muzaffar Nagar victims

We appreciate, welcome and want the government to speed up all the efforts to rehabilitate the Kashmiri Pandits. In their case, justice was delayed beyond a limit  Let not the same thing happen to the Muzaffar Nagar victims. They  ran out of their homes  due to fear about their safety . Unsafe conditions still prevail there and hence they are reluctant to go back home.  No body will  wish to languish in camps loosing their  livelihood and exposed to hunger, insecurity and  diseases unless they have compelling reasons  to do so.  If the PM wants to stand by   statement regarding , “making all the minorities equal partners in India’s progress”, he should make quick arrangement for rehabilitation of  Muzaffar Nagar victims with  or without  the state government’s efforts and without listening to the  advice of divisive forces.

Is it my fault that my gender is female?

                 Is it my fault that my gender is female?

When I was still in the womb  I heard from various sources  that  in India the son preference attitude is very strong resulting in   large scale abortions , especially among the well off and educated families and in well developed states resulting the skewed Sex ratio ie.,940:1000 .

• Feticide

I was a female fetus.  When my mother’s pregnancy was confirmed, there was jubilation in my family. But that turned into sorrow the minute the family learnt that the child to be born would be a girl, thanks to advancement in medical technology. From that day, I was helplessly watching my mother weeping all the time in the privacy of her room and arguing with my father against the decision of the family to abort me since they wanted the eldest child to be a boy. Finally, only their will prevailed over my mother’s wishes and I was brutally prevented from seeing this world. My fundamental right to be born was denied to me.

• Infanticide

My family allowed me to be born since they could not determine my sex before birth I was born as girl into this world in a poor family. When  I was still alive  I heard that in India  the practice of female infanticide is widespread  due  to dowry and security  problems and  contributes significantly to the number of “missing women”(Amertia Sen’s description )

From the date of my birth, the elders in the family and my father were planning to kill me since they considered me as a future burden on their limited income. My mother’s pleadings were turned down. After one week of my birth, during an early morning, a village traditional birth attendant ended my life by pouring hot milk into my throat and then choking me with hand full of paddy. Only my mother cried uncontrollably.  Thus my right to live was denied to me.  

• Female child mortality

I was a   six year old girl child, born in a poor family.  I was stopped from going to school when I completed my first  standard, since my younger brother was  only 3 years old , my  mother had to go for farm work and I  was needed at home to look after my brother and  to share the household work. There was total discrimination in food, health care and education matters against me. The result was, due to neglect, work burden and nutrition deficiency I was falling sick often. But I was not given timely medical care and I died due to some decease at the age of seven.  Thus my right to live with proper parental and medical care was denied to me.

• Sexual torture during adolescence  

I was a school going girl. Ever since   I attained puberty, lot of troubles chased me. I was subjected to eve teasing by boys in my locality, sexual advances by the male teachers and male relatives and love proposals by few boys. But I didn’t complain about these matters to my parents, since   I was afraid that they would stop my education. One boy was pestering me to accept his love. One day, unable to bear his torture any more,   I slapped him and threatened that I would make my parents report to the police. The next day he threw acid on my face when was going to the school. The sufferings I went through after that incident were excruciating. My poor parents couldn’t afford to continue plastic surgery required after the initial treatment for my burnt face and neck. My enthusiastic life was halted suddenly and the future looked bleak. Every one was afraid to see my disfigured face. I couldn’t get out of my house, couldn’t see or talk to any one, couldn’t think of continuing my education or taking up a carrier and I could not see the agony of my   parents.  The future looked very bleak, since repairing my face after acid attack involved heavy expenditure, excessive pain and longer time. Hence one day, unable to bear my parent’s agony and the hopeless future   I committed suicide. Thus my right to live with dignity was denied to me, for no fault of mine.  But the offenders were not convicted due to lack of strong evidence

• Sexual harassment in work places

I was a professionally qualified, working unmarried girl, and was getting a decent salary. I was putting in lot of efforts to get a promotion. But my promotion was delayed due to the behavior of one of my superiors. He made sexual advances to me. Since I was not cooperative to his desires he became a stumbling block to my carrier progress. There was no hope for climbing up in the carrier ladder in that company as long as he was there and therefore, for no fault of mine I had to quit that job remained unemployed nearly for two years  subjecting my family to hardships for no fault of mine.  

