Daksh: (KSHRC) lacks the power to provide a concrete solution and has inadequate powers to ensure compliance with its recommendations.

A report by Daksh, a voluntary research group suggested that KSHRC needs to be given adequate powers to make its functioning more efficient. It also applauded the KSHRC saying, “The chairperson and members of the KSHRC have not shied away from confronting the Government, and their conduct has inspired reasonable confidence in the efficacy and independence of the commission.”

Mr Mathews Philip, Director of SICHREM was also asked to give his opinion on the same. Here is the report carried out by ‘The Hindu’.

You can also visit the news section in our website to read related stories.

Feminist Horizons on Questions of Sexual Violence and Impunity in India

The ALF held a thorough discussion on the issue of sexual violence in the context of mass violence. Professor Uma Chakravaty introduced the discussion with an exploration of the situation of sexual violence in India between 1947-2002.

It was argued that during the partition upheavals of 1947 and 1971 the issue of sexual violence was not recognised as being part of the mass violence, which occurred during those struggles. In fact feminist jurisprudence has been very slow in India in recognising rape and sexual violence within the context of mass violence. The communal violence in Gujarat in 2002 was cited as being the dawn of a new epoch in thinking, and sexual violence became recognised as a tool used in violence.

 The Professor, sought to redefine and broaden the concept of sexual violence, with the atrocities committed in incidents such as Gujarat in mind. She also argued that there has been effective impunity for many of the perpetrators of sexual violence and saw command responsibility as one way of rectifying this. Command responsibility ensures that officials are held to be responsible if they neglect to intervene in incidents of sexual violence that they know are occurring. Moreover, she argued that crimes of sexual violence should be monitored separately in the PMO’s office.

The Professor’s talk was followed by a discussion. Here, the need for gender neutrality in the law was spoken about at great length. It was argued that if sexual violence is to be adjudged in the wider context of violence then it should affect men and women equally. This view was based on the concept of sexual violence that developed from the Rwandan genocide in which it was argued that rape was used not just to degrade the individual woman, but was aimed to strip the humanity from a community as a whole.

Women’s groups generally resist gender neutrality in the law, as they fear it will reduce protection for women. As it stands in the Sexual Assaults Bill only a man can be a perpetrator of the crime, but women and transgender people can be victims. Many other issues were discussed at length and the minutiae of the laws were assiduously scrutinised. Sichrem volunteers Swaroop and Theodore attended the programme. We look forward to attending the next ALF discussion.

Establishment of UN women

The UN has decided to establish a separate UN body to promote women’s rights which will be called the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women.

This new body will help the UN focus specifically on issues pertaining to women. SICHREM welcomes this development and hope the new body can make a significant impact in ensuring gender equality.

To read the story: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/us_and_canada/10496864.stm

Employer exploitation and insufficent government support: the plight of domestic workers

For years domestic workers have been subject to exploitation and systematic abuse, with their employers seemingly emboldened by the fact these transgressions are occurring behind closed doors. There have been many instances of child labour, sexual harassment,  and emotional and physical abuse committed by employers.

Furthermore, Government assistance for these workers has proved to be insufficient. The minimum wage is a pitiful Rs 150 per hour, there is no social security provision, maternity leave or educational opportunities provided for the workers’ children.

Therefore, SICHREM along with other civil society groups are campaigning for an end to violations perpetrated by the employers. We also seek greater government involvement in helping the advancement of these workers.

The Social Security Bill is in the process of being passed, but in the long run we need to be able to foster better relations between employer and employee. For example, employers should allow leave on public and religious holidays. The employer should also initiate better communication and try and engender a strong personal and professional relationship with the worker.

Moreover, the government should help the situation with much more comprehensive social security provisions for these workers. At present the domestic workers have no significant safety net and are therefore vulnerable to illness, unemployment and other unpredictable events.

Much needs to be done to improve the situation and cooperation between employer, employee and government is essential if we are to succeed.

These issues have been discussed in the press. See below for a couple of examples of the discussions.

The Sexual Assaults Bill: A rethinking sexual offences in India?

 

The Sexual Assaults Bill, which is currently passing through the legislative process, has been subject to much febrile discussion. Yesterday many women’s groups, lawyers and other interested parties from across Bangalore gathered to suggest additions to the Bill and discuss why current laws are insufficient in their protection of women.

Amongst the issues discussed was the introduction of a gradation in the law, based on the seriousness of the sexual offence. This gradation would reconfigure the current legal position, which is to group together acts as serious as rape with offences such as sexual harassment into one offence. It should add clarity and thus assist prosecutors in their attempt to make a viable case.

Moreover, the suggestion that there should be special provisos relating to public servants and police officers that commit sexual offences, while acting in their capacity as public officials was roundly welcomed. It is thought that this should address the serious issue of abuse of power, which occurs in many institutions.

Many other issues ranging from gender neutrality in the law to offences against minors were discussed.

While the suggested amendments to the law would certainly further the position of victims, the law cannot act in a vacuum. The police’s role is essential as it is their evidence gathering and investigation, which will provide the spine of any prosecution case. Therefore, it is vital that an historic mistrust of the police based on their past failings must be overcome. It was refreshing to see a police presence at the meeting and hopefully greater dialogue between such actions groups and the police should yield a better result for victims of sexual assaults.

Srilatha Batliwala’s “Gains and Losses in the Struggle for Women’s Rights”

Srilatha Batliwala has worked in the field of gender equality and social justice for over thirty years since graduating with her Masters of Social Work from the Tata Institute of Social Science in Bombay in 1975.

