The United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) has highlighted the role of its female graduates in advancing the UAE’s progress, success, and development, on the occasion of International Women’s Day…reports Asian Lite News
Since its foundation in 1976, the UAEU has produced 17,783 graduates, many of whom hold vital positions. Included in graduates who have gone on to have influence in society are Maryam Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of Social Affairs in 2006, Jamila bint Salem Masbah Al Muhairi, Minister of State for Public Education in 2016, Najla Mohammed Al Awar, Minister of Community Development in 2016, Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Youth, and Noura Al Matrushi, the first Arab astronaut.
The University’s female 221 faculty members, working as Assistant, Associate, and Full Professors, provide continuous distinguished service to the community and participate with a variety of social institutions. This ensures the UAEU works towards gender balance in support of the nation’s progress.
“International Women’s Day is a day when we show our gratitude for the wise leadership of our founding father Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan and that of his brothers who serve as our leaders today. They enabled the UAE’s daughters to contribute to science and the workforce, and thus to build a reality of which we are proud,” said Dr. Saeeda Saleh Al Marzooqi, Associate Professor of Pathology and the Assistant Dean for Medical Education in the College of Medicine and Health Sciences and Consultant Pathologist at Tawam Hospital.
“In the future we look forward to greater achievements. It is a day when we thank every father, brother and son who have helped and supported us. Daughters of the UAE are celebrating their achievements in various domains, and their responsibility for qualifying an educated and creative future generation.”
Dr. Ruwaya Al Kindi, Associate Professor of Environmental Sciences in the College of Science and Assistant Dean for Research and Graduate Studies, said, “International Women’s Day celebrates women’s cultural, social and economic achievements. It marks the fact that women are active, powerful leaders, and change makers. Nevertheless in order to ensure greater gender equality and sustainable development we need to continue to identify opportunities to enable women to play an equal role in decision-making.”
CCP is finding it difficult to ascertain ‘how much liberty to provide women for the sake of long-term stability.”…reports Asian Lite News
Amid a declining fertility rate, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is adopting and implementing policies that undermine women’s most basic rights like bodily autonomy, a media report said on Sunday.
The CCP has in recent times, adopted new policies seeking to increase birth rates in order to avert the impact of a rapidly ageing population. The new policy offers a variety of benefits, including a considerable decrease in unlawful pregnancy abortions and a near elimination of unregistered children, while using a system of incentives and penalties, The Hong Kong Post reported.
However, CCP is finding it difficult to ascertain ‘how much liberty to provide women for the sake of long-term stability,’ the report said.
A recent law titled ‘China’s law on the protection of women’s rights and interests’ gives insights into the ideas of the CCP with respect to women.
The law treats women as entities other than men requiring “special considerations and protections” according to China Law Translate (CLT). CLT is a translation project run by Jeremy Daum, Yale Law Tsai Center Fellow.
Another law called, ‘Family Education Promotion Law’ calls for women to play their “special role” in promoting the family values of the Chinese people, to establish what CCP considers a “positive family situation.”
With Beijing’s obsession with numerical objectives, it’s easy to see a 180-degree reversal of the anti-natalist techniques used during the decades of the one-child policy, with local Party officials now assessed on their performance in increasing, rather than decreasing birth rates in their jurisdictions.
“A decade ago people were horrified by Feng Jianmei’s forced abortion. Now authorities say they will prevent (some) abortions. This reversal can appear stunning for those unfamiliar with the control-at-all-cost ethos underpinning Beijing’s birth policies,” said Mei Fong, a journalist and author of One Child: The Story of China’s Most Radical Experiment.
The health-care alternatives accessible to Chinese individuals have changed due to the implementation of new policies. A Washington Post investigation in December discovered that 12 hospitals in Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou were no longer performing vasectomies, much to the dismay of many young couples contacted.
“As soon as they want access to your uterus, they start sweet-talking you,” one netizen said last year in response to a state media hashtag that read #Eliminate Backward Concepts Like “Men Are Superior To Women” and “Beget Male Heirs To Carry On The Ancestral Lineage”.
The CCP faces an internal conflict where it seeks to address its demographic problems which it feels is important for long-term stability, while at the same time it wants to maintain a facade of promoting women’s rights.
However, the facade falls quickly when one looks at the abysmal representation of women in the CCP, the harassment that people like Peng Shuai and Xianzi faced for speaking out against gender-based abuse and regular censoring and shutdown of feminist social media accounts in China.
