Gender

How Greenpeace Lost the Plot on Sexual Harassment and Sexism

Just as violation of the environment and the rights of tribal people is not an ‘internal family matter’ that should be kept away from international forums, the violation of women’s rights cannot be an ‘internal family matter’ for the organisation.

Some days ago, a former staffer of Greenpeace India wrote a blog post about the sexual harassment she faced in October 2012 while working at the organisation. Greenpeace’s response to this and other complaints of sexual harassment has been a textbook case of how not to act.

Let’s begin with a summary of the complaints and their aftermath. In November 2011, another Greenpeace staffer had been subjected to an inappropriate sexual proposition by a colleague at an office party. This happened in the presence of some of the NGO’s officeholders. The woman immediately protested, but all those present chose instead to join the offender in laughing at his ‘joke’. This was no isolated instance – the same man had been subjecting her to unwanted and intimidating sexual propositions repeatedly, when she was staying at the official guest house where he was the only other occupant. Later, she raised the matter with Greenpeace Program Director Divya Raghunandan, who was also the head of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) against sexual harassment. Instead of treating the communication as a formal complaint, as she was duty bound to do, Raghunandan first suggested that this was just an isolated drunken joke. She then suggested that the complainant herself communicate her discomfiture to the man, and that she too would try and speak to him about it.

In October 2012, the same offender victimised another woman employee, who has described the incident in her blog post. This time, his behavior was downright threatening. Using his power as a senior administrative officer, he made an official phone call to her at night, insisting that she was being ordered to vacate her hotel room and move into his own room! She was in fact forced to vacate her hotel room that night; other male colleagues allowed her to take refuge in their room. In addition, he made unwanted physical contact with her several times, following her around, force-feeding her cake, and sitting uncomfortably close to her. The victim made an official complaint in December 2012. Following her example, the colleague who had earlier been harassed by the same man also filed an official complaint regarding the November 2011 incident.

By this time, NGO could not have failed to realise this employee was a serial offender. Shockingly, however, the Greenpeace internal complains committee (ICC) did not initiate any formal enquiry, and there is no record of any action taken at all. In 2015, Greenpeace informed the complainants that in fact, the 2012 complaints had been investigated and the offender ‘grounded’ (prevented from going on out-of-Delhi assignments). Their only mistake, they say, was that they failed to inform either of the complainants of this punishment.

How can Greenpeace claim that they conducted an ‘enquiry’, when there is no record of it? How can they claim to have punished the offender, when no such punishment exists on the records, nor was it communicated to the complainants? It doesn’t even appear to be true that the employee was grounded since he travelled to Bihar on an official assignment a few months later.

In the months following December 2012, at least one woman employee, Usha Saxena, who sought to help her younger colleagues by red-flagging the sexism and misogyny in office culture, was subjected to gendered and ageist bullying, advised to take ‘psychological counselling’, and eventually made to quit. It is telling that while Greenpeace saw no reason to sack a serial sexual harasser, a woman who had blown the whistle against sexism and sexual harassment was seen as a trouble-maker.

In February 2015, some Facebook posts referred to the sexual harassment episodes. Greenpeace was at that time facing an all-out offensive from the Modi Government. This is perhaps why they chose to attempt some damage control, and issued a statement acknowledging that a sexual harassment complaint of December 2012 “was not dealt with according to the high standards we hold ourselves to”, and apologized failing to act with “due diligence.” Subsequently its ICC, having reviewed the two complaints against the administrative officer, recommended that his employment be terminated.

Instead of acting on this recommendation, the Greenpeace management chose to dissolve the ICC and junk their recommendation, substituting termination with a “harsh warning” to the offender, asking him to apologise to the complainants.

The apology letter sent by the offender is simply a personal email that does not acknowledge any sexual harassment, but merely apologises for “insensitive behaviour,” and claims he did not “intentionally hurt…feelings”, and hopes he and the complainant can continue to be “good friends”. How could the Greenpeace India management team imagine that this in any way constituted justice for the kind of sexual harassment described by the complainants? When sexual harassment complaints committees prescribe an apology as punishment, they follow a prescribed format, which requires the offender to acknowledge and apologise for the precise act of sexual harassment committed by him.

Following the public blog post by one of the complainants, Raghunandan responded, in a comment on the blog that “the person who caused you so much pain is leaving the organisation.” In a communication to the media, the Greenpeace ED has claimed that in response to the “strong warning” by him, the offender has “put in his papers.” Allowing the offender to resign as a last ditch face-saving measure is no substitute for an official punishment that goes on his record.

To add insult to injury, Raghunandan told the complainant that her repeated complaints against a blameless management go “against the basic feminist principle of dialogue and engagement”.

The program director, in her comment, speaks of an internal “audit” of processes of handling sexual harassment complaints. Surely, much more is called for. The complainants have emphatically maintained that while they have expressed their lack of faith in the ICC process and the Greenpeace India management, they do expect Greenpeace International to act. Nothing short of termination of the serial offender in keeping with the ICC recommendation would be acceptable to them; along with action against all those who trivialised and concealed the incidents of sexual harassment and fostered a hostile work environment for women.

Speaking up against sexism and sexual harassment and demanding workplace conditions free from violence and harassment is of no less urgent importance that protecting the environment and defending civil liberties from government repression. All organisations and activists from the people’s movements, including the several committed activists inside Greenpeace India, ought to speak up publicly in support of those who have raised their voices against sexual harassment in the organisation.

Just as violation of the environment and the rights of tribal people and forest dwellers is not an ‘internal family matter’ that should be kept away from international forums, the violation of women’s rights is not an ‘internal family matter’ for Greenpeace or any other organisation. Voices from within raised publicly against sexism should not be delegitimized as ‘betrayal’ or ‘bad timing’. They must also be joined by voices from outside, if Greenpeace is to be saved from itself.

