Media’s Misogyny
Last week, one of the more well-known and popularly ‘sensational’ Tamil magazines, Kumudam, ran a cover story which talked about the “obscenity of wearing leggings.” Then, they went further ahead and clicked pictures of women (without permission, of course) wearing leggings and published it on the cover! Kavitha Muralidharan, an independent journalist has started a petition against Kumudam. Go ahead and sign the petition!
Caste-Based Differentiation
The police line barracks in Patna city still has kitchens which are divided based on caste. So, how exactly can we expect the police force to work on cases related to caste discrimination?
An Indian woman who was recruited by a British-Indian family to work as a house help at their home in Britain has been awarded £184,000 in compensation since her employers harassed her by making her work 18 hours day for an hourly rate of 11 pence. The employment tribunal said the Chandhoks (the employers) “wanted a servant in the Indian style”.
The Godmen Misogyny
In Thrissur, Kerala, writer Sreedevi S Kartha was asked to not attend the launch of the book that she translated. The reason – the chief guest, Swami Brahmavihari Das (a Hindu seer) would not allow women to share stage with him. Following several protests, the event was finally called off.
Back in Aug 2014, a woman filed a rape case against Ramachandrapura Mutt seer, Raghaveshwara Bharathi. However, without much action, finally on Sept 11th, 2015, the CID arrested this godman. But, he was let go off since he obtained a bail. In the meantime, the survivor & a few witnesses received threatening calls. Finally, the CID is likely to submit a charge sheet before the sessions court in Bengaluru.
Sexism In Educational Institutions
Last week, through a reddit AMA, the severely sexist rules in Chennai’s Sairam Engineering College came out in the open and raised severe hue & cry. The rules included no leggings for girls, no loitering and no Facebook account.
A school in Kerala, had a notice out which specifies that boys and girls should maintain a distance of one meter from each other.
Last week, a particular line from the Class X social science textbook of Chattisgarh Board of Secondary Education came to limelight. The book mentioned that working women are the cause of unemployment in the country.
#ThatsWhatTheySaid
Maharashtra Rural Development minister, Pankaja Munde said that media should not give “excessive” coverage to cases of crime against women as it instills “energy” and “pleasure” among people with a criminal mindset to try “something new.”
The Dalai Lama, when asked if a successor could be female, said yes and added that any female Dalai Lama would have to be attractive, “otherwise not much use.”
Women At Work
According to a new report by McKinsey Global Institute, India can increase its 2025 gross domestic product (GDP), estimated at $4.83 trillion, by between 16% and 60% simply by enabling women to participate in the economy on par with men.
Feminist Campaigns
Several women students of Delhi university launched the #pinjratod campaign to protest draconian hostel curfews and strictly regulated and restricted leaves — rules that their male counterparts are not subject to.
Several feminist groups across the country launched the #ParkMeinPDA campaign to encourage more people to indulge in PDA in an attempt to reclaim public spaces.
Rape Culture & Reported Rapes
A woman jumped off a train along with her husband and baby to avoid getting raped. The entire family sustained grave injuries.
Two years after the Muzzafarnagar riots, survivors of rape are still waiting for justice, since the accused are deliberately trying to delay case proceedings.
Here are the rapes reported in the last week. Some of these include cases of child sexual abuse.
Featured Image Credit: Graffiti scrawled as part of the #PinjraTod campaign | indianexpress.com
