Welspun Energy Promotes Women Empowerment in Madhya Pradesh

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/Welspun-Energy-promotes-women-empowerment-in-Madhya-Pradesh/articleshow/25834258.cms

For the past two years, the company Welspun Energy Ltd (WEL) has been working to empower women in Madhya Pradesh. One of the goals of WEL is to help women become self-sufficient by earning incomes on their own. WEL has provided women in this area with workshops and classes to help the women learn skills that are necessary in order to start working. WEL sets up specific classes that correspond to the work opportunities in each village. So far, the company has helped about 100 women successfully use the skills they learned to earn a steady income. Ultimately, the company hopes to make women more confident by helping women believe that they have the capability to be successful. The company hopes that this newly attained confidence and the courses being provided will help create better economic opportunities for women and help them become more independent.

1. Which human rights are being rightfully carried out by the work being done to empower women? 
2.  Who is responsible for making sure that women are able to attain jobs in the work force in India? Is it the government’s responsibility or is it the responsibility of smaller companies, such as WEL?

India's Patriarchal Society Strikes Again...

This time suppressing women's representation in India’s Parliament. In a recent analysis on the number of women members in Parliament conducted by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), an organization which works toward ensuring representative democracies, India was ranked 108th out of 188 countries, ranking badly in comparison to neighboring countries, Nepal, China, and Pakistan.

Fortunately, the release of this study has driven women in India to come together to pass the women’s reservation bill, a piece of legislation that hopes to ensure more representation of women in government. This reservation system, practiced in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, China, Pakistan, is designed to secure seats in Parliament specifically for women. President of Women Power Connect, Vibhuti Patel, notes, “Appropriate representation of women is possible only through a quota regime, and this in turn will bring more transparency, efficiency and even decency in Parliament's functioning.” 

Hopefully, if this bill gets passed, the outstanding women’s rights violations occurring throughout India will be addressed with a greater degree of severity, allowing India to step forward and away from the confines of its classic patriarchal society.

1.) Do you think that reserving seats in government for specific members of society should be allowed, despite its good intentions, or is this corrupting the sense of “free elections?”

2.) If this legislation passes, women will get more representation in government, which is definitely a step in the right direction for women. What other actions should women in India take to raise awareness about their plight?

India Joins the Space Race to the Red Planet

After reading all the depressing news reports on this blog, I decided to post something that was more optimistic. On November 5, 2013, India successfully launched a rocket headed for the Red Planet in hopes of advancing its scientific exploration skills. If India's Mars Orbiter Mission is successful when the probe that launched from Satish Dhawan Space Center near Chennai lands on Mars in ten months, India will join an elite club of Mars explorers that includes only Soviet Russia, NASA, and the European Space Union. Upon reaching Mars, the rocket will search the surface for minerals and evidence for the disappearance of water. The probe will also take a closer look at Mars' two moons. In 2016, India plans to launch its first own manned flight. Clearly, India's recent technological progress as it starts to compete with first world countries is quite remarkable.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/04/world/asia/india-mars-orbiter/

1. How is India's scientific progress contrasting to their social problems? Do you think that a lot of labor was exploited so that India could improve its technology?

2. How do you think Gandhi would respond to this progress given his views on machines?

Judgment in Sankararaman murder case on November 27

The judgment in the Sankaraman murder case will be decided on November 27th. Sankaraman was murdered and now the khan hi seers are being accused of giving out false information in court.  The giving of false info in court is illegal and they will also be investigated.  So far as many as 187 witnesses have been interviewed and nobody knows what story to believe.  With the extreme corruption found in India this trial is becoming harder and harder to solve by the day.  We may never know what truly happened in this murder case.  When asked to listen to tape recordings that provided evidence the the Sharma needed.  But when one of the accused killers, Kardiravan, moved it became harder to solve the case.  To make things worse Kardiravan died soon after moving.  This case just takes wrong turn after wrong turn.  We may never know what happens in this case.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Judgment-in-Sankararaman-murder-case-on-November-27/articleshow/25638097.cms

Government Surveillance in India

https://www.hrw.org/news/2013/10/08/hanky-panky-what-government-doing-internet

After 50 people were killed in the Muzzafarnagar riots last month, people began to claim the need for government surveillance. Apparently, a fake video had been posted on the internet, causing great religious tensions. Prime Minister Manmoham Singh even claimed that people should have freedom of expression or speech, but not if it results in the spread of hatred and violence. Now, the amount government surveillance online has increased. According to a report conducted by by Google in July, the number of requests for user information by India has increased by ninety percent since last year. Now there has been many debates regarding the protection of the right to privacy ever since President Obama made a claim that he will review his surveillance methods after many complaints in the United States.