“With the one-child policy, Party officials destroyed China’s society with a single ill-conceived demographic crash campaign. This is how they may duplicate the stunt a second time, in reverse. This will have a long-term negative impact on women’s rights, gender relations, and China’s future,” the report concluded. (ANI)
Sailing off the west coast of India through Fremantle, Australia, team Tarini soon prepared to face the peculiarity of the ‘doldrums’ around the equator…reports Swapna Nair
On February 18, 2017, Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini was commissioned with a sole mission to promote the first-ever Indian all-women circumnavigation. While women represent only 1.2 per cent of the global seafaring workforce, INSV Tarini has been built to inspire women to attain their full potential in the field of maritime. After the phenomenal success of the ‘Sagar Parikrama Project’, the Indian Navy decided to bring forward the brave women that filled their ranks with the launch of ‘Navika Sagar Parikrama’ project. Vice Admiral Manohar Awati and his vision of sailing for India, was one of the primary influencers behind the project. A dream that Vice Admiral Awati saw for himself and his country, in 1940s, brought to light in 2009 by Commander Dilip Donde, the first Indian to set out solo to circumnavigate the globe on-board INSV Mhadei. He displayed exceptional professional competence, courage and determination in the face of life-threatening adversities and interminable service to the nation. His successor in the Sagar Parikrama Project and onboard the INSV Mhadei was Commander Abhilash Tomy who on April 6, 2013, wrote a new chapter in India’s rich maritime history by becoming the first Indian to circumnavigate the earth under sail — solo, nonstop and unassisted.
Had a wonderful interaction with the crew of INSV Tarini. Congratulated them on their accomplishment and heard their memorable experiences. My best wishes to this bright team for their future endeavours. https://t.co/2ilAedf8Wjpic.twitter.com/GYEfP1kREa
Meanwhile, in ancient times, women were prohibited on ships. And the first woman to circumnavigate the globe, Jeanne Baret, did so by dressing up as a man. She travelled for two years in a French naval ship among 300 sailors before she was recognised and bought off the ship. From time to time, many women have made a leap by proving their capabilities to circumnavigate the globe. Jeanne Socrates went on to break the stereotype around age as well when in 2013 she became the oldest woman to circumnavigate the world non-stop, single-handedly and unassisted at the age of 71.
Navika Sagar Parikrama was initiated to essentially promote the ocean sailing activities in the Navy while depicting the Government of India’s thrust for ‘Nari Shakti’ to have a team of women officers from the Indian Navy to circumnavigate the globe on an Indian-built sailboat like Mhadei. To accomplish this dream project, a team of six women officers were selected after a rigorous selection process. Lieutenant Commander Vartika Joshi was recruited as a skipper, alongside Lieutenant Commanders Pratibha Jamwal and P. Swathi and Lieutenants S. Vijaya Devi, B. Aishwarya and Payal Gupta.
During the voyage, one of the most trusted companions for crew members is their sailboat. A little over 20-years-old, Aquarius Fibreglass shipyard had never built a sailing yacht until the Indian Navy approached the owner Ratnakar Dandekar to build INSV Mhadei. Dandekar took on the challenge and seized the opportunity. Mhadei sailed over 115,000 nautical miles and completed two path-breaking voyages. Thus, when the Indian Navy was looking for a new vessel for Navika Sagar Parikrama, Aquarius Fibreglass became the obvious choice.
After the first successful attempt, Aquarius shipyard had grown in confidence and built INSV Tarini in 11 months. The INSV Tarini, a 54-ft sloop, was an exact replica of INSV Mhadei with the suggestions from the Indian Navy to make it more women friendly. The boat has been built to a stock design by Van de Stadt, Netherlands, called Tonga 56. The kneeling of the vessel was laid by the late former Union Defence Minister, Manohar Parrikar on March 27, 2016, at Aquarius shipyard. The successful construction of both the INSV Mhadei and INSV Tarini in Goa is in line to the Government’s ‘Make in India’ policy.
On the much-awaited day of September 10, 2017, the crew received a tremendous amount of support and wishes from the senior serving and retired naval officials, civilian dignitaries, family members and sailing enthusiasts. Furthermore, the ‘D-Day’ had the presence of many personalities and prominent figures like late Manohar Parrikar, former Goa Chief Minister; Admiral Sunil Lanba (retd.), former Chief of Naval Staff, Vice-Admiral A.R. Karve (retd.), former Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command, and Admiral R. Hari Kumar, Chief of Naval Staff. At 12:30 hrs IST, Nirmala Sitharaman, Current Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister and then Union Defence Minister flagged off the Navika Sagar Parikrama with an all-women crew of Indian Navy aboard INSV Tarini from INS Mandovi jetty at Panaji, Goa. Bidding adieu to their loved ones, the crew of INSV Tarini embarked on their epic voyage.
