Anti-rape law will ensure action on perpetators

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Anti-rape-law-will-ensure-action-on-perpetrators-Meira-Kumar/articleshow/26698923.cms

In New Dehli, a new law legislation passed will serve as a means of punishing perpetrators of crimes against women. A speaker, Meira Kumar, said that last december a bill for violence issues relating to women was introduced, and now this law is able to help ensure offenders will be prosecuted. Kumar was the chief guest at the Border Security Force Raising day celebration where she gave an address that also praised efforts of bringing women into security forces. Border security will now induct women into their forces for the first time in 2014. Kumar thanked the BSF for changing with changing times as they have allowed women to be admitted into the force and fulfill once only men held positions.

1. What type of justice is now being fulfilled by this new legislation passed that protects women and punished perpetrators of violent crimes against women?

2. What human rights were being violated before the BSF allowed to admit women into their forces?

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?