The status of women in South Asia and the various social evils they have to battle were in focus at a programme conducted by Swayam, in association with Sangat and Indian Museum Kolkata, on November 30 to mark South Asian Women’s Day for Peace, Democracy, Justice and Human Rights.
The celebratory event at Indian Museum saw cultural programmes, the efforts of Kamla Bhasin, who championed women's rights in South Asia, were lauded along with the release of a diary comprising motivational thoughts put forward by Bhasin.
Present on the occasion were Anuradha Kapoor, founder, Swayam; Rafiath Rashid Mithila (Mithila), Bangladeshi artist, singer and development worker; Shamita Das Dasgupta, founder Manavi; Ramanjit Kaur, award winning theatre and film actor and director and founder-director, The Creative Arts; and Dipannita Acharya, folk artist.
Anuradha Kapoor said, “South Asian Women's Day was conceived after a collaboration between representatives from all (South Asian) countries, after recognizing that they had a shared history and culture, and that this was especially true for the issues that face South Asian women. The rapid militarisation and deepening communal divisions that have become rampant in the region have had a very negative impact on women, and this day was being observed in recognition of this gendered violence’’.
Women in South Asia today are placed in a two-fold position. While on one hand, they are subdued due to the inequalities which arise from factors like class, caste, ethnicity, gender and others; on the other hand, they are also seen to organise socio-political and cultural movements to fight for their rights. The South Asian Women's Day for Peace, Justice, Human Rights and Democracy was brought together by the Sangat network. It aims to highlight how violence against women have gone beyond the territorial boundaries of a country or region; to protest against militarisation and to fight for peace, justice, democracy and tolerance.
Women in South Asia today are placed in a two-fold position. While on one hand, they are subdued due to the inequalities which arise from factors like class, caste, ethnicity, gender and others; on the other hand, they are also seen to organise socio-political and cultural movements to fight for their rights. The South Asian Women's Day for Peace, Justice, Human Rights and Democracy was brought together by the Sangat network. It aims to highlight how violence against women have gone beyond the territorial boundaries of a country or region; to protest against militarisation and to fight for peace, justice, democracy and tolerance.
She said, “Patriarchy was something we all experienced in our lives, and that is why we needed to start discussing this with our children from an early age, teaching them about injustice and equality. There was a shared experience and challenge facing all the countries of the region like child marriage, domestic violence, and the growing number of rapes. A lot has changed and women are entering the workforce in greater numbers than ever before. However, women still do not have agency and control over their own finances and decision-making. There are also the new threats of cyber bullying and harassment through the proliferation of the internet in the region.’’