Sailing off the west coast of India through Fremantle, Australia, team Tarini soon prepared to face the peculiarity of the ‘doldrums’ around the equator. On the first day of their voyage aboard INSV Tarini, the crew wrote, ‘Tarini: our saviour and our home for the time ahead, rocked us to deep slumber with light winds and calm seas away from the cacophony of the land just enough to leave us energized’.
With INSV Tarini’s voyage sailing smoothly, the crew followed the sun into the southern hemisphere on September 25, 2017, and passed by the equator. The equator crossing was celebrated with a cake prepared onboard by the crew. On attainting its first goal without much hindrance from the weather, team Tarini headed towards the south nearly 1,670 nautical miles from her first port of call — Fremantle, Australia. On October 17, 2017, the sea was unpredictable as ever, and while crossing the Tropic of Capricorn the winds were harsher to deal with, but eventually, after a few rough days, the trade winds steered the vessel towards Fremantle. From ice-cold weather and wind speeds of 25 knots to high waves, the women braved it all to make it to their first port of call, Fremantle, Australia, on October 23, 2017.
The crew’s first task at hand was to replenish their ship and service the equipment and gear. After call-on meetings with Governor of western Australia, Kerry Sanderson AC and Deputy Mayor City of Freemantle, Cr. Ingrid Waltham as well as interaction with a cross-section of policymakers, political leaders, parliamentarians and military officers, the crew departed on November 5, 2017, for the second leg of her voyage — Lyttleton, New Zealand.
On their way toward Lyttleton, the crew experienced the ‘Roaring Forties’, an area between Latitude 40 degrees and 50 degrees south. Since the winds were noisy and not favourable for sailing and kept shifting from the north or south, the sailors in old times called them ‘Roaring Forties’. The following day, the INSV Tarini team managed to pass the longitude of Cape Leeuwin successfully. During this voyage, the team celebrated the birthday of skipper Vartika as well as Lieutenant Commander Payal with cakes and balloons. Without many difficulties, INSV Tarini entered the Lyttleton port on November 29, 2017.
Delighted to meet crew of INSV Tarini who accomplished the first-ever Indian circumnavigation of the globe by an all-women crew. India is very proud of this achievement. The crew's grit and dedication is particularly an inspiration for every girl child #PresidentKovindpic.twitter.com/ps1EBDyDX3
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) June 1, 2018
The Director of the Indian Naval Sailing Association, Commander Neel Manjooran supported and helped the crew plan their activities and facilitated repairs on-board. The crew of INSV Tarini was officially welcomed to Lyttleton by Andrew Turner, Christchurch Deputy Mayor. Apart from several other engagements, the crew also had a call-on meeting with the Christchurch Mayor, Lianne Dalziel. The team departed from Lyttleton on December 12, 2017, to Port Stanley (Falklands).
In one day, INSV Tarini crossed the Chatham islands which was the last landmass on her passage before crossing into the Pacific ocean, on Dec 16, 2017. Tarini’s steady pace was later interrupted by rough pacific weather and harsh tides which slowed them down considerably until Christmas. Though on the next day itself December 26, 2017, the crew once again were surrounded by the gusty winds when they entered the Pacific ocean.
After fighting through the ‘Furious fifties’ at 52 degrees south latitude, the six-women team crossed ‘Cape Horn’. This crossing certainly added another feather on Tarini’s hat and a big foot forward on their successful circumnavigation. However, the next big challenge was the Drake Passage which is known for its stormy seas and icy conditions, but very gracefully the team dealt with the notoriously rough Drake Passage, rounding Cape Horn off the southern tip of South America. On January 22, 2018, after a month-long wait, INSV Tarini stepped into their third port of call Port Stanley in the Falkland islands. The team was welcomed by Nigel Phillips, CBE, Governor of the Falkland Islands, and her Majesty’s Commissioner of south Georgia and the south Sandwich islands.
Commodore Sameer Saxena, Naval Adviser at the High Commission of India, London, was present at Falkland supporting the crew and ensuring a safe onward passage for the next leg of their journey. While congratulating the crew member Commodore Sameer Saxena said, “Indian shipbuilders and seafarers have a strong connection with the Falkland islands and have been calling in here for over 165 years, from the HMS Trincomalee, built in Bombay in 1817, to the INSV Mhadei which visited Port Stanley in 2009, all the way through to the INSV Tarini. Ships ‘Made in India’ have visited these shores in the most ecological way to travel-sailing. This expedition is a symbol of those enduring traditions, history and sustainability, as well as a mode of demonstrating how Indian women are increasingly being empowered to achieve their full potential.”
