We’ve not done so badly. Borrowing space for an office, working as a volunteer team for the most part and using every free resource as optimally as we know (like this blog and social networks), we’ve managed to do quite a bit. We think so, and so do our friends.

But when you think about it, with space and labour underwritten, our costs are very low, so we wondered: why shouldn’t we able to make a rational appeal to our friends for support, an appeal that reflects our frugal style? So we are trying to raise Rs. 800,000/- between January 1 and March 31, 2012. Not a whole lot of money, really, for one year of activity that includes research and publishing, public education and network-building efforts like the second edition of Women Taking Action.

800,000 works out to 80 donations of 10,000 Rs, 800 donations of 1000 each. Surely we can meet this modest target? With your help, we know we can. After all, it is your support that has brought us this far.

Read our full appeal letter and see how you can donate today.

“She was just like me except for the diamond earrings and solitaire ring she was wearing. We recognized each other instantly. South Delhi girls, modern Indian women, now professionals.

This was my third pregnancy and she was my ultrasonologist, the doctor who did my ultrasounds. …

Here’s what I learnt accidentally. I found out that a disdain for daughters and boy-worship isn’t just the domain of the poor, the ignorant and the illiterate. As a big-city snob, I hadn’t expected any better from maids and villagers, and random grandmothers. My illusions were smashed in one thunderous moment when we became witness to the callous and casual misogyny of my doctors, my city friends and general all around posh “people like us”. It was devastating at that time. Here we were, flushed with joy, holding a miracle of a baby. And yet I felt that I was stranded in a wasteland, surrounded by debris. Even joy needs validation, I found out.”

Read the whole article here.

What was our immediate response to further decline in the child sex ratio in India? Within days of the provisional 2011 Census results (March-April 2011), the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reconstituted the Central Supervisory Board for the Pre-conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex selection) Act 1994 , which had not met for 3 years, and on November 30, 2011 the Ministry of Women and Child Development formed a Sectoral Innovation Council for Child Sex Ratio. But we are busy dousing flames in haste without looking to dampen the source. This fire-fighting approach is unlikely to succeed, because putting out fires in one district virtually ensures its spread to another. That is what has happened.

The decline in child sex ratio (0-6 years) from 945 in 1991 to 927 in 2001 and further to 914 females per 1,000 males in 2011 — the lowest since independence — is cause for alarm, but also occasion for serious policy re-think. Over the last two decades, the rate of decline appears to have slowed but what began as an urban phenomenon has spread to rural areas. This is despite legal provisions, incentive-based schemes, and media messages. Indians across the country, bridging class and caste divides, are deliberately ensuring that girls are simply not born. This artificial alteration of our demographic landscape has implications for not only gender justice and equality but also social violence, human development and democracy.

Read the whole article here.

Here is an article by Dr. Sujatha Ramdorai on the glass ceiling in science:

Sujatha Ramdorai, Windows in the ceiling, Indian Express, January 6, 2012.

The economist and former president of Harvard University Lawrence Summers is (in)famous for the controversy he generated by suggesting that “innate differences” make women less capable than men of succeeding in maths and science. The aftermath of his statement, the rejoinders, responses and eventual recant, make for interesting reading. It is worthwhile to rephrase the question of whether women are “ready” for a career in science and research, to whether society is ready for women to pursue such careers, especially in an Indian context. “Enabling” and “empowering”, in India, are often confused with patronising and sympathising with — and this remains true for the narrative of women in science as well.

In the West, affirmative action has been entrenched for close to three decades now. Gender equity and diversity at the workplace are embedded in systems and hiring processes in a mostly unobtrusive and constructive way. The discourse is not on whether there is a “compromise on quality” in such practices, but on how best to administer such processes and ensure that actions translate into better enabling work environments at all levels, not just in the laboratory or departments or classrooms but in administration as well.

