […]
 
On the social and cultural front, tourism also reflects social, economic and political power relations existing in society, therefore, initiatives taken in relation to tourism should take into consideration these realities. Women from Dalit communities constitute large part of cleaning jobs, especially manual scavenging (95%). They face discrimination on both caste and gender grounds and are subjected to multitude of atrocities including rape.
 
The marketing of tourism is one area which features women prominently. The language of patriarchy, heterosexuality and tourism promotion are inter-linked and primarily addressed to the need of male tourists. Stereotypical and sexist images of women are often part of tourism promotion in brochures and advertisements.
 
We call upon governments, policy makers, industry, civil society to engage in more systemic ways with the challenge of women’s empowerment in tourism. It is time for the government to recognise tourism as a site for blatant and inhuman exploitation of women in tourism. We urge the committee to incorporate provisions to protect women at tourism destinations and declare that tourism will not be promoted at expense of women’s dignity, respect and rights. […]
 
Surabhi Singh
Programme Coordinator EQUATIONS

Source: Equitable Tourism Options (EQUATIONS) | Submission To Justice Verma Committee On Tourism’s Role In Tourism
Address : http://www.equitabletourism.org/campaign.php?AID=2687
Date Visited: Mon May 12 2014 14:26:39 GMT+0200 (CEST)

[Bold typeface added above for emphasis]

Tips for using interactive maps

  1. toggle to normal view (from reader view) should the interactive map not be displayed by your tablet, smartphone or pc browser
  2. for details and hyperlinks click on the rectangular button (left on the map’s header)
  3. scroll and click on one of the markers for information of special interest
  4. explore India’s tribal cultural heritage with the help of another interactive map >>

See also

Painted Words: An Anthology of
Tribal Literature by Ganesh [G.N.] Devy (ed.) | Bhashaebooks | Other publications >>

India is one of the oldest civilizations in the world with a kaleidoscopic variety and rich cultural heritage. It has achieved all-round socio-economic progress since Independence. As the 7th largest country in the world, India stands apart from the rest of Asia, marked off as it is by mountains and the sea, which give the country a distinct geographical entity. Bounded by the Great Himalayas in the north, it stretches southwards and at the Tropic of Cancer, tapers off into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal on the east and the Arabian Sea on the west.

Source: States and Union Territories – About India
URL: https://knowindia.india.gov.in/states-uts/
Date visited: 4 September 2021

Learn more about India’s 28 States and 8 Union Territories – From Andhra Pradesh to West Bengal | Nutrition >>

Find up-to-date information provided by, for and about Indian authors, researchers, officials, and educators | More search options >>
Search tips: in the search field seen here, type the name of any tribal (Adivasi) community, region, state or language; add keywords of special interest (childhood, language, sacred grove, tribal education, women); consider rights to which Scheduled Tribes are entitled (FRA Forest Rights Act, protection from illegal mining, UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, right to education, Universal Declaration of Human Rights); specify any other issue or news item you want to learn more about (biodiversity, climate change, ecology, economic development, ethnobotany, ethnomedicine, global warming, health, nutrition and malnutrition, rural poverty)

For a list of websites included in a single search, click here. To search Indian periodicals, magazines, web portals and other sources safely, click here. To find an Indian PhD thesis on a particular tribal community, region and related issues, click here >>

Related posts

About website administrator

Secretary of the foundation
This entry was posted in Accountability, Childhood, Eco tourism, Economy and development, Figures, census and other statistics, Health and nutrition, Modernity, Organizations, Quotes, Rights of Indigenous Peoples, Rural poverty, Tourism, Women. Bookmark the permalink.