The crew took part in a series of community outreach activities after which on Sunday, Feb 4, 2018, INSV Tarini sailed out of Stanley Harbour with a fond farewell from the local people.
On February 8, 2018, the sea switched its calm stance to a rough one, thereby slowing down Tarini’s pace, but despite the rough weather, the team managed to cover 230 nautical miles within the next few days reducing the distance from Cape Town to 2320 nautical miles. Though by the end of February, Tarini picked up momentum which made sailing smoother. Later, the crew seemed relaxed and celebrated Holi with Indian delicacies like golgappas.
Due to the smooth journey, team Tarini arrived at Cape Town, South Africa, on March 2, 2018. After the ship underwent the usual procedure of replenishment and ship repairing services, the team was seen partaking in various social gatherings like visit to South African Sailing Western Cape and Royal Cape Yacht Club, presenting and participating in the Q & A session, photo expeditions at Royal Cape Yacht Club and a press and radio talk at “567 Cape Talk”. On March 14, 2018, INSV Tarini left Cape Town for the final leg of their circumnavigation passage to Goa.
On successful completion of the first four legs of the team, on March 20, 2018, INSV Tarini crossed the final cape in their journey — the ‘Cape of Good Hope’. On passing the final cape of the voyage, Tarini experienced moderate sea and winds of the Atlantic Ocean. On April 1, 2018, the sea turned serene, and went on for the rest of the week. Once INSV Tarini reached South of Madagascar the team was stuck due to rough seas but moved northwards in the next 24 hours once the sea eased out again. However, that was only momentary since the rough weather and heavy seas continued, INSV Tarini’s steering system got affected which forced the crew to use the smallest sail available on board to maintain headway. An innovative method to steer gave a temporary solution to the crew to proceed to Port Louis, Mauritius, for repairs. Despite all the setbacks, on April 18, 2018, Team Tarini arrived at Port Louis, Mauritius. With the help of the High Commission of India, Mauritius, in coordination with the National Coast Guard, Mauritius, INSV Tarini was provided complete assistance towards speedy defect rectification. On April 26, 2018, the Navikas departed from Port Louis towards their last leg of the circumnavigation.
On May 6, 2018, the INSV Tarini re-entered the northern hemisphere, and having crossed the equator for the second time, the Navikas had completed all the required criteria of the circumnavigation. On May 21, 2018, history was created when the team arrived at the Indian shores after spending 199 days circumnavigating the globe and 254 days in all, thereby becoming the first-ever all-women Indian team to circumnavigate the globe and also the first-ever all-women military team in the world to complete this feat as well as the first Asian all-women team to do so.
INSV Tarini had several gut-wrenching moments from navigating choppy waters amid a raging storm off Cape Horn to winds gusting up to 70 knots or 120 kilometres per hour which buffeted the vessel in the South Pacific. The crew also witnessed turbulent weather that caused high waves to come crashing down onto the boat. Even after all that INSV Tarini a 56-footer sailing vessel, built indigenously had survived and thrived. Apart from the circumnavigation, INSV Tarini has undertaken Indian Ocean Naval Symposium sailing expedition to Seychelles and back in 2018 along with Mhadei which was flagged off from Kochi by Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Sunil Lanba. She participated in the Bay of Bengal sailing expedition in 2020 and the 75th anniversary of country’s Independence ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ race with five other ocean sailboats of the Indian Navy from Kochi to Goa.
Currently, INSV Tarini is at Vishakhapatnam for presidential fleet review 2022 and planned to undergo a training sortie for south Indian oceans and Mauritius in July 2022.
The boat is also likely to participate in the prestigious Cape to Rio race in South Atlantic ocean in 2023, says Commander K.R. Binoy, who is the present Officer-in-Charge of ocean sailing node of the Indian Navy.
Commander K.R. Binoy, who has also participated in Cape to Rio 2017 on Mhadei as a skipper, believes, as INSV Tarini is a newer boat, it is faster and more comfortable for long ocean expeditions and is suitable for women officers to undertake prolonged passages.
“Indian Navy is also trying to train women officers to undertake a solo woman circumnavigation in the near future on-board INSV Tarini,” he said. The INSV Tarini has not only created history but given hope and courage to the future generation particularly, women in India. Today, as we celebrate her commissioning, February 18, 2017, we also look forward to her journey as she undertakes other adventures for sailors across.
