Violence against women amidst pandemic: 600 rights groups seek gender segregated data

By A Representative

More than 600 women’s groups, LGBTQIA communities, human rights organisations, trade unions and farmers’ organisations have demanded that the Government of India should set up a committee, with 50% women as members, for gender segregated data on severity of impact of pandemic on different sections of women, adding, a reliable and accurate data are necessary “to record all forms of gender-based, caste and religion-based violence.”
Stating that this is also essential in order to “formulate mitigation strategy”, releasing a charter of demands on a large number of issues, ranging from democratic rights and food security to right to life and safety, education, work, political participation health, etc., in a statement, especially notes with concern “non-implementation of existing laws to stop violence against women”, which have “increased during the lockdown”.
Insisting that there should be “special financial allocations to be made for the implementation of laws to prevent crime and violence against women based on of caste, class, religion and other social identities”, the statement insists on “a gender perspective in the provision of budgets and of economic and social security relief measures and in relief packages to protect vulnerable women.”

The statement and the list of demands were released at a press meet addressed by civil rights leaders Anjali Bhardwaj, Annie Raja, Kavita Krishnan, Leena Dabir, Shabnam Hashmi, among others.

Regretting that the Nirbhaya funds have lapsed twice already, the statement, which follows India-wide protests on September 5 under the banner #IfWeDoNotRise, marking the third martyrdom anniversary of journalist and activist Gauri Lankesh, demands allocation of “funds for infrastructure as well as for financial support to the women from the marginalised communities.”
The statement demands that “any discrimination, violence or stigmatisation of LGBTQIA persons must be penalised”, underlining, the government should “take back the rules of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2020, before they are passed by Parliament till the Constitutional challenge to the Act itself is resolved.”
The statement says, “Regressive laws like the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act have adversely impacted the rights of transgender persons. There are very few provisions in place to protect the safety and rights of the entire LGBTQIA community.”

Emphasising on the need to make the prevention and redress of violence against women (VAW) a key concern of the socio-economic and political agenda of the national plan, the statement wants implementation of “gender training to be made mandatory for the police personnel, the judiciary, the protection officers and other allied functionaries.”

The statement says, “The growth of fascist and neo-liberal forces in the country, and the resulting rise in violence in society, has deeply impacted on the lives of women and members of the LGBTQIA communities”, even as there has been a sharp rise in “attacks on religious minorities”, creating “an atmosphere of fear and insecurity.”
The statement claims, the September 5 protest witnessed 2,670 physical protests with a participation of over 50,000 people across 28 states covering 245 districts, adding, approximately 2,000 ordinary people made videos on issues that perturbed them the most and they were uploaded on various social platforms. 513 prominent people did Facebook lives, thousands of new visuals, paintings, posters were created and shared.
Eminent personalities who participated in the campaign included Aparna Sen, Arundhati Roy, Mallika Sarabhai, Maya Rao, Harsh Mander, Nandini Sunder, Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, Purushottam Agarwal, Admiral Ramdas, Anjali Bhardwaj, Annie Raja, Kavita Krishnan, Gauhar Raza, Dr Syeda Hameed, Ram Puniyani, Jayati Ghosh, Teesta Setalvad, S Irfan Habib, among others.

Comments

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Kolkata dialogue flags policy and finance deficit in wetland sustainability

By A Representative Wetlands were the focus of India–Germany climate talks in Kolkata, where experts from government, business, and civil society stressed both their ecological importance and the urgent need for stronger conservation frameworks.

Beyond Lata: How Asha Bhosle redefined the female voice with her underrated versatility

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The news of iconic Asha Bhosle’s ‘untimely’ demise has shocked music lovers across the country. Asha Tai was 92 years young. Normally, people celebrate a passing at this age, but Asha Bhosle—much like another legend, Dev Anand—never made us feel she was growing old. She was perhaps the most versatile artist in Bombay cinema. Hailing from a family devoted to music, Asha’s journey to success and fame was not easy. Her elder sister, Lata Mangeshkar, had already become the voice of women in cinema, and most contemporaries like Shamshad Begum, Suraiya, and Noor Jehan had slowly faded into oblivion. Frankly, there was no second or third to Lata Mangeshkar; she became the first—and perhaps the only—choice for music directors and all those who mattered in filmmaking. Asha started her musical journey at age 10 with a Marathi film, but her first break in Hindustani cinema came with the film "Chunariya" (1948). Though she was not the first choice of ...

Lata Mangeshkar, a Dalit from Devdasi family, 'refused to sing a song' about Ambedkar

By Pramod Ranjan* An artist is known and respected for her art. But she is equally, or even more so known and respected for her social concerns. An artist's social concerns or in other words, her worldview, give a direction and purpose to her art. History remembers only such artists whose social concerns are deep, reasoned and of durable importance. Lata Mangeshkar (28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was a celebrated playback singer of the Hindi film industry. She was the uncrowned queen of Indian music for over seven decades. Her popularity was unmatched. Her songs were heard and admired not only in India but also in Pakistan, Bangladesh and many other South Asian countries. In this article, we will focus on her social concerns. Lata lived for 92 long years. Music ran in her blood. Her father also belonged to the world of music. Her two sisters, Asha Bhonsle and Usha Mangeshkar, are well-known singers. Lata might have been born in Indore but the blood of a famous Devdasi family...

Maoist activity in India: Weakening structures, 'shifts' in leadership, strategy and ideology

By Harsh Thakor* Recent statements by government representatives have suggested that Maoism in India has been effectively eliminated, citing the weakening of central leadership and intensified security operations. These claims follow sustained counterinsurgency efforts across key regions, including central and eastern India. However, available information from security agencies and independent observers indicates that while the organizational structure of the CPI (Maoist) has been significantly disrupted, elements of the movement remain active. Reports acknowledge the continued presence of cadres in certain forested regions such as Bastar and parts of Dandakaranya, alongside smaller, decentralized units adapting their operational strategies.

46% own nothing, 1% own 18%: The truth about India’s land inequality

By Vikas Meshram * “Agriculture is the backbone of India” — this is what we have been hearing for generations. But there is a pain hollowing out this backbone from within: the unequal distribution of land. On one hand, news of farmer suicides, indebtedness, and rural migration keeps coming; on the other, agricultural land across the country continues to concentrate in the hands of a few wealthy individuals.

From Manesar to Noida: Workers take to streets for bread, media looks away

By Sunil Kumar* Across several states in India, a workers’ movement is gathering momentum. This is not a movement born of luxury or ambition, nor a demand for power-sharing within the state. At its core lies a stark and basic plea: the right to survive with dignity—adequate food, and wages sufficient to afford it.

US study links ultra-processed diets to preterm birth, sparks concern in India

By Jag Jivan A growing body of scientific evidence linking ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption during pregnancy to adverse maternal and neonatal outcomes has sparked fresh concern among public health experts, with Indian nutrition advocates warning of serious implications for the country’s already strained maternal health landscape.

Midnight weeping: The sociology of tragic vision in Badri Narayan’s poetry

By Ravi Ranjan* Badri Narayan, a distinguished Hindi poet and social scientist, occupies a unique position in contemporary Indian intellectual life by bridging the worlds of creative literature and critical social inquiry. His poetic journey began significantly with the 1993 collection 'Saca Sune Hue Kaï Dina Hue' (Truth Heard Many Days Ago). As a social historian and cultural anthropologist, Narayan pioneered a methodological shift away from elite archives toward the oral traditions and folk myths of marginalized communities. He eventually legitimized "folk-ethnography" as a rigorous academic discipline during his tenure as Director of the G.B. Pant Social Science Institute.

Search This Blog