The author is Secretary, All India Progressive Women’s Association

Get Wired 16/6: Greenpeace Rape Coverup, Dalit & Muslim Rental Woes, Maran’s Setting Sun and More

1. Sexual harassment claims rock Greenpeace

An ex-employee of the NGO Greenpeace has come out with a post on an online forum outlining her experience of sexual harassment and rape when she worked at the organisation. The victim had earlier shared her experience on Facebook, and had got the organization to issue her an apology. But having seen the internal committee at Greenpeace inactive for two years, she has come out with a more detailed account of abuse while in the organisation. When she went back to Greenpeace with new allegations, the NGO refused to take action against a current employee based on the complaint of an ex-employee, which resulted in her posting the experience online. Greenpeace has said they are working towards making the workplace safer, and making the internal committee more effective.

2. Delhi no place for Dalit and Muslim home-hunters

A study on housing rental preferences conducted by the Indian Council of Social Science Research chairman S K Thorat has revealed rampant prejudice and discrimination against Dalits and Muslims in the National Capital Region. The study, to be published in the Economic and Political Weekly, had 1,479 homeseekers, a third of whom were upper caste Hindus, Muslims and Dalits each. The study revealed that while the upper caste Hindus faced almost no rejection, both in telephonic interactions and personal meetings, around 44 per cent of the Dalits were rejected after a meeting, while as many as 61 percent of the Muslims were rejected. The study also revealed that Muslims and Dalits pay significantly more for housing than upper caste Hindus. Thorat said the study indicated a clear case of “market failure.”

3. Empty boast on grant of citizenship to Pak Hindus?

An RTI enquiry filed about the number of new citizenships granted from 2014 to May 2015 has revealed that only 281 Afghans and 289 Pakistanis were granted citizenship in India in that period. A group fighting for citizenship of Hindu Pakistani refugeess in Rajasthan, filed the RTI after unidentified sources in the Home Ministry claimed 4230 Hindus and Sikhs had been granted citizenship. Over the past few years, Pakistani Hindus have migrated to Rajasthan in big numbers, prompting the government and NGOs to set up refugee camps in the desert. The migrants arrived on visas, but refuse to go back, citing religious persecution.

4. Cheats scuttle all-India medical test

Would you like to be operated upon by a cheat? The Supreme Court doesn’t think you should run that risk, and has scrapped this year’s All India Pre-Medical Test after finding out that many students attempting the test had cheated on it by bringing electronic appliances into the test centres. The test, which took place on May 3, was written by 6.3 lakh candidates for 300-odd medical and dental undergraduate seats. The decision marks the biggest ever test cancellation, and the Supreme Court has said that it had to take such a harsh measure since saving the test would turn casualty of merit and faith into casualties. It has directed the CBSE to hold the exam again within four weeks, something the CBSE says is not feasible, as it generally starts preparation for the test seven months in advance.

5. Anil Ambani leaps to defence

Having performed indifferently in other sectors, could India’s emerging military-industrial complex prove a springboard for the younger Ambani brother? According to a report, Anil Ambani’s Reliance Defence Limited has been making big moves in the arms industry, having raised 11 companies focused on defence, each of them targeting a potential market of Rs. 10,000 crore. The idea is to start joint ventures with foreign defence companies, and manufacture, even export equipment from India. The development comes after Ambani’s acquisition of the Pipavav shipyard earlier. The company is hoping to acquire the licenses and clearances by the end of the year.

6. Maran’s setting Sun network

Following accusations of involvement in the 2G scam, Kalanithi Maran and his Sun Network have found it difficult to stay out of trouble. A few days ago, the Union Home Minstry had reportedly cancelled the Sun Network’s security clearances, resulting in the company’s stock price dropping nearly 26 per cent. The Maran family-run SpiceJet Airlines hasn’t been doing too well either, and a move to infuse funds into the airline was marred by the investigation into the Aircel- Maxis deal. The CBI is probing Dayanidhi Maran, younger brother of Kalanithi, in a case involving the forced sale by C Sivasankaran, promoter of Aircel, of his stake in he company. The Marans meanwhile claim the attack on them from all fronts is political, and the CBI is acting against them “to please a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ideologue.”

7. Myanmar an opportunity too for Manipur

Villages on the Manipur border, far removed from the Indian mainland, and largely ignored, have found sustenance in barter trade with villages across the border in Myanmar. The trade has gone on for centuries, and while the exported items are many, the chief import from Myanmar in this region is prized Burmese teak wood. The region is infamous as an insurgent stronghold, the treacherous terrain making the place ideal for insurgent groups. Government activity here is minimum due to the fear of insurgents, and government schemes are rarely implemented. The villages depend on Myanmar for all their needs, including medicines and ration. “India is so far,” one of them said.

8. US trying to force India, China to cut farm subsidies

PTI photo

The US has led a sustained assault on farm and fisheries subsidies in the developing world, specifically in India and China. The issue is being discussed as part of the Doha Development Agenda trade negotiations, and the US has declared that the previously agreed thresholds will not apply to all developing nations equally regarding farm and fish subsidies. The move to reduce Indian and Chinese subsidies, if it comes through, will affect millions of poor farmers and fishers in both India and China. The two countries have protested the American stand.

Readers Respond to Smart Cities, Patriarchy & Toilets, Zoya Akhtar, Warring CMs

Select comments from our readers on stories in The Wire last week.