(Swapna Nair is a Senior Research Associate at Maritime History Society, Mumbai. She can be contacted at manthan@mhsindia.org/swapna.nair94@outlook.com)
The ad for a T-shirt showed a model wearing the top in addition to thong-styled bikini bottoms, according to ASA…reports Asian Lite News
A British watchdog on Wednesday said it had banned a T-shirt advertisement by online fashion retailer Boohoo whose images “objectified and sexualised women”.
The Advertising Standards Authority said the advert must not reappear in its current form, adding that future Boohoo ads should “not cause serious or widespread offence or harm by objectifying women”.
Boohoo said it had removed the online images seen in late November after receiving a complaint from ASA.
“We are disappointed by the findings of this ruling because we pride ourselves in our inclusive, body positive imagery,” Boohoo said in a statement.
“Our marketing reflects the vibrant and confident culture of our brand and is designed to empower, not to intentionally cause offence,” it added.
The ad for a T-shirt showed a model wearing the top in addition to thong-styled bikini bottoms, according to ASA.
The watchdog added that one image “emphasised the model’s buttocks and legs rather than the product and that she was posed in a sexually suggestive way from behind”.
Dubai Police, Women in Aviation Association sign MoU at Expo 2020 (wAM)
The Dubai Police General Command, represented by the Women Police Council, has recently entered into an agreement with the Women in Aviation Association (Shehana)…reports Asian Lite News
The Dubai Police General Command, represented by the Women Police Council, has recently entered into an agreement with the Women in Aviation Association (Shehana) to establish a strategic partnership and facilitate the exchange of information and expertise.
The signing ceremony, which took place at Expo 2020 Dubai, was attended by Sheikha Mozah bint Marwan Al Maktoum, Chairperson of the Women in Aviation Association, and Expert Major Al Anoud Al Saadi, Head of the Women’s Police Council, and other officials from both sides.
Sheikha Mozah expressed her enthusiasm about this cooperation, which aims to join forces to empower women’s leadership and encourage working women to pursue creativity and excellence in their workplace.
Dubai Police, Women in Aviation Association sign MoU at Expo 2020 (WAM)
“The Association is keen to utilities all its expertise and resources to carry out the agreement’s objectives, including promoting Dubai Police’s events and services on all platforms and activities as a strategic partner, exchanging expertise, providing training and awareness programmes, and participating in Dubai Police official events,” Chairperson of the Women in Aviation Association added.
Major Al Saadi stressed that signing this MoU is in line with the Dubai Police General Command’s commitment to form strategic partnerships with different entities, authorities and associations to achieve its objectives in creating opportunities for women and supporting their professional journeys. (WAM)
The memorandum stated that over the years, the Pakistani leadership has resorted to spreading religious conservatism as a means of political domination…reports Asian Lite News
Young girls and women protested at the United Nations’ office in Srinagar on Monday, demanding the right to education for Muslim women in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
In their memorandum to UN officials, the women said: “Since the Taliban took over Afghanistan, all schools and educational institutions for girls have been shut down. The two decades of enforced peace under an international mandate had provided a glimmer of hope to thousands of girls and their families that Afghan girls could finally have access to education without fear.”
“A lot of propaganda is carried out across the United Nations and other multilateral platforms about the human rights situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The proponents and buyers of this propaganda conveniently ignore the wide gap in the educational opportunities afforded to the girls of J&K in comparison with their sisters in those parts of J&K which are illegally under foreign occupation. Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan today have been sadly left behind on the education front, depriving our sisters of the right to modern and secular education,” it said.
The memorandum stated that over the years, the Pakistani leadership has resorted to spreading religious conservatism as a means of political domination.
“A vast majority of Pakistan’s population only have access to religious education through a flourishing chain of Madrassas. Education cannot be fettered by dogmatic ideas and students have a right to the vast expanse of knowledge that exists. Absence of modern schools and colleges in PoK and G-B has deprived our sisters the opportunity that we have come to take for granted in India. Not just in J&K, we have access to any institution of our choice anywhere in India. It is our fervent appeal that the United Nations take note of the deplorable condition of girls’ education, a right that has been cruelly and forcibly snatched away from them for reasons of history, for which they are not responsible nor should they be made to pay the price for it,” it stated.
The memorandum stated that madrassas offering free education have mushroomed in Balochistan. The poor and unemployed families of one of the most richly endowed Provinces have no choice but to send their children to these Madrassas, where their “fragile minds are poisoned with retrogressive ideas and information”.