• Rape

I was a single, employed girl and was staying in a working woman hostel. Since I was working in a call centre and I had to return   from work at 4 AM everyday. My company had arranged for a van to travel back after work I was always the last be dropped. One day the driver took me back through a different route. When I questioned him about it he gave some explanation. On the way, he picked up two of his friends and I grew suspicious. But I maintained silence since, the roads were deserted and there was scope for any help. The van reached a deserted park and I was forcibly taken behind a bush and gang raped (. Before this incident happened I had read about raping of girls, in trains, in the car parks, in pubs, in beaches in the nights etc.   I used to think why can’t the girls scream and use their teeth and nails to escape)? Before they could get out of the park,   I tried to scream since I heard the voices of walkers from the entrance side. They immediately tied my neck with a towel tightly and attacked my head with a heavy stone and I died instantly. Thus for no fault of mine, I lost my life.

I was a woman foreign tourist.  I have heard that India is a land of rich culture traditions and values. We foreigners do not believe in male escorts when ever we travel. When I was enjoying my  late evening  in the beach, taking advantage of the  deserted beach , I was attacked by two men , carried to a lonely park and molested and all my personal belongings were robbed by them . Now Understand why India is declared as unsafe country for women When tried hard to hit them back with my self defense skills , I was over powered and attacked with a knife  and I was left with heavy and continuous  bleeding and I died  for no fault  mine. By the way what is the meaning of, “athithi devo bhava?”

What has happened to this country?  Children who are in no way provoking the males through their dresses (as some police officers claim as the reason for crimes against women) are raped. Women or girls of any age are raped by police men, higher authorities, politicians and even by teachers. Victims of rape often do not report because of police harassment, delayed justice and fear of offender’s power. The barbaric manner in which even girl children are gang raped and then killed and thrown into bushes is equal to the scenes in the discovery channel where, we see the tigers chase all the time the helpless deers and kill them and tear them into pieces.  Offenders of rape seems to  think that  the powerful tool to conquer women is through this barbaric act .The silence of women  over the crimes  of rape to protect family  honor and to avoid social stigma have emboldened these animals.

 After the Delhi rape incident eminent people are coming out with shocking advice to women regarding their safety. It only shows that a considerable percentage of Indian men are still view women with 18^th century mindset and are irritated with women liberation and empowerment process. 

• Domestic violence and suicide

I was a married woman. Day in day out I was harassed by my husband to get more dowry from my not so well off parents. One day I told them I would go to the police and complain. The very next day I died after eating my lunch because of poison mixed in my food and my parents were told that, I died due to dehydration inspite of medical attention.  Thus for no fault of mine I lost my life.

 Before my death I had heard that married women commit suicide if there is uncontrolled domestic violence or black mailing by cyber offenders. Some married women commit suicide if their husbands are drunkards, indulge in regular wife beating and do not take care of the family inspite of acute poverty.  Some girls are kidnapped from villages of backward states, forced into prostitution and due to lack of chance to escape and go back to their families, they end their life. Thus, for various reasons women commit suicide and these missing women together contribute to declining sex ratio.

• Maternal mortality                                      

I was a poor pregnant woman. I never had a chance to eat the right quantity and quality food. Through out my pregnancy I was anemic .When I was admitted in the hospital to deliver my child,  due to late admission and  delayed and indifferent medical attention given in government hospitals ,my delivery became very complicated and  I died immediately after delivering a still born child . I had heard that in India the maternal mortality rate is 50 times higher than in other countries. Thus I lost my life due to poverty for which I was not directly responsible.