Smart cities and Modi

I’m glad that The Wire is not owned by a business group or funded by advertisements. That would allow you to be neutral and objective. However, one finds that you are totally anti-Modi, almost as if you are the intellectual arm of the opposition. For example, why should a piece on smart cities – ‘A Trip Down the Rabbit Hole of Modi’s Smart Cities‘ – have a headline that is anti-Modi? Can’t The Wire criticise the government and its policies without bringing in Modi? Is the lead content in Maggie Noodles high because of Modi’s passion for FDI ?

S. Sundar
New Delhi

The Wire replies: Of all the government’s programmes and policies, perhaps none is more directly and personally associated with Narendra Modi as the ‘100 Smart Cities’ initiative. The article you cite had another reason for Modi’s name to be in the headline: it drew upon the experience of the flagship smart city that came up in Gujarat during Modi’s time as chief minister, i.e. GIFT City. The Wire, incidentally, is neither anti-Modi or pro-Modi.

Anybody remember rurban and PURA, the provision of urban amenities to rural areas? These buzz-words were immediately picked up by smart politicians, used for electioneering and then cast aside. Bureaucrats took charge of these concepts but conveniently ignored the inputs of technocrats who would have helped the government implement them. The budget provided funds but these were used haphazardly for the convenience and benefit of politicians. The result? The rurban word has of course been forgotten, and as for implementation – even after six years, not a single rural centre in the country has developed into a rurban space. I fear ‘Smart Cities”, a favourite election slogan, may meet the same fate, or be turned into a business opportunity for corporates with government money. Don’t be surprised if a toll is levied on citizens even to breathe the air in Smart City areas!

Kanaksinh Jadeja

Patriarchy, pardah and sanitation

Nikhil Srivastav and Aashish Gupta’s article, “Why Using Patriarchal Messaging to Promote Toilets is a Bad Idea“, raises a number of shocking points about the campaigns that link sanitation to women’s safety rather than to public health for all. While disappointing, the government’s attitude is not exactly surprising. But I would have expected better from Vidya Balan. Why are otherwise smart, socially responsible people going along with the outrageous implications of such a message?

A few years ago the Guardian published an article co-authored by directors of four international organizations (WaterAid, Oxfam International, UN Millennium Campaign and Unicef), containing the following paragraph that has been quoted by everyone from angry young bloggers to the American Bar Association:

A report in the Times of India in February this year quoted the police in another district of Uttar Pradesh as saying that 95% of cases of rape and molestation took place when women and girls had left their homes to “answer a call of nature.”

Your piece however points to data that indicates that “most sexual violence occurs within the home, not outside it.” Rather than attributing violence to location, or trying to enclose women in the name of safety we must open the minds of all to the truth about violence, the facts about health and hygiene, and the right to freedom and dignity for all.

Aravinda Pillalamarri
Association for India’s Development

This is an issue to be dealt with sensitively. Some of these messages are indeed badly dealt with. The decision to construct a toilet lies with the male in rural areas. The influencer is the lady of the house, and she is so much subdued that she doesn’t speak. The women have to wait for night to come or get up before dawn to defecate in the open. This reality of pain they endure is much more important in the short term, then their lack of empowerment. Having a toilet adds to the cycle of actions for women’s empowerment in the long term – not just on paper, but more so, socially – something which will happen more rapidly if they have financial inclusion. Nonetheless, having a toilet at home, frees them and works positively in the long run.

Patriarchal messages are intended to prompt their husbands – to influence them to build toilet. I understand that promoting toilets with the idea of ‘shaming’ men whose wives and daughter go out in the open reflects the gender bias prevalent in society. But in the short term, this aspect of society will always come forth in rural communications; if the message put out is that toilets are safer for ‘your’ women, then even this helps women’s empowerment in the long run. In UNICEF’s case, their campaign was a satire on the purdah system. Patriarchy is such a reality in rural India that that one can only deal with it by creating indirect pressure on men. These ‘objectionable’ signboards do just that. Communication only uses this as a cultural insight – which in itself is a reality on the ground – like a literary mirror.

Abhishek Shandilya

Two CMs racing to outwit each other

Though the political rivalry between KCR and Chandrababu Naidu is a continuation of their past larger-than-life ego clash, one should not forget that the division of Andhra Pradesh had nothing to do with the so-called backwardness of Telangana but with the fact that two egotistic leaders could never adjust to their style of functioning in the Telugu Desam Party. The present phone-tapping and cash-for-vote scandal which resulted in the arrest of TDP MLA Revanth Reddy were linked to the mind game of both the CMs who are in a race to outwit each other. Their immediate goal is to block each party’s entry into their areas of influence, with a difference being that the TRS is waging a proxy battle on behalf of YSR Congress led by Jaganmohan Reddy. It is interesting that right from the time KCR nurtured ambitions of a separate Telangana and even during the poll campaign In 2014, not once did the TRS chief criticise Jagan in any of his speeches. Many observers feel that KCR would be happy to see the exit of Naidu in the 2019 Assembly elections and may even welcome YSR Congress capturing power in the residual state of Andhra Pradesh.

The comforting factor for KCR is that the Jagan party does not have any hold in Telangana. TRS faces a major threat only from TDP in this region. In fact, in the last election, both the TRS and TDP were neck-and-neck in early counting rounds and it was only later that TRS took a decisive lead, leaving all others way behind. The present war of words between Naidu and KCR stems from this. In this entire tamasha, all the key players will finally make an ‘honourable’ exit without any trace of culpability. In the next Assembly elections, there could be many new political equations and the Congress could well spring a surprise in Telangana; the TRS, if it finds the going sticky, may not hesitate to embrace the Congress or even merge with it to keep the TDP at bay. The YSR Congress is eager to add fuel to the fire between KCR and Naidu and its Saakshi newspaper and TV channel are doing their bit to seal Naidu’s fate.