It stated: “The situation is no better in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where all moderate and progressive political forces have been sacrificed. The Province has seen a level of Talibanization that is not there even in Afghanistan. The educational prospects of the girl child in KP can be described in two words: Malala Yusufzai. Our sisters in KP face as bleak a future as those in Afghanistan. Unless the rot is stemmed, very soon most of our Pakistani sisters, barring the rich and powerful, would be subject to the same future.”
The Mirzapur actress isn’t afraid to experiment with new make-up trends, from classic kohl eyes to edgy winged eyeliner…writes Nimerta C Sharan
If you’ve been binge-watching your favourite episodes on OTT, you’ll attest to the high quality of content available. There’s a lot to look forward to, from sharp scripts to amazing performances. In the midst of it all, there are a few local OTT celebs that are giving us big style goals. The top five on our best-dressed list are:
Shefali Shah
Shah has a wealth of creativity and has produced some wonderful work throughout the years. She never goes undetected, whether it’s on television, in films, or in online series. In terms of fashion, the 49-year-old has a unique track record. She prefers to wear saris, sophisticated co-ord ensembles, and comfortable kaftans.
Rasika Dugal
What is her personal style? Elegant and simple. Dugal wears a lot of flowy gowns, informal Indian attire, and comfortable separates. You can’t help but notice something effortless about her and her style. The Mirzapur actress isn’t afraid to experiment with new make-up trends, from classic kohl eyes to edgy winged eyeliner.
Sobhita Dhulipala
Dhulipala is OTT’s ideal fashion diva, and she can pull off anything. The actress, who appears frequently in fashion magazines, has a particular style that includes unusual silhouettes and bold accessories. Beautiful saris have been a part of some of her most iconic outfits, including the monochromatic Sabyasachi she wore to a Dubai event. Kirti Kulhari
The prominent star’s style is defined as whimsical and eccentric. Kulhari, like her character in ‘Four More Shots Please,’ prefers to dress in vivid, statement-making outfits. She also enjoys experimenting with her hair and make-up, and she frequently appears on best-dressed lists. The actress is just as proud of her pantsuits as she is of her kurtas.
Shweta Tripathi Sharma
Sharma’s style graph swings between playful and ferocious. Her Instagram account, ‘battatawada,’ is full of images about her web series, travel, and some seriously stylish ensembles. Her enthusiasm for patterns, classic pieces, and charming dresses is evident just a brief glance at her profile. Sharma’s latest over-the-top film, ‘Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhein,’ is a must-see.
In addition, Meta’s Commerce Partners Programme will enable businesses to build a digital presence, go direct-to-customer and grow using the power of technology…reports Asian Lite News
Meta, under its #SheMeansBusiness programme, announced its partnership with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s (FICCI) ‘Empowering the Greater 50 per cent’ to enable and support 5 lakh women-led small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) across India.
The announcement was made during Meta’s inaugural National Women Entrepreneurship Summit to encourage industry dialogue and steps to support MSMEs across sectors.
“We are hopeful that Meta’s pledge to support 5 lakh women-owned businesses will create a supportive ecosystem for women and inspire them to become contributors to the overall development of the country,” Narayan Rane, Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, said in a statement.
Together with FICCI, Meta will address the barrier to access the right digital tools and resources by offering easy access to tools, programmes and resources by Meta to women entrepreneurs in India.
With this partnership, Meta will extend its support via three initiatives.
The Facebook Business Coach will let women entrepreneurs access self-paced lessons via Meta’s educational chatbot tool on WhatsApp and learn how to establish and maintain a digital presence.
Grow Your Business Hub is a one-stop online destination for micro, small and medium businesses to find relevant information, tools, and resources to further empower these businesses to find tools curated to their growth needs.
In addition, Meta’s Commerce Partners Programme will enable businesses to build a digital presence, go direct-to-customer and grow using the power of technology.
These businesses will have the opportunity to adopt best-in-class solutions across the retail value chain via our partners, with additional onboarding support, training and preferential pricing.
“To help women-led businesses of India, we are partnering with FICCI to enable 5 lakh women at grassroot levels with appropriate digital tools and resources,” said Mohan, Vice-President and Managing Director, Facebook India (Meta).
“This is a part of our commitment to enable 1 crore small businesses over the next 3 years via our Centre for Fuelling India’s New Economy (C-FINE) at our new office in Gurgaon,” Mohan added.
The #SheMeansBusiness programme was launched in 2016 as a space for entrepreneurial women to make valuable connections, share advice and move forward together.
The market, which has a history of over 500 years, has around 3,615 licenced women vendors registered with the Imphal Municipal Corporation…reports Sujit Chakraborty
Akin to many previous elections, 10,49,639 women voters outnumbered the male electorate of 9,85,119 in poll-bound Manipur, where women have always been playing a significant role in society for over a century. However, women are almost non-existent in the decision or policy-making bodies.
