“National development and the development of tribal communities are linked to each other” – Droupadi Murmu | Learn more >>
“Tribal communities are a standing example of how women play a major role in preservation of eco historic cultural heritage in India.” – Mari Marcel Thekaekara (writer and Co-Founder of ACCORD-Nilgiris) | Learn more >>
“Women and girls are disproportionately affected by modern slavery. As they transition through childhood, adolescence and adult life, the impacts of discrimination multiply and gender inequality grows.” – Walk Free Foundation | Learn more >>
“There is no social bias against women in tribal communities such as there exists among the middle castes, especially landed ones. Women can ask for a divorce, and in many communities, money is paid to the girl’s family at the time of marriage.” – Abhay Bang, the award-winning doctor and social activist from Gadchiroli in Maharashtra | Learn more >>
Tracing the rise of patriarchy to class-based “civilisations” and the diminishing role of women in such societies, Chris Harman, in his book ‘A People’s History of the World’, says in hunter-gatherer societies, there was no male supremacy over women as there was almost always a division of labour between the sexes, with the men doing most of the hunting and the women most of the gathering. […]
New intensive production techniques tended to prioritise men’s labour over women’s. The use of the plough, for instance, encouraged an increased division of labour between the sexes, since it was a form of heavy labour not easily done by women bearing or nursing children. These new ways of production created new relations between members of the group.
Women everywhere lost out with the polarisation of society into classes and the rise of the state. From being co-decision-makers with men, they were thrust into a position of dependence and subordination. […]
Today, when most societies consider themselves highly advanced compared with our “barbaric” ancestors, the position of women in society has changed little. ‘Frontline’ takes a look at the position of women in India today.
Source: Women and Men in India: 2012, Central Statistics Office, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
Source: “Women in India: A reality check”, Frontline Magazine (Cover), 25 January 2013 Address: http://www.frontline.in/cover-story/women-in-india-a-reality-check/article4275963.ece Date Visited: 24 October 2015
Women across the country have taken to the streets demanding safety from violence and equality at work and in public life. Doctors have gone on strike for better working conditions. The outrage is important, says Vrinda Grover, a lawyer and activist: “It says this is wrong, and we as a society won’t condone this violence.”
Yet outrage has done little in recent years to improve the lives of Indian women. The number of reported rapes in the country was higher in 2022 than a decade before. That may be due to greater willingness to report such crimes, but it is hardly a sign that the risk of falling victim to one has been reduced. Public spaces still belong firmly to men, with women expected to keep themselves safe when they venture beyond the confines of home (which is often hardly safe, either).
“Restoring land and livelihoods, empowering women, providing basic civic amenities such as fuel, water and sanitation are preconditions to advancements of rights of tribal children. Unless the government undertakes urgent steps to address these issues, its proclamations on child rights would remain examples of empty rhetoric and its actions would effectively continue to exclude those already sidelined.” – Archana Mehendale in “Isolated Communities and Ignored Claims: Tribal Children’s Right to Education in India” >>
India must ratify the International Convention against Torture
The National Human Right Commission regards crimes like rape, molestation, torture, fake encounter in police custody as manifestations of a systemic failure to protect human rights
National Human Rights Commission
As in the past, the Commission continued to receive complaints from different parts of the country on a wide range of issues where rights of the people had been violated or negligence was shown by a public servant in the prevention of such violations. These complaints included cases alleging custodial deaths, torture, fake encounters, police high-handedness, violations committed by security forces, conditions relating to prisons, atrocities committed on women and children and other vulnerable sections, communal violence, bonded and child labour, non-payment of retrial benefits, negligence by public authorities, etc. […]
The Commission once again calls upon all the aforementioned State Governments to take immediate steps for sending their compliance reports to the Commission and simultaneously take comprehensive steps for protection and promotion of civil, political, economic, social and health rights, along with special measures to prevent acts of violence and discrimination towards women, including those belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes. […]
In Marginalised but not Defeated,Tarun Kanti Bose (a seasoned public interest journalist) asserts that “the mainstream development paradigm is being questioned and new rainbows of collective, community reassertions are happening across the tribal belt in India. More so, in most cases, led by brave, empowered and resilient women.” | Learn more: https://countercurrents.org/2023/05/book-review-marginalised-but-not-defeated >>
“In less than 200 years, photography has gone from an expensive, complex process to an ordinary part of everyday life. From selfies to satellites, most of the technology we use and spaces we inhabit rely on cameras. […] While photographic documentation can aid in shaping history, it can also be a window into the horrors of the past.” – Read more or listen to Butterfly Effect 9 – The Camera on CBC Radio Spark 26 May 2023 >>