Do you think that government surveillance is a violation to the right of privacy? To what extent do you believe so? Name an example.

Do you think India should review its government surveillance method like the United States?

India’s Politicians Ignore Women

In India, women's rights and protection when it comes to rape and other issues are being denied. The upcoming 2014 election brought some hope that one of the candidates would support and advocate for women's rights, but surprisingly this is not the case. In the past year, two major issues have been brought to the public's attention: gender violence and corruption. The issue of corruption is being tackled and dealt with by the candidates running for office, but the other main concern has remained untouched. After a few major cases where women's rights were being denied, overwhelming numbers of people crowded the streets in protest. Even despite this obvious support from the public to support the rights of women, none of the candidates have advocated for this issue. This article points out one of the reasons that this may have occurred: the machismo that overwhelms politics in India. The people are that are running are expected to act "manly," and when they do not fulfill this expectation, they are mocked and made fun of. This drives those running to want to blend in with the crowd and not stand up and advocate for something that could taint their manly reputation. Unfortunately, this is stopping the candidates from dealing with the great issue at hand.

1) What human rights of these women are being violated and who should be responsible.
2) What actions can be taken to ensure the dignity of these women are being up kept.
3) How can Jesus' teachings of loving outcasts apply here?

Supreme Court Judge Sexually Assaults Intern

A New Delhi Law intern (name remains undisclosed) who was sexually assaulted by a National Supreme Court Judge last December has just come out with the story of her harrowing encounter. The young girl revealed her story not to specifically unleash hatred and revenge upon her attacker, but to raise awareness of the rape epidemic that plagues India and its women. In fact, the intern also stated that she is certain that her tormentor has personally assaulted three other women and that at other Supreme Court Judges have harassed at least four other women. 

Following her attack, she gave up hope for waging any charges against the man for the country's legal system seemed to be hopelessly corrupt and useless in finding her solace and compensation. So instead of harboring hate against the Judge who attacked her, she instead wishes to warn the masses of India of such horrors and save other young girls from falling victim to such horrific experiences. 

In addition, this intern's story has led to the proposal of laws that create stricter protection of female lawyers from dangerous male counterparts, as well as laws that redefine sexual harassment and rape to include unwanted sexual messages and stalking. Any cases of sexual harassment will also be created by a newly created Gender Sensitization and Internal Complaints Committee. 

1) What kind of justice is involved and being violated here? What human rights? 

2) What other actions would further reduce to sexual harassment and rape of women across India?

Wombs for rent: India's surrogate mother boomtown

In India, surrogate mothers are being more common because many women feel that it is a great way to earn money. In a hostel in Anand, Gujarat, fifty surrogate mothers live together that all have other people's babies in their wombs. They are reported to make 8,000 US dollars for carrying a baby. These women are completely satisfied with performing these acts because most families in India only make two dollars a day from toiling out on the farms working endlessly. They say that they need to make the money in this way to support their families and in order to educate their children. Moreover, India has now taken steps to regulate the industry. Foreign same-sex couples and single parents are not permitted to hire surrogates. In addition, a new reform would require mothers to be between the ages of 21 and 35. On the flip side however, many surrogate mothers do not receive the money that they are often told they were to receive being tricked.

http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/03/world/asia/india-surrogate-mother-industry/index.html?iref=allsearch

1. Is it ethical for a woman to hold their baby in a surrogate mother? What would happen if the surrogate mother later realizes she wants to keep the baby?

2. What kind of human rights are being harmed as a result of surrogacy in India?

Two minor earthquakes hit Delhi, strong tremors felt in National Capital Region

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/two-minor-earthquakes-hit-delhi-strong-tremors-felt-in-national-capital-region-444763?pfrom=home-lateststories

There were two earthquakes that hit Delhi just earlier today starting at 12:41 A.M. India time. One earthquake came an hour after the other, and people in Delhi, especially the National Capital Region, felt the tremors. On the Richter's scale, the first one was a 3.1, and the second one was a 3.3 earthquake.  The earthquakes lasted about three to four seconds. People from neighboring cities, Noida and Ghaziabad, also felt the big tremors. These earthquakes caused many people to leave their homes, due to being scared. Some said it was the biggest earthquake they ever felt. The Indian Meterological Department are still trying to figure out where the epicenter of the earthquakes were and analyzing their data.

What effect do you think these earthquakes had on the people in Delhi?

Did the government respond to the earthquakes fast enough? And if it was a bigger earthquake, would they be ready to deal with the consequences?

Nine Women Rescued from Delhi Brothels

Chikkaballapur police had received a complaint about women missing from the Kotepalli village in Bagepalli taluk. After further investigation, they had learned that the women we taken into New Delhi brothels. These women were initially promised they would be given jobs with a good salary. The complaint was filed because one of the women was able to call a family member where she had told them about what had actually happened. A team was later rushed into New Delhi where they contacted the Delhi police the following day. They found seven women from Karntaka and two women from Andhra Pradesh. 