V. Sriharsha
New Delhi

It’s a Euro-American FIFA

The only sin that FIFA boss Sepp Blatter committed was to rotate the World Cup’s hosts, which is a good move. He proved to be a good world leader rather than just a leader who represented the interests of the US and Europe. The Europeans and Americans are still bitter that the the World Cup was played on African soil and Brazil. They are even bitter that Russia, their enemy, will be hosting a World Cup. They hate Blatter for having changed that when he took over FIFA.

The FBI is not Interpol or the International Criminal Court. How can it can go around the world investigating and using propaganda to arrest people simply to pave the way for European and American candidates? There is no transparency either in what they are doing. That’s why their own journalists are lying to the world. They lost a fair election and now they are using hostile measures. It will be just if America and Europe forcibly take over FIFA, and that all the nations from Africa, South America and Asia withdraw from this body so that it can be purely European and North American.

Moses Selokela,
South Africa

What’s the Indian stand on MSG?

I read the piece on MSG you carried. If what I have understood is right, the FSSAI regulations – unlike the USFDA’s rules – are not clear on the subject of printing ‘No added MSG’ on products consumed by those older than 12 months. Am I correct in understanding that Indian manufacturers are not exactly forbidden from printing the rather misleading ‘No added MSG’? Also, when this is totally an Indian issue, what is the need here for FSSAI to mention that Nestlé has violated USFDA regulations? Is it because that USFDA regulations are more stringent and considered the gold standard on food safety? Or maybe the FSSAI is just trying to say that the issue isn’t as serious as it’s made out to be?

Vijayakumar Pitchiah

Vasudevan Mukunth replies: You’ve understood right, the FSSAI rules (FSS (Packaging & Labeling) Rules 2011) don’t explicitly mention when Indian manufacturers can or can’t say “No added MSG” on products other than for those products intended for use by infants under 12 months.

Why the FSSAI chose to cite USFDA rules and not something domestically framed is unclear. I suspect the body thinks the USFDA rule is a standard – because in its June 5 Order it says that because Nestle violated FDA rules, it’s also in violation of FSS Rules 2011. I’m still trying to resolve this.

Zoya Akhtar’s critique of marriage

I don’t agree with Tanul Thakur when she writes that “Zoya Akhtar is a difficult filmmaker to understand. She has made three feature films and one short so far, and yet you will be hard pressed to find a clear-cut narrative in her filmography.”

If you were to look at all three films of Zoya plus two films of Reema, you see a common theme running across all five. To me it appears all of Zoya and Reema’s films question patriarchy’s most cherished institution: marriage. Their cinema is a critique of marriage. They have repeatedly questioned the myth of the heterosexual Indian marriage.

Luck by Chance was about the inability of a man to fall in love and marry, the inability of a married man to stay loyal, the inability of a loyal man to love his wife, and the inability of a woman to find a loving man.

Honeymoon Travels showed how perfect marriage could only happen between superheroes. All other forms of marriages were fragile and the film showed different layers of vulnerability by contrasting marriage with sexual aspiration and desire.

Zindagi was about about a man who did not want to marry. He had two friends, one whose parents broke their relationship. His biological parents did not marry when they conceived him since they wanted different things from life. Even after his mother married someone else, that person died. So for her marriage was a memory, it did not last. And the second friend was so money-minded that he forgot how to love.

Talash was about the inability of a heterosexual couple, who were reasonable, educated, had status and power, to have a fulfilling marriage because they lost their child and could not reconcile with that.

Sheila ki Jawani was about the complete incoherence of parents when it came to understanding what their children wanted.

Isn’t Dil Dhadakne Do about compromised marriages?

Would you not say Zoya and Reema have systematically critiqued the institution of Indian marriage in their films?

Have they not diagnosed marriage as a memory, a compromise, an inadequate institution, only a dream, a loss, an institution incomplete and in utter disrepair, horribly at odds with modern conditions? And in some films have they not stressed on individualism, doing what people liked as a solution to what their marriage was doing to them?

Taha Mehmood

Jaya’s fate as test case for Achche Din

It will be interesting if someone came forward to calculate the present market valuation of Jayalalithaa’s assets assessed by the Karnataka High court in its verdict acquitting her. I am sure the present value will not be less than Rs. 10,000 crores, which could show the gravity of error by the High Court. NDTV’s Srinivasan Jain did a great job by visiting two of Jaya’s commercial properties which were valued by the High court as equal to a sentry shed. What about the remaining properties? In order to expose the gravity of the judgment’s errors, the present value of all her assets should be calculated.

We are ashamed to call ourselves Indians now, as the BJP government which promised to end corruption is now hand in glove with Jaya in her acquittal and even congratulated her. This exposed the BJP’s double speak. The Jaya case is an acid test for the Indian judiciary and the Modi government to prove that India has indeed changed and that ‘Achche Din’ are here for all Indians.

Haneefa

Send your comments, suggestions and tips to hello@cms.thewire.in

Get Wired 12/6: Transgender Rights, Spectrum Sharing, Nek Chand and More

Govt ready to negotiate on the land acquisition bill

D.V. Sadananda Gowda. Credit: sadanandagowda.com

Law Minister D V Sadananda Gowda has said that the government is willing to relax its stand on the land acquisition Bill and is open to amending certain clauses after facing stiff opposition both inside and outside the Parliament. Gowda said in an interview with India Today TV, that the government was willing to amend the clauses relating to the grant of consent and was also willing to retain the clause form the 2013 Act that provided for land to be returned to the original owners if it was unused for 5 years. Investors and industrialists would own the land in industrial corridors, the minister confirmed in the same interview.