Since British rule, women in the erstwhile princely state have been playing a prominent role in Manipuri society for over a century.
From economic activities to mass agitations, domestic affairs to sports and cultural activities, societal awareness to fight against the drugs menace and militancy, women have been in a dominating role. However, in the male-dominated society, they (women) have an insignificant chance to become a lawmaker or a minister or at least be in a commanding administrative position.
The world’s largest and century-old all-women-run market ‘Ima Keithal’ or the ‘Mother’s Market’, located in Manipur capital Imphal and other smaller all-women markets functioning in different parts of the northeastern state boost economic activities to a large extent.
The market, which has a history of over 500 years, has around 3,615 licenced women vendors registered with the Imphal Municipal Corporation.
Imphal-based writer and political commentator Iboyaima Laithangbam said: “Since the British period, the Ima Keithel has not remained only a simple marketplace or trading hub, but developed as an apex centre for campaigns on various societal issues and against anti-social activities.”
Another Manipuri writer Rajkuamr Kalyanjit Singh said that men can purchase anything from “Ima Market” but they cannot be a vendor or seller.
“Manipuri women wearing their traditional attire operate their shops and stalls and occasionally organise various traditional festivals and events. The women vendors help each other and guide the new vendors to do business,” Singh said.
The vendors in Ima Market are known as ‘imas’ or mothers, and the majority of them are between 50 and 70 years of age.
Singh said that in 1891 the British introduced stringent political and economic reforms leading to an adverse impact on the market.
“Several measures including high taxation were imposed that eventually troubled the socio-economic fabric of the state in general and Manipuri society in particular. All these led to the formation of the ‘Nupi Lan’ (Women’s War) movement in 1939 to revolt against the atrocities of the British. Protest rallies, mass gatherings and campaigns were held to denounce the British policies and measures.
“The British, in order to thwart the agitation, tried to sell the market’s buildings to external buyers and foreigners but the women of Manipur stood against the British and defended their market aggressively,” the veteran scholar said.
Since time immemorial, Manipur enjoys a distinct place in the handloom sector with lakhs of looms in the northeastern state. One of the special features of the industry is that women are the only weavers.
Despite women’s very significant position in Manipuri society, the representation of women in formal electoral politics is quite low as is evident from the results of the assembly and parliamentary elections.
Eighteen years after Manipur became a full-fledged state in 1972, the state saw its first woman legislator, the late Hangmila Shaiza (wife of late Yangmasho Shaiza, the fourth Chief Minister of Manipur) in 1990 from Ukhrul Assembly constituency.
Then, K. Apabi Devi and W. Leima Devi (who subsequently became a minister of state) got elected to the Assembly. Till date, only one woman Lok Sabha member Kim Gangte, from a tribal reserved seat – Outer Manipur, got elected to the 12th Lok Sabha in 1998.
Only three (five per cent) women were elected in the 2012 assembly elections and in the 2017 assembly polls, two (3.4 per cent) women were elected to the 60-member assembly.
Manipur has had less than 10 legislators and an MP from women in over five decades of electoral politics since 1972.
The Women’s Work Participation Rates (WPR) is much higher for Manipur compared to that of India as a whole.
Female WPR for rural areas according to the 2011 census is 41.2 per cent in Manipur against 30 per cent for all India. In urban areas, this percentage is 33.2 per cent for females in Manipur, 15.4 per cent for all India.
Social scientists, political commentators and pundits are unanimously saying that despite the women’s vital and unparalleled role in Manipuri society, they have always been neglected by the political parties and their leaders.
Dr Chinglen Maisnam, retired Associate Professor Manipur University (central varsity), said that women are always being treated as workers or a working force and the men are leaders or the dominating force.
“Manipur politics are mostly dominated by muscle power and money power leading to the insignificant women’s participation in the state politics and electoral fray. Gender bias is very strong in the mindset of most leaders of the political parties,” Maisnam said.
The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments paved the way for 33 per cent representation for women in local and grassroot level governments, he said.
“The 33 per cent reservation facilitates the women at the Gram Panchayat level to dominate the lower level governance and pave a route to political empowerment and gender equity by giving opportunity for a large number of women to enter into local governments and to be a part of decision-making bodies.
“But at the higher level or top level politics, the women have almost no role,” said Maisnam.
He said Manipuri women are not free from violence and abuse in their lives, despite their economic independence.