 If greater number of Indian women of disappear from this world continuously due to feticide, infanticide, child mortality, maternal mortality and suicides due to rape, acid attack, domestic violence, dowry problem, cyber crimes and sexual harassment    the sex ratio will be surely a skewed one. Is the government and the civil society  going to passively  present the statistics  and talk about declining sex ratio for some time and move on to another human story  or gear up to take corrective steps on  a war footing?  

Why should the Indian men look at any woman only as sex object irrespective their age, education, intelligence, carrier, other capabilities and achievements? When men know how to treat women of their families with dignity, love and care, why should they commit crimes against other women? Who should teach them to treat all women with dignity and equality in today’s world, where, men and women have to work together in every field for the welfare of the family and progress of the nation?                                             

Let us be aware that the skewed sex ratio would result in bad consequences. such as negative dowry (boys giving dowry for girls), drastic decline in birth rate,  growing crime against women,  emergence of several ethical and moral issues ,  such as Polyandry (having more than one husband)would be the consequences

                                                                                                                                   

                                 

Community psychology

                                                Community psychology

                                                           

The important economic and social problem of the 21^st century which the countries of the world are facing is growing number of the aged population. It is estimated that by 2025 the number of persons above 60yeras (the third age) will increase from the current 590 million to 1.2 billion. That means namely 25% of the population will be in third age. This situation is described as “silver tsunami” . This segment of the population is considered as unproductive and dependent population. The burden of higher dependent population on the limited working population would create economic and social problems. It will pose challenges to a growing economy in the form of fewer tax contributors and larger number of benefit receivers and this would strain the budget. The working population in addition to paying taxes will have to support the elders which is likely to result in cutting down their savings and investments and that would create tension within the family and on the nation’s capital formation process. Thus, aging has its impact on family and the economies all over the world.

Social scientists talk about “community psychology” as a solution to this problem. In simple terms, it means, involving the seniors in the  community services either on voluntary or honorarium basis  so that, their psychological  wellbeing is  maintained or restored . When they start  utilising their expertise in different fields and wisdom in executing community projects ,  they get a purpose in living . To fit in community projects , they have to  empower themselves through acquisition of the basic skills required for that projects.  They can even regain their social and financial independence since the funded NGOs and the government can pay for their services when utilising their services for their welfare projects.. Thus ,community psychology helps and this driving  away frustration  born out of  loneliness and idleness  by keeping them physically and mentally busy. . 

 The projects in which the senior can be integrated are plenty. They are,creation of awareness prorammes on  health, legal. adult literacy, organ donation, blood donation, environmental issues, family planning, voter’s rights , corruption,.  green environment and pollution free atmosphere, helping in empowering  the differently abled adults, manageing   day care centers elders ,  senior citizens homes and orphanages. They can even help in rehabilitation of destitute women and children.  Rendering value education   to school children is the need of the hour since, India  is   facing crisis of character.  They can organise cultural programmes for fund raising for the betterment of   village schools and free senior citizen homes .They can supervise civil work schemes. The active seniors can offer counseling to depressed d seniors and help them in times of need.

Public intervention is needed to help the elders to achieve self enrichment i.e., it is the duty of the governments to allocate sufficient resources to upgrade their skills. Free computer   and crash teachers training courses can be arranged by the government to the elders  because,  there is a tremendous dearth of experienced teachers  in India  and The retired teachers and newly trained elders  can be engaged on hourly basis  so  that they can help  government school children   in English, mathematics and value  education.

Several countries such as USA, Canada, Norway Philippines and China have started adopting community psychology to convert the aging population from the position of liability to assets by converting them into productive human resource. In china arrangements are available for life long learning to elders. 15000 centers are engaged in teaching technology, free of charge to one million elders. Their proverb says “at dusk, do not say it is too late, do say that there is sunshine all over the sky.”