Transgender Rights Bill soon

Social Justice Minster Thaawar Chand Ghelot has said that a new Bill, focusing on the transgender identity and the rights of transgender people would be introduced in the Parliament in the monsoon session. The Bill will include provisions regarding prevention of abuse, rights and privileges, skill development and social inclusion of trans people. Developments in this regard have come after the Supreme Court had last year passed a judgment recognizing transgender people as a third category separate from male and female. The same decision had also said that the group be treated as a socially and educationally backward group, making them eligible for reservations in educational institutions and in employment.

Nobel Laureate quits job after sexist remarks

Just days after Tim Hunt made sexist remarks regarding women in science labs at a Korean conference, he has resigned as professor from University College London. Hunt, the 2001 Nobel Prize winner in Physiology or Medicine had reportedly said, “Let me tell you about my trouble with girls. Three things happen when they are in the lab: you fall in love with them, they fall in love with you and when you criticise them, they cry.” Hunt himself admitted to being known as a chauvinist, and defended himself by saying that he was only being honest and that the comment was light-hearted.

Spectrum sharing gets approved

Telecom operators will now be able to share spectrum space, subject to cabinet approval, after the Telecom commission approved the recommendation made by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI). The move will result in better services, faster data speeds and greater signal strength for the customer, and a decrease in call dropping rates. TRAI had also suggested allowing the trading of spectrum among the operators to improve efficiency in the sector. The guidelines now await the approval of the cabinet.

Indian Statistical Institute head fired

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Dr Bimal Roy was sacked from his post as Director of Indian Statistical Institute, a month and a half before his tenure’s end. An order issued by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation accused him of “indiscipline” and apprehended that he may indulge in acts of“administrative and financial impropriety”. His successor, Sanghmitra Bandyopadhyay who was to take over on August 1 has now replaced him. Dr. Bimal Roy was honored as a Padma Shri earlier this year.

Utility Bills to count as proof for opening bank accounts:RBI

The RBI has approved up to two months old bills of any service provider(electricity, telephone, postpaid mobile phone, piped gas, water bill) as officially valid documents(OVD) for proof of address. Other documents such as bank account or post office savings bank account statement; pension or family pension payment orders (PPOs) issued to retired employees by government departments or PSUs, if they contain the address too will be OVDs. This comes as part of government’s amendment of the Prevention of Money Laundering (Maintenance of Records) Rules, 2005, which relaxes proof of address criteria.

Now, freshly brewed beer for Delhiites

Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Delhi’s new excise policy for 2015-16, announced on Thursday, allows restaurants and hotels to open microbreweries within their premises by obtaining licenses. Haryana state already has such a policy. The move is expected to boost revenue for the government. Some proposals have also been made to curb corruption, ensure quality and enhance fund collection.

Twitter tweets its CEO goodbye

Twitter announced that CEO Dick Costolo will be stepping down on July 1, though he will continue to serve on the board. Co-founder Jack Dorsey will replace him on an interim basis. It seems the decision came under pressure from company’s investors on its slow growth and uncertain rank. Twitter has been struggling to gain social media users in proportion to competitors Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat.

Nek Chand the Rock Garden genius dies

‘Dancing Girls’ at the Rock Garden. Credit: Wikimedia Commons

The man who created a fairyland out of waste material, Nek Chand, breathed his last at 90 yesterday. His famous Rock Garden at Chandigarh, that started out of personal fascination got government approval for expansion in 1976 and soon became one of India’s key tourist attractions. An artist of world fame, his death comes before 40 figurative mosaic sculptures created by him were to be put on display for the first time in the UK Pallant House Gallery from June 13 to October 25.

Creditors get tough with Greece

International creditors from whom Greece is seeking to receive a bailout package in lieu of its debts have sent Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras a strong message regarding the demands the institutions have made in return of the package. Creditors, especially the International Monetary Fund, has made it clear that Greece must improve its offers of reforms, and said that this is no time to gamble. The primary issues of contention are Greece’s tax system, which the creditors are arguing must be reformed, and the pension system. Greece spends almost 10% of its economic output on pensions, compared to the average of 2.5% in the rest of Europe. Despite the seeming roadblock, the creditors have agreed to discuss and sort the issue out.

From Modi to Mulayam, Politicians Who Belittle Women Need to be Shamed

Statements like “Despite being a woman” humiliate half the citizenry of this country

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Credit: PTI Photo

Narendra Modi’s praise for Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s “unshakeable resolve” to fight terror with a zero tolerance approach “despite being a woman” once again reminds us of the continued illiteracy displayed by our politicians across the political divide on the issue of sexism and sexist speak.

The idea that a “zero tolerance approach” is acceptable and one that only a man could normally commit to is problematic at so many levels. “Zero tolerance” as a political strategy is as vague as the “war on terror” that has enabled states to operate with near impunity on the grounds that extralegal measures are necessary to serve the bigger imperative – the security of the state and her citizens. The muscular power of the state can be deployed without any accountability to human rights, in its functioning and operations.

This is a strategy that should invite alarm rather than praise – it serves as a technique for the state to use security as a justification for non-compliance with its international and domestic human rights obligations.

At the same time the specifically sexist remark of Modi is not just random and unthoughtful. It is part of a pervasive sexist and misogynist culture that continues to be on full display by our politicians regardless of party affiliations. Sharad Yadav (JDU) launched an exposition about “saanvli (dark)” south Indian women while debating the Insurance bill in Rajya Sabha. Congress MP Sanjay Nirupam referred to Smriti Irani, the Minister of Education, as a woman who was shaking her hips on TV (she performed in a TV soap prior to entering politics), before becoming a political analyst.