In my experience with teaching, especially at undergraduate levels, both in India and abroad, I have witnessed first-hand the tremendous sense of possibilities that women students experience in direct interactions with women professors and scientists. The power of role models and aspirations this can generate cannot be emphasised enough. A friend working for an NGO involved in taking science labs to rural and underprivileged children observed that many students, who earlier aspired to become truck drivers or postmen because of their limited exposure to possibilities and role models, spoke about becoming teachers or scientists or astronauts, after a very short period of involvement.

While it was heartening to hear Prime Minister Manmohan Singh dwell on the topic of women in science in his recent speech at the Indian Science Congress, it is to be recognised that a whole gamut of policy decisions and societal changes need to go hand in hand if we are to truly see a transformational change, with more women in science, academia and research in India.

In most science courses, both here and especially in the West, there are increasing numbers of women students. However, this does not translate into seeing more women at the scientific workplace, especially at higher levels. When I first went to Germany as a postdoctoral fellow, I was amazed to see the support structures in place at the university, towards creating a balanced work-life environment. Starting a family did not necessarily mean having to make a choice between careers! A simple but important support structure like professionally run childcare centres at the workplace can have an enormous impact. Additional enablers would be rationalised and flexible parental leave, counselling facilities, ensuring a safe working environment for women. Equally important is thinking of creative pathways that ensure that there are no barriers for lateral entry into academia at different stages in a woman’s life.

With funding drying up in the West, we are going to see larger numbers of people heading back to India and other countries where public funding in science is on the increase. Many couples in academia would like to work in the same city or institution. Time-sharing of positions for such cases is a possibility. Several universities in the West, which do not have the funds to create additional positions for such “two-body” problems, have come up with innovative solutions like allowing the couple to share a single university post if they can negotiate it convincingly with the respective departments.

While these steps are enablers via structures and actions, there is another crucial enabler that is more important and difficult to put in place. This has to do with mindsets within the academic community, policymakers and, of course, the larger society. It has to be dealt with at multiple levels. In a country where even a girl child’s safe birth into the world is not guaranteed, it is a gargantuan but achievable task to create awareness on the capabilities of women in areas like science and technology that have aspirational value. Many women students from smaller cities face opposition from their families in pursuing a scientific or academic career away from their hometowns. Institutions should have counselling sessions for parents in such cases.

At the level of policy-making, it is important to staff committees with gender and regional diversity so that different experiences and voices are heard. Within the academic community, it is important to embark on a honest and frank evaluation of the failures of the system. A telling example is the moving essay, “She was a star”, in the book Lilavati’s Daughters, where

S. Ranganathan speaks emotionally about his deceased wife, Darshan Ranganathan. He eloquently dwells on what a superb and prolific organic chemist she was, admitting she was far superior to him, but how difficult it was for her to find jobs despite her superiority, even as he clearly had no problem!

Within the community, women scientists, teachers and academicians can play an important role as mentors towards younger women. The importance of networking has to be recognised. In the West, there are organisations of women in various branches of science, who hold scientific seminars, workshops mainly aimed at women undergraduates. Special fellowships, especially travel grants, are exclusively devoted to women. These have gone a long way in addressing inequalities within the system. In India too, it will not be long before women become equal partners at all levels in the scientific quest, if there is thought and action put into implementing meaningful steps towards this goal.

The writer was professor of mathematics at TIFR till December, and is now professor at the University of British Columbia, Canada, express@expressindia.com

We also want to echo the thanks expressed on the Prajnya Archives site to Cognizant Technology Solutions for supporting the Rainmakers project and exhibition, and to Active’s Tiny Laptops for letting us have a printer that we could use a prize.

We’ve not done so badly. Borrowing space for an office, working as a volunteer team for the most part and using every free resource as optimally as we know (like this blog and social networks), we’ve managed to do quite a bit. We think so, and so do our friends.

But when you think about it, with space and labour underwritten, our costs are very low, so we wondered: why shouldn’t we able to make a rational appeal to our friends for support, an appeal that reflects our frugal style? So we are trying to raise Rs. 800,000/- between January 1 and March 31, 2012. Not a whole lot of money, really, for one year of activity that includes research and publishing, public education and network-building efforts like the second edition of Women Taking Action.

