Hmm! That's well said indeed! Regards,
Chetan ----- Original Message ----- From: "Harish Kotian" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <accessindia@accessindia.org.in> Sent: Wednesday, December 06, 2006 8:36 PM Subject: Re: [AI] A Burning Issues(replies) > Hi Smriti > > May I summarise from the issue you have raised: > 1 The inititiative should come from girls > 2 Sex education should be fascilitated > 3 Martial arts should be encouraged. > > Now I would raise 2 more Issues / suggestions: > 1 Councelling: > A councelling service can be very effective in handling the situation. > There > would be 2 streams of councelling here: A Legal councelling B Psycological > councelling. > > I can suggest 2 mechanisims here: > a) NGO's have a councellor / fascillitator. This can also be done on an > individual level, or have a service like Technical help that NAB Delhi has > rescently started. > B)Voice chat rooms: There is a site called www.for-the-people.com. They > have > a chat room called "Women in distress". Here one can talk it out and seek > sharing and caring interaction. > > Now, there could be language and cultural issues which may not be fully > relevant in our situation. In this connection I can offer a dedicated > voice > chat room for our Indian folks. If that you feel would be relevant, please > get in touch with me on my contact info at the bottom of this mail. I'll > arrange for the rest. > c) An e-group on this topic can also be thought of. > > 2 Reaching media: > In the course of this deliberation, it was suggested that we approach > media > to highlight this issue. > In my personal opinion this will be deteramental for the 3 reasons. > a) I have discussed this issue with a good number of blind women. They > have > said that In general sexual abuse is much less compared with able bodied > women. This may be attributed to the Indian mind set. This mind set is to > our favour and we better let it remain this way. If many reports show up > in > the media, then an opinion would be formed that this is rampant and there > is > nothing wrong for one to indulge in it. > > b) the possibility of a blind girl who desires to get married, we know > her > prospects are not very bright. Adverse publicity would only make her > possibilities more difficult. > > c) Parents would resort to disuading their blind wards from going out for > education, job and persuing careers. This will be the greatest disservice > to > blind girls. > > In conclusion, I am not advocating for not going to the media. However, > one > should make: > a) make an asesment on the severity of the problem, > b) Make a cost benefit analysis considering the pros and cons of it. > > Harish > Contact info: > E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Cell: +91 9440875914 > LL: (040) 23408510 > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "smriti singh" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <accessindia@accessindia.org.in> > Sent: Monday, December 04, 2006 10:18 PM > Subject: Re: [AI] A Burning Issues(replies) > > >>I agree with Tara Sir in most of the matters. But I do >> not believe that without NGOS or without support of >> state one movement cannot survive. For this also we >> need support from our friends and masses who are >> employed. They can invest little amount of fund for >> this type of movements. Because they themselves belong >> to this category so it is their duty to help within >> category weaker section. Now I would like to remind it >> is not necessary that woman should be only faminist. >> Man can also talk about woman's rights. So I do not >> believe any man from this group should be shut up, >> with your cooperation we can empower our visually >> challenged women. >> One thing I would like to remind investing fund does >> not mean you should go one NGO or you should give fund >> to person like me. But it is necessary if any of us >> could help with your earning one visually challenged >> girl then they will feel empower and with such support >> they also can raise their voice against that >> particular institution and in the society and >> whichever NGO or organization you are part of you >> should raise your voice that they should make sex >> education compulsory in that place. By this, visually >> challenged girls would know from what they have to >> protect themselves and how they have to protect >> themselves. >> With regard >> >> --- Taraprakash <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> >>> Let us try to answer some of them. >>> >>> 1. Can the sexual harassment of women in general and >>> visually impaired women >>> in particular be comprehended in isolation from the >>> larger structural and >>> cultural variations such as caste, class, gender, >>> race, the state and other >>> forms of social communities? >>> >>> answer. >>> Not really. However, since the blind women is a very >>> small minority in the >>> vast multitude, with some issues not effecting their >>> sighted counterparts, >>> there has to be an independent consideration for >>> this problem. >>> Long back we have entered the age of smaller >>> narratives, today there is not >>> one grand truth, there are several small truths/ >>> narratives. There is not >>> one universal feminism there are several branches. >>> The way western style >>> feminism cannot and should not subsume the issues >>> facing the women from >>> east, the blind women in India can and should start >>> a separate discourse. A >>> feminist discourse not lead by the award seeking >>> recognition hungry elite >>> group but by the ones at the grass root level. >>> >>> 2. Should we reduce the gender discrimination within >>> the visually impaired >>> community to the existing dominant social attitude >>> that considers man and >>> woman as the two opposing categories? >>> Answer. >>> That is not possible. The two opposing categories >>> are the victim and the >>> predator (can even can be replaced with have's and >>> have not's). In some >>> cases, the exploitation of the women can even be >>> happening under the >>> supervision of women themselves. >>> 3. While talking about various institutions for the >>> visually impaired women >>> it is absolutely essential to ask the question: What >>> kind of institutions >>> are available for women and who controls them? >>> Answer. >>> Who controls them is a bigger and more important >>> question. If an >>> organization is controlled by a pleasure seeking or >>> money minded person, >>> there are possibilities of ugly dealings. To >>> actually find about the >>> person/s who control them may be quite difficult >>> sometimes. >>> >>> 4. Should the awareness campaign be confined only to >>> the sensitization of >>> women? Isn't it essential to realize the fact that >>> it is men in general and >>> visually impaired men in particular need to be told >>> that women are not just >>> the readily available sexual objects, rather they >>> are also active human >>> beings who deserve a meaningful and respectable >>> human life with dignity? >>> Answer. >>> Both. However, more often it is the men who need to >>> be sensitized. >>> Complicity of some women in such shady stuff cannot >>> be ruled out, however, >>> the ultimate beneficiary is a male. >>> >>> 5. Shouldn't it be necessary to extend any such >>> awareness campaign beyond a >>> few handful of English speaking audience? >>> >>> Answer. >>> It really is. That is where the limitation of the >>> computer technology comes. >>> It cannot be done by Access India, however, it can >>> be done by Access >>> Indians. >>> >>> 6. Can such awareness campaigns be materialized >>> without the support of >>> certain institutions like the state, advocacy >>> groups, NGOs, and activist >>> movements? >>> Answer. >>> I have made my views on this clear in an earlier >>> mail. Without them you can >>> have a report of academic interest, nothing more >>> than that. >>> Now a question from me. Can men be a voice for blind >>> women? My answer is no. >>> so I must shut up. >>> Regards >>> >>> ----- Original Message ----- >>> From: "Vetrivel Murugan Adhimoolam" >>> <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>> To: <accessindia@accessindia.org.in> >>> Sent: Monday, December 04, 2006 8:46 PM >>> Subject: Re: [AI] A Burning Issues(replies) >>> >>> >>> > Hi Smriti and others, >>> > >>> > I thought that Smriti's response in it's >>> encapsulated form was >>> > self-clarificatory in many ways. Although I have >>> not expressed my views on >>> > this so for, I have been paying close attention to >>> the views of the list >>> > on >>> > this topic and being a male researcher specialized >>> in Gender I have the >>> > following views. I would like to list them in the >>> form of some questions >>> > so >>> > as to make them thought provoking. >>> > >>> > 1. Can the sexual harassment of women in general >>> and visually impaired >>> > women >>> > in particular be comprehended in isolation from >>> the larger structural and >>> > cultural variations such as caste, class, gender, >>> race, the state and >>> > other >>> > forms of social communities? >>> > >>> > 2. Should we reduce the gender discrimination >>> within the visually impaired >>> > community to the existing dominant social attitude >>> that considers man and >>> > woman as the two opposing categories? >>> > >>> > 3. While talking about various institutions for >>> the visually impaired >>> > women >>> > it is absolutely essential to ask the question: >>> What kind of institutions >>> > are available for women and who controls them? >>> > >>> > 4. Should the awareness campaign be confined only >>> to the sensitization of >>> > women? Isn't it essential to realize the fact that >>> it is men in general >>> > and >>> > visually impaired men in particular need to be >>> told that women are not >>> > just >>> > the readily available sexual objects, rather they >>> are also active human >>> > beings who deserve a meaningful and respectable >>> human life with dignity? >>> > >>> > 5. Shouldn't it be necessary to extend any such >>> awareness campaign beyond >>> > a >>> > few handful of English speaking audience? >>> > >>> > 6. Can such awareness campaigns be materialized >>> without the support of >>> > certain institutions like the state, advocacy >>> groups, NGOs, and activist >>> > movements? >>> > >>> > I think that we need to address these questions in >>> order to put things in >>> > perspective. >>> > >>> > Vetri. >>> > >>> > ----- Original Message ----- >>> > From: "smriti singh" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>> > To: <accessindia@accessindia.org.in> >>> > Sent: Monday, December 04, 2006 2:24 AM >>> > Subject: [AI] A Burning Issues(replies) >>> > >>> > >>> >> Dear list members, >>> >> >>> >> I don't have regular access to internet, >>> otherwise I >>> >> would have participated fully in the discussion. >>> >> Anyway, here are my quick comments on all the >>> >> responses: >>> >> >>> >> To begin with, I feel that not much replies have >>> come >>> >> on the basic issue I raised. I am actually >>> talking >>> >> about institutions who keep visually challenged >>> girls. >>> >> Either they have schools for them, or they >>> provide >>> >> === message truncated === >> >> >> Smriti Singh >> Programme: M. Phil (English Literature) >> Room # 03 >> Sabarmati Hostel >> Jawaharlal Nehru University >> >> >> >> ____________________________________________________________________________________ >> Have a burning question? >> Go to www.Answers.yahoo.com and get answers from real people who know. >> >> To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] >> with the subject unsubscribe. >> >> To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, >> please visit the list home page at >> >> http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in >> > > > > To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] > with the subject unsubscribe. > > To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, > please visit the list home page at > http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in > > > -- > Internal Virus Database is out-of-date. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.1.407 / Virus Database: 268.12.8/455 - Release Date: 9/22/2006 > To unsubscribe send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