Digvijaya Singh, the Congress general secretary, referred to Meenakshi Natrajan (MP) as a desirable sex object. In opposing the Women’s Bill in the Lok Sabha, Sharad Yadav (JDU) said that the Bill would only benefit the well-off in the cities, describing well-off women as “short-haired women”. Abhijit Mukherjee, MP and son of the President of India, speaking on the Delhi anti-rape protests in 2012 referred to the “dented-painted women protesters in Delhi who went to discotheques and then turned up at India Gate to express outrage.’’ And the infamous remarks by Mulayam Singh Yadav of the Samajwadi party at a political rally commenting of rape, that “boys will be boys”.

Such remarks are reflective of the everyday sexism that pervades Indian society, and how a woman’s right to be treated as fully human and a full citizen of this country are consistently undermined and put into question. The idea that women have the right to walk the streets, and wear what they want to as well as to be treated with respect as Members of Parliament remains elusive goals, and to some male politicians, almost incomprehensible.

Rampant sexism

Sexism and gender bias are still features of many liberal democracies and not exclusive to India. But the bold claims made by Modi and politicians about India being the destination for industry and investment, will remain a distant dream until politicians begin to educate themselves about how gender is not just about women, female and the feminine. It is about men, male and the masculine as well. It is about how gender and its performance are the responsibility of men and our overwhelmingly male leadership.

Neither law nor “zero tolerance” can alter this attitude until politicians themselves begin to change or are publicly shamed for expressions that range from being belittling to explicitly pejorative, derogatory and subordinating. And we as a society need to recognize and challenge such behavior that not only humiliates half the citizenry of this country, but is also valorized as a legitimate display of Indian masculinity. The job of the media and society is to gang up on and expose such remarks as not only deeply misogynistic, but to shame the speaker and dispel the idea that these displays are nothing more than harmless pissing contests between men. These remarks are what make up the woof and weft of systemic sexism.

There is no monopoly on sexism by politicians – it is pervasive in society. But politicians are the representatives of the people and hence their voices need to be subject to greater critical scrutiny. It is time to crowd source justice by shaming politicians into their appalling and at times deeply offensive behavior, and render them accountable for what they say and how they say it. And as the Prime Minister, it is even more incumbent on Modi to be held accountable for his displays of sexism that is not just a one-off occurrence. Recall the days when he was chief minister of Gujarat campaigning in Himachal Pradesh and described Sunanda Pushkara Tharoor as Shashi Tharoor’s “50 Crore girlfriend”. As harmless as a one-sentence remark about the Bangladeshi Prime Minister framed as praise may seem, the fact is, it is not. It is reflective of the conceit that male politicians simply do a better job. Look around – where is the evidence?

Not enough women ministers

The presence of a number of women in Modi’s cabinet and in parliament raises another concern. While in India, and several other South Asian countries, there have been any number of women leaders starting most obviously with Indira Gandhi, and including Shaikh Hasina today, we do not have a single memorable moment when a female parliamentarian or leader has been bold enough to challenge the sexism that is so deeply embedded in the body politics of this country and region. To fight sexism requires recognizing that it exists, and only then can the space be produced for doing something about it. While women have taken charge of significant portfolios in this cabinet, including foreign affairs and education, sexism does not disappear simply with the presence of more women.

It is a part of responsible leadership for women leaders, though not only women leaders, to use their positions of power to speak out on sexism and misogyny and not to ignore it any longer. While it may be a precarious line to tread, and such comments can be put down as being “un-statesmen like,” or as being “too aggressive” (that is to behave ‘more’ rather than ‘less’ like a woman), they can serve to validate the experiences of many women in public positions who have experienced sexist comments or misogyny in the course of doing their jobs. Women in politics are not just women, and should not be compelled to bring a “unique perspective” as women to politics. But being a woman should also not be an obstacle for speaking out against the incorrigible sexism that our politicians display with disturbing regularity. Targeting sexism is integral to guaranteeing equality.

A woman leader does not need to be “tough”, “aggressive” or demonstrate her “muscularity” on issues of violence, terrorism and security, to prove her strength and capability, ‘despite being a woman’. Indeed, to refuse such a strategy would demonstrate both the courage and conviction that “zero tolerance” is never a productive political strategy. It is myopic, limited and counterproductive. This is not about gender. It is about demonstrating political maturity and being sincere in the effort to bring about peace.

Ratna Kapur is Global Professor of Law at Jindal Global Law School.

Caught in Limbo, the Half Widows of Jammu and Kashmir

New Delhi: In the securitised narrative that drives most media coverage of Jammu and Kashmir, the state is a place of big battles, battalions and borders, of boys fighting with their toys. However, the parallel struggles waged by civilians, particularly women, never receives attention in ‘hard politics’ reportage. Even the women’s movement, with its nationalist overtones till the 1990s, is guilty of ignoring one of the most tragic consequences of the conflict in J & K – the proliferation of widows and so-called ‘half widows’.

The violence that has marred Kashmir, particularly since the onset of the armed insurgency and counter-insurgency in 1989, has produced some 20,000 widows and 1500 ‘half widows’. The latter are a haunting reminder of the thousands of married Kashmiri men reported ‘missing’ or ‘forced into disappearance’ either by the security forces or militant organisations. Their wives live a liminal, socially condemned life. They do not know whether their husbands are alive or dead, and even if they are assumed dead, they have no “proof” of this. Coupled with the painful and endless wait for their husbands and for justice, the life of a half widow is often much worse than that of a widow.