800,000 works out to 80 donations of 10,000 Rs, 800 donations of 1000 each. Surely we can meet this modest target? With your help, we know we can. After all, it is your support that has brought us this far.

Read our full appeal letter and see how you can donate today.

Rapporteur: Sweta Narayanan

Dr. Prasanna Poornachandra is the face of the International Foundation for Crime Prevention and Victim Care (PCVC). Like most other NGO’s, PCVC has a story to tell. For someone pursuing a PhD in Criminology with her thesis on studying deviant behaviour in the criminal justice system, Dr. Prasanna’s interests and purpose in life took a drastic turn when she pursued a PGD in Victimology from Japan. The need for a victim assistance and information centre in India struck her as imperative. On her return to India, she was keen on starting one immediately.

Dr. Prasanna and 2 other women started a victim assistance centre in a small room in Parry’s Corner, Chennai. The centre established a strong link with the police, who were the first point of contact in the event of any abuse, anywhere. After a year, the women realised that 90% of the cases that came to them related to domestic violence. And that they did not possess the necessary skills to deal with such cases. But the experience did give them the insight that domestic violence as an issue needed serious, dedicated attention.

In an attempt to understand the gamut of issues that fell under the ambit of domestic violence, the women set out to train in the United States. The experience taught the women what they needed to know about domestic violence and how to deal with its victims. Thus began PCVC’s journey, as the only organisation aiding all sections of the population in fighting domestic violence. According to Dr. Prasanna, her journey with PCVC so far has shown that domestic violence is pervasive, irrespective of class – poor or rich, domestic violence exists. PCVC’s client profile is varied, from wives of police officers and ministers to even NGO workers.

How does the Centre deal with a case of domestic violence? PCVC’s strategy in dealing with domestic violence cases is two-pronged:

• The Centre has a 24 hr crisis helpline, which serves as the starting point. The helpline is manned by office staff till 5.30 PM, after which Dr. Prasanna personally takes over. Victims are contacted this way.
• Victims are then taken to an undisclosed shelter in Chennai, where they are encouraged to start a new life on their own.

In the event that a woman complains to PCVC, the husband is informed (from an undisclosed number) that his wife is safe. This is to ensure that the husband is not subjected to further distress, says Dr. Prasanna. At the shelter, women are encouraged to restructure their lives by learning core life skills like budgeting, managing household affairs and their children’s lives. However, PCVC does not have a planned structure – services are modified as and when there is a need.

Most victims of domestic violence, as is known, are women. How does PCVC deal with perpetrators of the violence, the men? According to Dr. Prasanna, male perpetrators are treated differently – not as ‘bad’ men but as those exhibiting ‘bad’ behaviour. Men in our society have grown up thinking control is part of any relationship and that abuse, especially physical, is acceptable behaviour, she says. Though it is difficult to alter this mindset, treating them as human beings is crucial to resolving any conflict.

The highest priority, in any domestic violence case, is stopping the violence, according to Dr. Prasanna. Hence the first step is to help find a solution to put an end to the violence. Establishment of safety comes next. This is achieved through physically removing women from the place of violence (the home) and providing a ‘safe house’ for the affected women. The final step is empowerment and healing, which gives affected women the confidence to rebuild their lives. Women are often motivated to trace back their desires and aspirations and PCVC guides them towards their goal.
Crisis counselling is a crucial thread across these stages, where women are told what their options are and are advised to evaluate each carefully. This is because walking out of a relationship is not easy, according to Dr. Prasanna. Focussing on the problem (here domestic violence) will not help victims, as this only makes them ruminate over their troubles. Only striving towards a solution can liberate the victim, she believes. Enhancing innate on strengths and competencies to carve out an improved life is the way ahead. The overarching objective is to empower victims well enough so that they are equipped to handle any situation later in life.

Another major project PCVC is involved in is helping women at the burns ward at the Kilpauk hospital. The ward admits 150-200 burn victims every month, of which 60% are women with third degree burns. PCVC supports such women by helping them file chargesheets, providing a health drink and water and counselling. The concept of ‘me’ is alien to most Indian women, feels Dr. Prasanna. Women are brought up being told to be submissive and tolerant – it is for this reason that they are willing to tolerate anything, even abuse, for the family.