While Srilatha’s early work was based in India, since the mid-1990s, she has primarily worked abroad, including as a Program Officer at the Ford Foundation, a prominent private organisation founded to advance social justice, based in New York, and as a research fellow at Harvard University’s Hauser Centre for Nonprofit Organisations, in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Srilatha is currently a Scholar Associate with the Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID).  AWID is an international organisation that is committed to achieving gender equality, sustainable development and women’s human rights.  Srilatha has been with AWID since 2007.

Srilatha is also a published author on a range of women’s issues.  Her recent AWID publications include “Changing Their World – Concepts and Practices of Women’s Movements” and “Capturing Change in Women’s Realities” – a feminist critique of current monitoring and evaluation approaches.

Srilatha is well-known for her work in large-scale grassroots women’s empowerment movements such as the Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centres (SPARC) and Mahila Samakhya, the Indian government’s programme for the education and empowerment of women in rural areas, particularly of women from socially and economically marginalised groups.

Srilatha continues to serve on the board of a number of Indian and international organisations and is now living and working from her home in Bangalore.

Srilatha spoke passionately and warmly about what she considers to be the gains and losses in the women’s rights movement in India to an audience of approximately 70 people at the Indian Social Institute on Friday afternoon.

Srilatha closed her presentation with the following, pertinent quote:

“Work with us, not for us. We are the most important activists in the struggle for our rights, for equality in our families, communities, villages. And in this struggle, at first, you must walk in front of us, showing us where we could go; then, walk beside us, so we know you’re still there if we stumble or fall; but finally, you must learn to walk behind us.”

Sundaramma, Mahila Sangha leader, Kudalgi village, Bidar District, 1992

Reminder! SICHREM’s monthly HR discourse TODAY

Today at 4pm is the Indian Social Institute and SICHREM’s 6^th Monthly Discourse on Human Rights.  The guest speaker today is Srilatha Batliwala, Scholar Associate, Association for Women’s Rights in Development.  She will be discussing “Gains and Losses in the Struggle for Women’s Rights”.

Please do join us.

Date & time: Friday 30 April 2010 at 4:00pm (i.e. this afternoon).

Venue: Volken Auditorium, Indian Social Institute, No. 24, Benson Town, Bangalore 46, Phone: 23536189, 23536364

For more details contact:

R. Manohar (SICHREM) 9535037596, Vijaya Tilagam (ISI) 9620135138

6th monthly HR discourse – women’s rights

The Indian Social Institute and SICHREM invite you

6^th Monthly Discourse on Human Rights

By

Srilatha Batliwala

Scholar Associate,

Association for Women’s Rights in Development (AWID)

Topic:

“Gains and Losses in the Struggle for Women’s Rights”

Date & time: Friday 30 April 2010 at 4:00pm

Venue: Volken Auditorium, Indian Social Institute, No. 24, Benson Town, Bangalore 46, Phone: 23536189, 23536364

Please do join us next Friday afternoon.

Indian Social Institute 24 Benson Road, Benson Town, Bangalore – 46 Ph: 23536189, 23536364, Email: isiblr@yahoo.co.in, Website: www.isiblr.org

SICHREM I/F, Anjanappa Complex, 35, Hennur Main Road, Lingarajapuram, St.Thomas Town Post, Bangalore – 84 Phone: 25473922, 25804072-73, Email: contact@sichrem.org, Website: www. sichrem.org

For more details contact:

R. Manohar (SICHREM) 9535037596, Vijaya Tilagam (ISI) 9620135138

Candlelight vigil – Friday 16 April

Candle Light Vigil for Roopa, held on Friday 16th April, evening, on the steps of Town Hall, J.C. Road, Bangalore

17 year old Roopa, a worker at Golden Seam Garments in Bangalore was allegedly burnt to death by unidentified persons on Saturday the 20th of March. The police have now registered a case of murder under Sections 302 and 201 of the Indian Penal Code.

Activists of SICHREM, a human rights organisation and of CIVIDEP, a workers’ rights organisation visited the family, colleagues and neighbors of Roopa to gather more information about the circumstances of the death. Activists of VIMOCHANA, a women’s rights organisation and others met the Superintendent of Police, Mr. B. A. Mahesh to urge speedy investigation to bring the culprits to justice.

In the past few years, several cases of unnatural death of young women garment workers in Bangalore have been reported by the media. Ammu was found dead in the lavatory of a well-known factory. Renuka committed suicide at home allegedly due to harassment at work.

Every day, in every factory, women workers undergo various forms of violent behaviour at the hands of male supervisors and managers. The common forms of harrassment include: throwing garments at workers’ faces, physically pushing them sometimes by their neck, making them stand silently the entire day facing other workers (as a punishment for protesting), and verbal abuse like, ‘dog’, ‘donkey’, ‘stupid owl’ and worse unprintable phrases.

Our belief is that these deaths are closely related to the harassment that these young women undergo in the factory at the hands supervisors and managers. Nearly 80 per cent of the 500,000 garment workers in Bangalore are women. The tragic deaths are also related to the poverty-level wages they are being paid. Another issue is that despite the legal ban on child labour it is still possible to find girl-children less than 18 years working in some factories.

The candle light vigil was held to condole the death of Roopa and to reinforce civil society’s resolve to end violence against women workers and all other women.

In solidarity, Yamuna, President, Garments Mahila Karmikara ‘Munnade’ Ratnamma, General Secretary, ‘Munnade’ Gopinath K. P., General Secretary, Cividep-India.

(Apologies – I had thought that I had posted this before Friday but apparently not.  Here are some photos from Friday evening.)

International Women’s Day

Some photos from recent International Women’s Day celebrations.

The Human Rights Forum for Dalit Liberation (Hassan), Hassan District Human Rights Centre and SICHREM commemorated International Women’s Day with the theme of  Nutrition and education on the 30th March 2010.