“Data from National Family Health Surveys-4 shows that 53.1 per cent women experienced spousal violence. The NFHS-5 revealed that though the percentage has come down to 39 per cent but it is still much higher than the national average,” Maisnam pointed out.
Writer Rajkuamr Kalyanjit Singh said that despite the prominent role of women in Manipur and inspite of the higher percentage of women voters, women are still not able to contribute significantly in the decision making process through electoral politics.
He said: “Leaders of all political parties are always talking about political empowerment along with economic empowerment of women, but in reality the situation is completely different.”
Manipuri women though deprived on many counts and victims of domestic violence, fought against many injustices since British rule.
The first ‘Nupi Lan’ (women’s war) was in 1904 when women organised a collective protest against the imposition of an order by the British requiring male members to rebuild the bungalows of British officials, forcing the government to withdraw its order due to the massive protests by women.
The second ‘Nupi Lan’ in 1939 was against the artificial scarcity of rice created by colonial policies and outside traders, and the government ultimately had to ban the export of rice from the state.
To this day, December 12 every year is celebrated as ‘Nupi Lan’ day to mark women’s uprising against the oppression of the British.
It was the “Ima Keithel” or “Ima Market” in Imphal that was the launching pad of the epoch-making two ‘Nupi Lan’ against the British.
“The “Ima Market” is not only an economic base of the Imas (mothers), but also their political base. This ‘Nupi Lan’ (an exclusive women’s movement) also marked the first people’s organised protest against the British,” Singh pointed out.
Afghan women’s rights activists have submitted a paper to the Taliban delegation visiting Norway demanding rights…reports Asian Lite News
Hoda Khamosh, one of the women’s rights representatives at the meeting, called for the release of two female activists who disappeared last week, reported Tolo News.
Another Afghan activist Mahbouba Seraj, who attended the meeting, said the Islamic Emirate should fulfill whatever they promise at the meeting.
“If they continue this way, to tell us something and do something else, that’s when the trust is going to break, completely. When the trust breaks completely, they should remember what happened to the ex-government of Afghanistan. We lost trust with them too. The people of Afghanistan could not find themselves in that government either,” said Mahbouba Seraj.
“Yes, they were listening. I should say that. They really were listening. We gave them a paper. We asked them what we wanted. They took it. They were very, very cordial about it,” she said.
“The representatives of the international community spoke their own concerns over human rights and the rights of women and stressed that the Taliban need to build trust,” said Nazifa Jalali after attending the meeting.
At the same time, Amir Khan Muttaqi said, “We will try and ask about the incident (in which women activists were allegedly arrested by the Taliban). It is not possible in a government that has 40 million citizens that no one gets arrested and jailed and that we can not protect people from harm. It is possible, it is a government, some people are jailed, some people get released. It is not an abnormal action … that only exists in Afghanistan,” said Amir Khan Muttaqi.
Recently, the UN and the Human Rights Watch (HRW) have demanded the immediate launch of an inquiry into the disappearance of two Afghan activists, who were reportedly abducted from their homes, the media reported.
In a statement on Sunday, the UN Assistant Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) expressed grave concerns over the “disappearance of two Afghan women activists, Tamana Zaryabi Paryani and Parawana Ibrahimkhel, reportedly abducted from their homes overnight on Wednesday (January 19)”, reports TOLO News.
“We urge the Taliban to provide information on their whereabouts and to protect rights of all Afghans,” the UNAMA said.
Paryani and Ibrahimkhel had staged demonstrations in support of women’s rights in Kabul.
“We are deeply concerned about the whereabouts of the two protesters who were arrested on Wednesday night. It has been four days now that they have been missing and there is no information. The Taliban have denied that they have taken these women, but they also haven’t indicated that they have any knowledge of their whereabouts or any plan to try to locate them,” said Heather Barr, Associate women’s rights director of the HRW.
Meanwhile, some women’s rights activists staged gatherings in the capital Kabul and central province of Bamiyan, where they called for the release of Paryani and Ibrahimkhel.
“We are not aware of the location of the women who have been detained despite five days passing. Why is everyone silent … at least inform us about their health condition,” said a participant.
“We call on the UN to hear the voice of Afghan women, especially the voice of female protesters, because protesting is the right of every citizen. The protestors must not be suppressed,” said Waheeda Amiri, a women’s rights activist.
However, the Taliban government have denied the alleged arrests of these two activists, saying that it has started an investigation into the case.
“The investigation is underway to find out the truth, but we haven’t found any clues about them. Efforts are underway,” TOLO News quoted Bilal Karimi, a deputy spokesman, as saying.
