WHO IS A FARMER?
Women in farming: Everywhere, but unseen

Despite their significant contribution to agriculture in India, women are not given their due recognition as farmers. There are some key steps that can be taken to correct this.

#Gender and Media #Agriculture #Women
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
A common, invisibilized malady
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE : A common, invisibilized malady

October is domestic violence awareness month. Pushpa Achanta shares stories of victims of domestic violence to point out why the dilution of IPC Section 498A by the Supreme Court is a blow to the fight against domestic violence.

#Gender Violence #Women
TRIPLE TALAQ
Misery personified
TRIPLE TALAQ : Misery personified

Activists and supporters are urging the Supreme Court to ban the practice of triple talaq. Ramesh Menon says that the government will have to courageously act on the sticky issue to ensure that thousands of women get justice.

#Justice System #Women
COMMERCIAL SURROGACY
To be banned or not?
COMMERCIAL SURROGACY : To be banned or not?

The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016 introduced in the parliament proposes a ban on commercial surrogacy. Shoma Chatterji finds out if this will help in checking exploitation of women.

#Women's Health #Women
GENDER RIGHTS
Sex workers turn paralegal volunteers

An innovative project in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka is helping sex workers empower themselves, by training them as paralegal volunteers. A confident community is fighting exploitation, standing up and being counted, reports Ramesh Menon.

#Women
MATRILINEAL TRIBES
Lessons from tribals on surviving and thriving

An ancient matrilineal tribe of northeast India has a thriving culture and an increasing population, while a similarly ancient Dravidian matrilineal tribe is in danger of vanishing. Linda Chhakchhuak reports on what the Dravidian tribe can learn from the northeastern tribe to revive its culture and population.

#Adivasis #Culture #Human Rights
RIGHTS FOR UNWED MOTHERS
Are we celebrating too much too soon?
RIGHTS FOR UNWED MOTHERS : Are we celebrating too much too soon?

Can a legal ruling, never mind if it is from the apex court of the country, change the socio-cultural and psychological ramifications of unwed motherhood in India? Shoma A Chatterji probes deeper to find out the social and sociological impact of the ruling on the family.

#Society #Women
WOMEN'S MOVEMENT & RIGHTS
Veteran Voices: Detailing Indian Women’s Struggles

Decades of struggle and innumerable sacrifices are involved in the long history of women's movement in India. Deepti Priya Mehrotra speaks to some of the exemplary leaders who recall the history of women’s movement and their role in it.

#Women's Representation #Women
SEX WORKER REALITIES
Workers, not beggars
SEX WORKER REALITIES : Workers, not beggars

Recent incidents, where sex workers were detained by the police and subsequently forced into a state shelter for beggars, are symptomatic of the continuous harassment faced by them and a basic lack of understanding of their realities. Pushpa Achanta elaborates.

#Human Rights #Women #KARNATAKA
PATRIARCHY AND MASCULINITY
A Man Cannot Tolerate Failure
PATRIARCHY AND MASCULINITY : A Man Cannot Tolerate Failure

The age-old notions of patriarchy and masculinity, which suppress and disempower women, have an equally damaging effect on men’s behaviour and psyche, leaving them ill-equipped to handle failure. Rimjhim Jain reports.

#Culture #Farmer Suicides #Women
GENDER LAW
Pro-life or pro-women’s rights?

Bijayalaxmi Nanda tracks some of the prominent debates surrounding two critical legislations, dealing with gender-biased sex selection and abortion respectively, and points to the commonalities in recommendations made by the apparently contradictory camps.

#Women's Health #Women
SEX WORKERS' LIVES
Where dignity is the first and most pressing need

While debates over legalisation of sex work and rehabilitation of women in the trade continue without much tangible impact, sex workers themselves carry on the fight to win legitimacy, safety and social security. Pushpa Achanta brings us some voices from the twilight zone.

#Society #Women
RELIGION & JUSTICE
Muslim women fight patriarchal Sharia laws

Several women’s groups are now fighting the age-old gender bias perpetuated by Sharia law and finding ways to help Muslim women who have suffered due to its patriarchal dispensations. Pushpa Achanta reports on some of these, including one which proposes a codification of such law, reinterpreted.

#Justice System #Society #Women
POWERS OF THE NCW
Why an abused employee feels let down by the judiciary

A recent Bombay HC ruling on the powers of the NCW, with regard to a case involving sexual harassment at the workplace, could have significant implications for gender justice in the long term. Revathi Siva Kumar looks at the facts of the case and the debate that it has stirred up. 

#Women's Representation #Women
RE-READING SEC 498A
Should our anti-dowry law shield husbands too?

The court decision prohibiting immediate arrests under IPC Section 498A meets the need for safeguards against false charges and enjoys the support of many, including a budding filmmaker. But does it come at a greater risk to genuine victims? Shoma Chatterji explores.

#Dowry #Films #Laws #Society