Therapy for children through art and play constitutes the core idea of PCVC’s SMILES initiative. The Centre adopts children of women whose burn injuries prove fatal and finds a relative/guardian to play for their care (including education and daily expenses). Currently, 120 children benefit from the initiative.

PCVC faces its share of problems too. In many cases, women often go back to the violent environment they have tried to get away from, due to certain compulsions. It is frustrating to see efforts go waste as we spend a lot of time and energy with a client, says Dr. Prasanna.  PCVC does not receive funds from the State Government – this makes sure they are independent of any influences, according to her.

The emphasis, throughout the roundtable, was on the need for women to be financially independent. If a victim wants to be independent, PCVC will be the first to help, she asserts.

As women, we need to take charge of our lives. With the belief that we can do anything.

The researchers set out to speak primarily to victims of trauma and PTSD. But in Nagaland, they identified seven kinds of trauma, and found it hard to restrict their conversations to respondents that primarily fit their research design. Their listing of seven kinds of trauma brought home just how profound the impact of conflict can be and how long this impact can last (pages 10-11). Apart from the trauma experienced by individual women when they themselves were assaulted, they also experienced the trauma that others in their family, clan or village suffered or that they witnessed. Moreover, hearing of assault and traumatic experiences, either across generations through family stories or as researchers, also had an impact. Those interviewed experienced the hopelessness of their cause, however righteous, as trauma. Displacement, the loss of place and history, was another source of trauma. Being forced to interact with and adapt to the ways of others—even the ‘other’—contributed to traumatisation.

In Nagaland, the research team found that given the nature of Naga society, trauma was experienced by the village collectively, and people were hesitant to identify themselves individually, as if to suggest their own experience was somehow worse. Naga women drew sustenance from the support system provided by their traditional structures and institutions like the church. Whether or not women knew about the different laws that governed their region, they spoke to the brutality of the Indian security forces.

“All women respondents had stated that conflicts had affected all aspects of daily normal life whether they were socio-economic, health, education, etc. People cutting across class, clans, villages, gender, age, etc., had suffered tremendously over the years due to different conflicts… There were also many discords and tensions in society. There were divorces and broken homes. Conflicts had generated an atmosphere of mistrust and suspicion as well as fear.” (page 27)

What the researchers stress is the need for counseling and legal services and for education about the same, so people could seek help. This is borne out by what they learnt in Assam too, except that the research team adds the need to generate and make available livelihood and educational opportunities, the absence of which was identified here as leading to trauma. Timely relief and rehabilitation was also stressed. Where Naga society already has such platforms, it is recommended in Assam that, “Women committees must be formed in conflict affected villages which check any sort of physical or structural violence against women and human trafficking issues.” (page 44)

The importance of this study is two-fold. First, it is based on really sound field research—thoughtful conversations sensitively reported. The report is full of stories that the research team heard and they are the heart of this report, bringing to life the experience of multiple generations living with a conflict that is sometimes with the state and sometimes (or at once) internecine. The research team has used photographs, film and research notes to capture and communicate the experience of women in Nagaland and Assam. This is an unusually comprehensive effort. Second, Nagaland and Assam are important Indian states, but even so, underreported and understudied in the Indian context. A project that begins to look at the marginalized in a marginalized region thus acquires tremendous importance for researchers and policy-makers, but also for other citizens of the same state. And so does the multimedia documentation and communication effort. The research team explicitly points to the limited scope of this project and states that more studies of this sort are needed; they are absolutely right. In the meanwhile, it is important to make this study widely known. Again, it may be accessed at the C-NES website: http://www.c-nes.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/The-final-report-of-HBF.pdf

Cross-posted at http://asiasecurity.macfound.org/blog/entry/111bearing_witness/ and http://justswarna.blogspot.com/2011/10/bearing-witness-new-report-on-women-in.html

The roundtable report will be added shortly.

