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Indian Govt rejected United Nations stiff gender law Published: Tuesday, Jan 1, 2013, 9:30 IST While the country continues to clamour for tougher gender laws and protests over the death of the 23-year-old girl who was gang-raped in Delhi, the Indian government, while participating in the universal period review (UPR) meeting of the United Nations, rejected 23 women-related recommendations. The UPR, which comes under the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC), is a unique process held every four years to review the human rights records of all UN member states. The process which began in May, ended in October 2012. Ranging from the enactment of reforms to the establishment of plans to eliminate violence and empower women, the UPR had made a total of 45 such wmen-related recommendations. Miloon Kothari, a former UN special rapporteur and convener of working group on human rights in India and the UN, said that while India adopted passive and diluted recommendations, it shied away from committing on specific recommendations. On the issue of violence against women, an inter-ministerial delegation led by Goolam E Vahanvati, attorney general of India, rejected recommendations related to the enactment of reforms to address sexual violence, including honour crimes, child marriages, female feticide and to remedy limitations in the definition of rape and medico-forensic procedures. It also rejected the implementation of a national human rights plan to cover access to education and health, including aspects of sexual and reproductive health. The government even rejected the UN push to consider expediting the process to pass the women reservation bill. http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report_govt-rejected-united-nations-stiff-gender-law_1784077

Every woman in India is likely to have experienced some sexual harassment The Independent Ravitha Kao Monday 31 December 2012 You learn to not make eye contact with men, to avoid crowds, and to shield yourself with scarves and bags There is no simple explanation of what it is like to be a woman in India today. It depends on where you live, whether you are rich or poor, and on your caste. But every Indian woman has one thing in common: they have almost certainly experienced some kind of sexual harassment. If you are an Indian woman in a public space, you are forever on edge, looking out for men standing too close, wondering if that grope on a crowded bus was accidental. At an early age, you learn to not make eye contact with men, to avoid crowds, and to shield yourself with scarves and bags. Today, India is sunk in unprecedented national sorrow over the death of a 23-year-old woman who was gang-raped on a Delhi bus on 16 December. Despite being tear-gassed and beaten, thousands of young Indians have taken to the streets to call for justice, social networks are awash with rage, and there has been much soul-searching over how and why such a crime could happen. I am one of the privileged women in India, but even in Bangalore where I live, which is regarded as relatively safe for women certainly compared to Delhi I face leering stares and comments at least weekly. It becomes so routine I hardly notice. I remember my parents telling me to ignore the gropers. Most Indian women will have received similar advice, and continue to live by it. My parents were simply being realistic; Indias record of punishing sexual harassers is abysmal. Now I have a 13-year-old daughter, and as I think about what advice I should give her, I realise that although life for women in India is changing rapidly in some respects, in others it is as though time stands still. This generation is the first to encourage women to go out to work, to travel at night, and wear Western clothes. The rape victim in Delhi was a medical student who came from a lower middle-class family, which could barely afford her education. Only a decade ago, she might never have left home. But, as traditional values are dissolving, modern values are not widely accepted. Many Indian men are outraged at the idea of women having the same freedoms they have. The Delhi rapists taunted the girl because she was with a male friend. Only prostitutes go out with men at night, one is reported to have said. The government has vowed to increase protection for women, but that is pointless in a country like India, where police are already too few, and if approached, are still likely to ignore women who complain of sexual harassment or assault. In Delhi this year, 635 cases of rape were reported, but there was only one conviction. Last week, even as India grieved for the Delhi victim, a girl committed suicide because police were pressuring her to marry her rapist. It is hard to blame Indian culture, because in a country this diverse, there is not one culture. But, by and large, families coddle boys and excuse bad behaviour, while girls are told to be careful. Scrutiny has turned to Bollywood films, most of which objectify women and often show the hero harassing an unwilling heroine, who eventually yields to his charms. But politicians also mirror the problem. In 2012, politicians blamed everything from late marriages to fast food for attacks on women. According to the Election Commission, every one of Indias leading political parties has fielded candidates accused of sexual crimes against women in the past five years, and two members of Indias parliament are facing rape charges. Will the tragic case of this dead woman change anything? Its hard to see real change in a climate such as this, and generations of oppression cannot be undone easily. As a feminist, I balk at the idea of restricting my daughters movements, telling her what to wear, and especially telling her to ignore groping and leering. But at the same time, I know it will take years before all of India can accept girls like her, and I worry I am endangering her with my thinking. I am going to teach her that if she is ever harassed or molested, it will be the fault of the perpetrators, not hers. I will teach her how to be aware of her surroundings and steps to take care of herself. When I look at the fierce rage of young women braving tear gas, or the quieter wave of women fighting for education, I see women who are encouraging change. It will take us a long time, but we will achieve it. http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/commentators/every-woman-in-india-is-likely-to-have-experienced-some-sexual-harassment-8434248.html

I just had a thought after discovering many unseen pics of Sikh history and other Sikh texts which have been forgotten (just about) online, that there must have been Sikhs who stored Lala Jagat Narain's garbage and other anti-Sikh media reports in Indian newspapers somewhere. Pictures, videos, newspaper cuttings etc if someone has such material then can you please let me know? I will be very happy to receive such material to spread on social media etc. Especially any material related to controversial actions of Punjab Police etc.