Discussion Questions: 

1) What ways could we diminish the presence of the violation of women's rights?

2) These women were promised they would be given jobs. How could women protect themselves from such vile crimes? 

Space Mission to Mars: Successful or Not?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24867914

This article was a very unique, unusual article which discussed the recently launched Mars space mission in a larger context, socially and politically. Unlike NASA or other established space centers, the Indian space center is reminiscent of an older era under British rule. It is very simple and undeveloped in terms of technology and modernization. Yet, this space center has generated some of the world's greatest missions and discoveries. In discussing the recent mission to Mars (which actually hit a glitch very recently), the article emphasizes the space missions as a matter of national pride and hope for Indians. The author writes that the creativity and ingenuity expressed by these scientist even with such low funding and support reflects the talent that is present within India. The author cites the examples of various street children, who look forward to the space mission as a matter of national pride. These children also exhibit the unique creativity and entrepreneurship that the scientists do; while many street children end up in unhealthy situations (sometimes as part of gangs and some become drug addicts or dealers), being a street child is not always a bad thing. The writer expresses hope that this space mission and other national undertakings will lend to India's sense of unity and bring new dreams and ideas to the poor and destitute. I found this article very interesting because it related a very global, seemingly different topic to a more practical situation.

Discussion Questions:
1. Do you think that the space mission is an opportunity for greater national pride and hope in a better future?
2. Do you believe these funds would be better spent on improving things within the country itself? How does this relate to Gandhi's vision of a new and improved India? 

India’s Politicians Ignore Women Voters in Election Campaigns

http://india.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/11/indias-politicians-ignore-women-voters-in-election-campaigns/?_r=0
About a week ago, two middle aged women were assaulted by police offers in India. The officers were muttering rude and sexually harassing comments at the women, and violently threatened to slap them when they accused the officers of harassment. Women face extreme amounts of neglect in India, from frequent rape to basic rights such as political contribution in Indian society. Last December a 23 year old student in Delhi was gang raped and died, which caused a big uproar in India. Although rape is frequent in India, this case was very tragic to everyone. The article states that "over 1,000 rape cases have been reported in the capital this year through mid-August, more than double than what was reported in the same period last year, while molestation has gone up by nearly four times during the same period." With elections coming up in 2014, Indian political leaders seem to be ignoring the major issues women face in India. The article tragically points out that the "political class has always studiously ignored women’s concerns, even when it has to do with an important subject like safety in public spaces." The safety of Indian women is almost always put at risk, yet they are not allowed to contribute to these matters. After the rape of the 23 year old student, people are enraged that women are continuing to be disregarded politically. People have begun an anti corruption upsurge, which is proving to be successful, as political leaders are being accused and charged for they corruptive ways. Even "Lalu Prasad, the former chief minister of Bihar, was convicted of siphoning funds and was sentenced to five years in prison," says the New York Times. The Women's Reservation Bill, which would give women a 33% quota in the Indian Parliament and state assemblies, has not been passed in the last ten years because the lack of value of women in India. The fact that they are striving so much for only a small role shows how maltreated and devalued these women are.

Discussion Questions:
1. How can India aim to decrease the rate of sexual harassment and rape in India?
2. While the world has almost wholly advanced in women's rights, why has India continued to suppress it's women, even in modern society?

Policemen killed in Kashmir attack

Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent, which has been under Indian rule for over 20 years. The territory of Kashmir was hotly contested even before India and Pakistan won their independence from Britain in August 1947.  From potentially being one of the most dangerous disputes in the world - which in the worst-case scenario could trigger a nuclear conflict - the recent warming of relations between Delhi and Islamabad has led to less conflict over the Kashmir dispute. However, even though violence in Indian-administered Kashmir has abated in recent years, the causes of the insurgency have not gone away. Kashmir has seen an armed insurgency against the presence of India rule since 1989. On Thursday November 7, 2013, Kashmir saw an ambush that left at least two policemen dead. So far no one has come forward. This is hardly the first attack as of late. India has made is presence felt in Kashmir, and the violence really took off earlier this year with the hanging of a Kashmiri man. There have been numerous raids, ambushed and attacks. An end to the violence and uncertainty in Kashmir would also be widely welcomed in India and Pakistan. However, a diplomatic solution has escaped both sides for more than 60 years, and there are no new proposals yet.

In what way do the attacks evidence a “end justify the means” mentality, and why is this wrong?

For the sake of ending conflict, do you think it would make sense that India give up control? Why or why not? How would doing so impact this case as a human rights issue?