***

1. Name of student: Nivedya Raj Class: VIII

In my opinion I felt the pictures were awesome. Each of them having a different speciality is what I felt inspiring. I would love to try taking photographs like them. I particularly liked the one with a woman artisan in black and white.

2. Name of student: S.Ishana Class: VI

I felt the exhibition had many pictures of unique women which indeed looked interesting. The picture of an old Assam lady actress was nice. The picture with the caption “Women on board” is very rare to see such women riding on transportation trucks. The picture of Kemi Chatma teaching the children with a pocket board. She was not using a regular blackboard like any other. The picture of Sonika Kaliraman, wrestler. It is very unusual to see a woman who is a wrestler. Firdaus Sheik, stunt biker. She looked very sportive and smart. I also learnt about giving captions to the pictures we take so that the person can understand the picture better.

3. Name of student: Madhushri Class: VI

I felt so happy about this exhibition because I saw some olden day pictures of women achievers which I won’t get a chance to see otherwise. I particularly liked the ones of Aideu Handique, the first heroine of Assamese cinema. Then the one with Miss.Pratibha Sharma with her Delhi university degree.

4. Name of student: Hareni.E Class: VI

I am quite new to visiting such photography exhibitions. I find it very interesting and the organisers were very friendly. Photos I liked are; The guava fruit seller, women engaged in sericulture which is a very hard job. And an old woman selling food in Kathmandu. They showed me how courageous these women are.

5. Name of student: A.Rishab Class: VI

The exhibition is very beautiful. I liked the place. The pictures are very amazing. I liked one with Maya Ganesh, a bullet rider and Firdaus Sheik, stunt biker because both are very adventurous.

6. Name of student: Varun Class: VI

The exhibition was very nice. The photos were in black and white and colour. I liked Rupa, who is a horse jockey from Chennai. I also liked the ones with Deepali who is a bike mechanic and the auto driver Sunita Chaudry.

7. Name of student: Dilshani Class: VI

The exhibition was wonderful. The theme is nice. The reasons given below each picture was interesting. I liked Dr.Latha Deshpande helping destitute girls. Also picture of women engaged in sericulture which gives income to lots of families, and women thatching roofs and rebuilding the house, and women washing clothes in a pond.

8. Name of student: R.Gourav Class: VI

This exhibition was useful to us because it told us how women work for the family. I liked the photos of a woman shifting wheat from the chaff in the field. I liked the flower seller. Also the woman sweeping the streets of an educational institution in Mumbai.

9. Name of student: M.Vedantha Ramanujam Class: VI

The exhibition was very nice. It had different kind of photos. It told us how women work tough jobs for family. I liked photos of Vaishali Patel, Pratipa Sharma, Assam cinema heroine old lady, the female artist and the fire burnt houses where a woman was collecting what is left over by the fire and it was sad.

10. Name of student: S.Nikhil Class: VII

The exhibition is nice. I had fun with my friends. I saw many photos which are from history. I liked photo of Mythili Sivaraman with many others from different countries. A lady preparing meals for destitute children. Also the old lady who acted in Assam cinema and she is very old now.

11. Name of student: Lashwanth Class: VII

This exhibition photos were very nice and the information below was very informative. Photos of ladies working as horse jockey and bullet riders are very amazing because they have proved that they are also capable. I also learnt that photos could be taken clearly of a moving vehicle without any blurred view.

12. Name of student: S.Mowrishwar Class: VII

It is nice and useful. I learnt to take photos of people. I also learnt women do very hard jobs in this world. The place was clean. I enjoyed with my friends.

13. Name of student: S.Sandhya Class: VII

I felt that the exhibition have pictures of women who does different kind of work from other normal women. The pictures are new and interesting and nice to learn. I liked pictures in which women are repairing the roof of their house, which is very risky job. Also Lambani women Lakshmibai, Rukmini and Radha protest against working of the NREGA system are interesting to see.

***

We thank the Principal of Harishree Vidhyalayam, Mr. Anand and the two teachers who came with the group for encouraging the students not just to visit our exhibition but to express themselves freely as they learn.