India Ink: From Bollywood Starlet To Florida Women’s Rights Champion
By Sarah Khan Today she runs a non-profit organization in Florida that rescues women from domestic violence, but in another life, Somy Ali was just a girl with a Bollywood crush — and a girl on a mission. And so, in 1992, at the startlingly young age of 15, she moved from Miami to Mumbai [...]
Rights Advocate Neeti Kushwaha: Be a human!
For our Indian audience, here is an inspirational poem from our Lucknow-based rights advocate Neeti Kushwaha about the struggles of being a woman in a repressive society. And for the non-Hindi speakers, here’s an English translation: Will these handcuffs ever break? Will there ever be a change in the way that society functions? Or will women [...]
Hindustan Times: Domestic violence on the rise, 22 cases reported this year
By Divya Sethi Domestic violence against women is widely prevalent in Gurgaon. As many as 22 cases of domestic violence have been reported till February 13 this year. According to the women and child welfare department, about 20 cases on an average are reported every month in the district. Last year, a total of 181 such [...]
Elder Abuse as Domestic Violence: A Growing Concern
According to the World Bank, in 2010 India had a massive population that just keeps growing. The elder population alone has demonstrated growth in recent years. In 2000, the population of those 65 or older was just over 62 million and by mid-2011, there were over 90 million elders. And, it is projected that this [...]
The Detriments of the Dowry Tradition
Winter is the season for weddings in India. The time for shehnai, hot bhajjias and jalebis, taking out the fine silk and donning the best jewelry and catching up with friends and family during these social occasions. It is also the season when the bride’s father wears his ‘pagri’ (turban) and prepares to give away [...]
Times of India: India deadliest place in world for girl child
By Rukmini Shrinivasan NEW DELHI: It’s official – India is the most dangerous place in the world to be a baby girl. Newly released data shows that an Indian girl child aged 1-5 years is 75% more likely to die than an Indian boy, making this the worst gender differential in child mortality for any country in the world.Infant (0-1 [...]
India’s Youth Walks On The Risky Side
A new study reveals around 7% of young women and 27% of young men in India, who are having or have had premarital sex, use condoms. Only a mere 3% of women and 13% of men said to have always used protection in premarital relationships. The other results are equally alarming. Not more than 40% [...]
To be a woman, not a victim!
I have realized for a woman like me, life began at 50. It took until then for me to understand what empowerment means in the Indian context. I was brought up to believe that women should be quiet, well-behaved, decent (my mother’s favorite word) and never rebel against social norms. I really never knew what [...]
Is Ignorance Really Bliss? A Female Perspective on Sexual Education in India
My decision to conduct a research study on HIV and female sex workers (FSWs) for my dissertation in Delhi two years ago provided me with some unforgettable experiences. These experiences taught me so much about ignorance, not just others but also my own. Having completed my MA degree in social work, I got the [...]
Invisible Among the Uncounted
By Nilanjana S. Roy NEW DELHI — Officially, Chandni doesn’t exist, nor is there any space for her in Delhi. Unofficially, the 14-year-old has grown up in the national capital, on its streets, one of the thousands of uncounted homeless women and girls in a city that has little time or empathy for her. “This [...]