This is powerfully conveyed through a new study by Paul D’Souza, in collaboration with the AMAN Trust, titled “Vulnerabilities of Half Widows of Jammu and Kashmir: Role of Judiciary, State, Civil Society and Community”, which was launched at the Indian Social Institute, New Delhi on June 5. The launch was followed by a discussion with scholar activist Sehba Hussain and Dr. Syeda Hameed, former member of the planning commission, moderated by Urvashi Butalia, founder of the feminist publishing house, Zubaan Books.

The study is based on responses from 150 households of half widows spread across nearly 140 villages and towns in Jammu and Kashmir, and painstakingly notes the multiple vulnerabilities they face across five dimensions- social, economic, gender, cultural and health. Roughly 92% of half widows experience moderate to high vulnerability across all dimensions, especially on account of their gender (71%) and economic status(67%).

The sudden loss of a breadwinner, juxtaposed with abandonment by in-laws, social ostracism, having to look after children, and the lack of property rights or access to pension relief forces these women into a masculine ‘public domain’ to struggle for their rights. However, as Soudiya Qutab has pointed out in a 2012 article in the Sociological Bulletin, lack of formal education and skill training limits their options to labour-intensive jobs, or worse still, begging, endangering both their security and health. The illiteracy rate among the women D’Souza interviewed was 94%.

The most sensitive revelation of D’Souza’s study is the oft neglected psychological vulnerability experienced by half widows, as captured in the words of Dr Yuman of the psychiatric department of a government medical college-

“The burden of managing daily life is so high that their own mental health becomes the last priority. Their life is so much overburdened that they feel helpless. I don’t think stigma matters for them. Stigma matters to a person who has everything perfect in her life and who feels that something like this can bring negativity. For a person who has lost someone very close, the stigma is not important; other responsibilities matter. When all the time they struggle, they don’t find time for themselves.”

Most women in fact believe that physical, sexual and mental harassment is a part of their fate, and do not seek help, even though, as D’Souza’s study reports, 21% of the women indicated mental disorders, and being continuously depressed.

On the positive side, women receive support from close knit social networks (more parental than in-laws) in searching for their missing partners, and in approaching the judiciary and government offices. However, this is restricted to the initial months, and is often followed by complete isolation. If they are too assertive, they are stigmatised as the wives of militants and treated with suspicion by both state and family.

The report notes that the police registered first information reports (FIRs) in 77% of cases. However, 51% of the respondents in D’Souza’s study felt the police were unsympathetic and only 50% finally received ex gratia relief. Moreover, as Sehba Hussain argued, simply registering FIRs should not be mistaken for official responsiveness. Under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, there can be no prosecution without Home Ministry approval. Only 28% of the respondents were aware of the State Human Rights Commission.

Syeda Hameed added that the state’s primary offence is in failing to stop the mass disappearances, as well as in providing the whereabouts and bodies of the missing men, who have been taken away, often by the state. She asserted that unless AFSPA was removed, all other measures would only bring surface relief.

The decision of Muslim religious bodies to allow half widows to remarry after a four year period was hailed last year by the media. The state, by contrast, requires a person to be missing for seven years before they are declared dead. But marriage by itself is no alternative to the lifelong scar caused by the disappearance of a loved one, and may only reinforce the commodified status of women as objects to be married off.

Solutions so far have only come from within civil society, in the search for agency beyond victimisation. The Association of Parents of Disappeared Persons (APDP), an organisation of the relatives of disappeared persons, for exmple, helps to bring closure and provide support to hurt parties.

Note: Juliette Robert has a series of photographs on Kashmir’s half-widows here.

Why Using Patriarchal Messaging to Promote Toilets is a Bad Idea

The struggles for women’s empowerment and improving sanitation are both harmed by using patriarchal messages to encourage construction of toilets.

The struggles for women’s empowerment and improving sanitation are both harmed by using patriarchal messages to encourage construction of toilets.

A patriarchal toilet promotion message in a village in Uttar Pradesh

“Successful” sanitation promotion in Rajasthan has been receiving much attention lately, especially in media stories (see here and here, for instance). There is certainly much to learn from recent initiatives in some districts of Rajasthan to promote the use of toilets in villages: a lot of attention and importance was accorded to the issue by district collectors in these districts; the focus was on behaviour change activities rather than toilet construction; latrine pits were made of cheap cement rings, rather than expensive brick; and attempts were made to teach villagers how latrine pits work.

The chief reason why open defecation is so rampant in India is that rural Indians do not want pit latrines, which are a safe sanitation solution and which are used around the world. This is because of anxieties related to emptying pits once they fill up. These anxieties are driven by notions of purity and pollution, rooted in India’s centuries-old caste system. Emptying a pit in which faeces have decomposed is safe, but most rural Indians would not touch such a pit, because they consider it impure. The government promotes these pit latrines without explaining how the pits work, and rural Indians think that these latrines are “impure, “fake”, “temporary”, or for “emergency use” only – they don’t want these “small” pits to fill up.

In Rajasthan, since the water table is very low, people can build deeper pits without worrying about contaminating water sources with faecal germs, while the use of cement rings allows these larger pits to be constructed relatively cheaply. These deep pits cannot be constructed in states like Uttar Pradesh or Bihar, because the water table is not that low there. Still, the fact that in Rajasthan, district sanitation campaigns tried to address villagers’ anxieties about latrine pits shows that they identified the problem correctly.

Despite this, a disturbing aspect of Rajasthan’s toilet promotion activities has been the use of patriarchal messages to promote the construction of toilets. These messages are likely to derail the sanitation campaigns in the state, while also reinforcing the patriarchal social norms widely prevalent in the state.

