Tag Archives: India & Sri Lanka

Gender

India News | Women

Sex-selective abortion continues to skew demographics and create oppressive conditions for women in parts of India
  • The national average of births is 940 girls per 1,000 boys, while in some western states the number falls to as low as 871 per 1,000.
  • Economic incentives compound cultural attitudes in the decision to abort, including the continued practice of dowry in rural areas despite its outlawing in 1961.
  • The demographic disruption leads to increased oppression of women as they are trafficked to female-deficient areas, so new campaigns have led to increased numbers of girls in orphanages and public shaming of sex-selective aborters.

“People start planning their family in a rather regressive way – instead of counting their numbers, they start counting the children’s sex. What they want, they want. Anything else becomes collateral damage.”

Read the full story at Al Jazeera.

(Image Credit: Rafiq Maqbool/AP, via Al Jazeera)

Religion + Belief

India News | Muslims

Indian state government causes upset through exclusion of religious school-educated students from definition of school-going children
  • Maharashtra’s social justice minister stated that any child obtaining full-time religious education would not be counted as educated or in-school, including the children enrolled in one of the state’s 1890 registered madrassas.
  • After politicians from multiple political parties called the declaration unconstitutional, the minister argued that the designation has been one followed by previous governments.
  • Last month, the government instated a rule requiring madrassas to teach math, science, social science, and English in order to be eligible for government grants.

“The decision is against the Constitution. A number of students who studied in madrassas have successfully competed in competitive exams. The government must roll back the decision.”

Read the full story at The Hindu.

(Image Credit: Vivek Bendre/The Hindu)

Nationality + Migration

U.S. & India News | Indian

First Indian-born player drafted into the NBA by Dallas Mavericks
  • Satnam Singh Bhamara, 19, was introduced to basketball by his father while growing up in Ballo Ke, a Punjab village.
  • An early standout due to his extraordinary size (7’2″ and 290 lbs), Bhamara trained at the Indian government-funded Ludhiana Basketball Academy before traveling from India to Florida on scholarship at the age of 14 to the renowned IMG Academy, a player development program.
  • In a league that has 85 international players from 39 countries, Canadian Sim Bullhar became the first player of Indian descent to play earlier in the year when he played in three games for the Sacramento Kings.

“I feel good about it because in India there are a lot of Indian players who could have a chance to come here and play in college and high schools. … I think I can open the door for everyone to come here and play. So it’s good for India and all the players. It’s good for me and my country.”

Read the full story at the Hindustan Times.

(Image Credit: NBA/Twitter photo, via the Hindustan Times)

Gender

India News | Women

Mumbai shutters police counseling centers for women involved in domestic disputes
  • The centers had previously provided trained police counselors working with not-for-profit organizations in conflict-resolution service provision.
  • From 2010 to present, 8,786 applications for counseling have been received, which has led to counseling and resolution options including compromise and further police action.
  • Instead of counseling, police will now only be able to outline steps that can be taken and refer women to outside resources.

Read the full story at the Hindustan Times.

Religion + Belief
China opens new path to Tibet holy site for Indian pilgrims
  • The new land passage offers a route from India through the Himalayas to Mount Kailash.
  • In addition to its geographic isolation, Kailash has remained out of reach for Hindu and Buddhist pilgrims due to China’s tight visa restrictions on travel to Tibet.
  • The opening comes as China and India work to improve relations and remove obstacles–including ongoing border disputes–to improved economic and political ties.

Read the full story at Reuters.

(Image Credit: Jacky Chen/Reuters)

Nationality + Migration, Race + Color + Ethnicity
Sri Lankan religious leaders caution against return of refugees from abroad as social conditions remain unstable in the aftermath of the country’s 26-year-long civil war
  • Australia’s immigration minister recently visited Sri Lanka
  • Despite human rights abuses by the authoritarian regime that extended after its 2009 fall, Australia has returned Sri Lankan asylum seekers, potentially in violation of international law.
  • Ongoing military presence in communities has fueled insecurity, causing minority leaders to call on Australia not to return refugees but engage the new Sri Lankan government on demilitarization and minority protection.

“The minority communities are of the opinion still that we do not feel safety and security in this island. And that is one of the reasons that they are also fleeing. There may not be abductions but there can be constant harassment and intimidations.”

More on this story at The Guardian.

(Image Credit: Lakruwan Wanniarachchi/AFP/Getty Images, via The Guardian)

Religion + Belief
Maharashtra state government issues show-cause notices to 10 Mumbai schools classified as “minority schools”
  • The notices have arrived as officials claim the schools have not enrolled any minority students in the last three years in flagrant violation of the 51% admissions quota required for the special designation.
  • Schools designated as “minority schools” receive special government assistance with infrastructure.
  • Four of the ten schools are designated for either the Christian and Parsi communities, with the rest identified in association with the Jain community.
  • Maharashtra has 2,490 educational institutions with minority status designations.

More on this story at The Hindu.

Gender
Sri Lankan mangrove preservation efforts turn to local women to lead the work.
  • The country’s new mangrove protection scheme relies on women to tend the trees, which are vital to the area’s ecosystem and protect against flooding and erosion.
  • Sudeesa, an environmental protection organization, provides the women with financial assistance (from $50 to $2,000 each) and training.
  • The program hopes to establish 15,000 community groups, providing 15,000 with job training and micro-loans.

“Now we know – and from us, our husbands and our community also have become aware.”

More on this story at the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

(Image Credit: REUTERS/Parth Sanyal)

Religion + Belief
All India Muslim Personal Law Board to launch campaign against mandatory suryanamaskar and yoga in Indian schools.
  • Citing incompatibility of Muslim beliefs and yoga practices like sun salutations, the executive council has decided to launch a nationwide campaign.
  • The decision comes as the government plans to observe International Yoga Day on June 21.

More on this story at The Hindu.

Sexual + Gender Minorities

Manabi Bandopadhyay becomes India’s first out transwoman serving in a college principalship. More from The Indian Express.