Impact of patriarchal messages

In our empirical research on sanitation and health in rural India, we have become used to seeing patriarchal messages to promote the construction of toilets. Slogans like “Bahu betiyan bahar na jayein, Ghar mein hi shauchalay banvayein” [“Daughters and Daughters-in-law shouldn’t go outside, build a toilet inside your house”] are now painted across walls and toilets in rural India. Through these slogans, men are encouraged to build a toilet not because it will prevent the spread of disease and germs, but because their patriarchal values should not allow women to go outside the house.

Further, the idea of ghoonghat, or keeping women covered, is used in behaviour change messages in rural Rajasthan. In large banners and in yearly calendars, in government offices and on village walls, the Rajasthan government uses a picture of a woman carrying a lota filled with water. In the poster, the woman is being asked by her daughter, “Maa, ghar mein ghoonghat tera saathi, fir kyun shuach khule mein jaati” [“Mother, when you cover your head inside the house, how come you go in the open to defecate”]. The poster and the slogan use patriarchal logic to point out the inconsistency between practicing ghoonghat and defecating in the open.

CAN YOU ANSWER HER? Daughter asks, “Mother, when you cover your head inside the house, how come you go in the open to defecate?”. Examples of Rajasthan sanitation messaging.

In the process, this message associates the use of toilets with women, endorses the practice of ghoonghat, and encourages the idea that the right place for a women are the char-diwari of the ghar (four walls of the house).

Patriarchy in India has pernicious impacts on the health and well-being of women in rural India: work-force participation rates are among the lowest in the world and falling over time, while men do hardly any house-work in India. Patriarchy is the prime reason why women marry early in India, and have higher fertility than poorer countries such as Bangladesh and Nepal. Patriarchal division of food within the household means that women do not gain much weight during pregnancy. Women in India face discrimination at birth, in education, and in nutrition. Their seclusion to the household means that they cannot access healthcare when they want to: 73% women told respondents of the India Human Development Survey (IHDS) 2004-05 that they need permission to go to a health centre.

If it is in the interest of all Indians to promote the empowerment of women and chip away at patriarchy, the government should not use slogans that reinforce patriarchal ideas and provide state sanction to the practices of women’s seclusion in a patriarchal society.

These slogans may also harm the use of toilets. They make people associate the use of a toilet with women, especially in the minds of rural men. The government should instead be convincing men to use latrines as well. After all, in households that own a toilet, men are more likely to defecate in the open than women.

Rajasthan particularly patriarchal

According to Census 2011, Rajasthan is the state in India with the lowest literacy rates among women. Almost half, or 47.3% of the women in Rajasthan were found to be illiterate in Rajasthan. This is much above the national female illiteracy rate, of 34.5%. Similarly, among all states, the practice of ghoonghat was the highest in Rajasthan (see map). According to the results of the 2004-5 India Human Development Survey, 94% of the women in Rajasthan said that they practice ghoonghat or purdah. In rural Rajasthan, this figure reaches 98% of the women.

Source- IHDS 2004-05

At 55%, the all-India proportion of women who practice ghoonghat is much lesser than that of Rajasthan, though states of North India are similar to Rajasthan – in Madhya Pradesh for instance, 93% women practiced ghoonghat. In societies like these, state sanction to the practice of ghoonghat through sanitation messages is a regressive step. Following Rajasthan, the use of ghoonghat to promote sanitation had made its way into television screens across India. An advertisement by the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation, featuring Vidya Balan, promotes the construction and use of a toilet in a conservative family. ‘Phir to ghoonghat khol hi do“, Balan tells a bride’s family at a wedding when she learns they don’t have a toilet:

Toilets and women’s safety

This idea that toilets are important for the dignity of women and should be built to make sure that women don’t face sexual harassment has also gained currency rapidly. Even Prime Minister Modi invoked these patriarchal messages at his first Independence Day speech: “Brother and Sisters, we are living in 21st century. Has it ever pained us that our mothers and sisters have to defecate in open? …. Can’t we just make arrangements for toilets for the dignity of our mothers and sisters?”

In the Sanitation Quality, Use, Access and Trends (SQUAT) survey 2013-14, 4.3% of the women said that they had been harassed while going to defecate in the open. That is not a small number at all, but an even larger number – 7.6% – said that they had been harassed while going to the market. If we are promoting toilets as a solution to sexual violence faced by women going to defecate in the open, perhaps we should also start promoting Amazon and Flipkart as solutions to sexual violence in rural markets!

There is a further problem with the idea that toilets will solve the problem of violence against women. Data collected by the government’s National Family Health Survey (2005-06) reveal that most sexual violence occurs within the home, not outside it: 93% of the women who faced sexual violence in India said that it was committed by their husbands or former husbands, while only 0.9% of the sexual violence was by strangers (Table 15.5). Criminalising marital rape will create far greater protections against sexual violence than building toilets. Even for stranger violence, our response should be to create a society where women can move freely without fear, and not look for ways to eliminate the need for women to go outside the confines of the house. Toilets are needed not because they will prevent rape, but because their use will prevent the spread of germs and disease.

Better latrine use messages

Rajasthan’s campaigns to reduce open defecation may have much to teach to other Indian states. But it is time for a new approach to latrine use messaging that focuses on changing the behaviour of men. The state of Rajasthan can learn something from a sanitation message we found on a village wall in rural UP. The message reads: “Shriman khatron ke khiladi, jao shauchalay, chhodo jhaadi” [“Dear Mister Fearless Adventurer, Use a toilet, leave the bush”].

A sanitation message in rural UP which encourages men to use a toilet.

Nikhil Srivastav and Aashish Gupta are researchers with the research institute for compassionate economics (r.i.c.e.)