JONAKI May 2014

Women As Academic Faculty Members We Are
All Women Investigating Officers For
Still Behind
Exemplary
Sexual Violence Against Women Looking For Support
Punishment
If Nudity Was “Obscenity”
For Child Sexual Abuse
Jonaki
Violence
Against Women
May 2014
Editorial
Chief Editor : Indrani Sinha
An Unjust Practice Which Needs
To Be Reviewed
Dear Reader,
Legal Cell, Sanlaap
Our country
had gone
through
another round
of
electioneering
to elect a new
parliament,
however, the
participation
of women in
such a
process, is
still not upto
the desired
standards,
inspite of the
fact that they
constitute a
good 49%. I
hope it
remains a
matter of
concern for all
of us.
Indrani
Address:
38B Mahanirban Road,
Kolkata - 700 029
Tel:
91-33-2464 9596,
2465 3429
Fax:
91-33-2465 3395
email:
hq@sanlaapindia.org
A person taken into
custody under
preventive detention
without trial cannot be
kept in continuous
confinement as it
curtails his liberty and
civil rights, the Supreme
Court has said.
“Normally, a person who
is detained under the
provisions of the act
without facing trial,
which in other words
amounts to curtailment
of his liberties and denial
of civil rights. In such
cases, whether
continuous detention of
such person is necessary
or not, is to be assessed
and reviewed from time
to time, a bench of
justices Ranjana Prakash
..."The
legislature has
provided an
advisory
board to
review the
detention"...
Desai and N V Ramana
said.
The legislature has
provided an advisory
board to review the
detention.
The court's ruling came
while setting aside the
detention order of a
person under the Andhra
Pradesh Prevention of
Dangerous Activities of
Bootleggers, Dacoits,
Drug Offenders,
Goondas, Immoral
Traffic Offenders and
Land Grabbers Act, 1986.
The bench said passing a
detention order for a
period of 12 months at a
stretch, without proper
review, is deterrent to
the rights of the detenu
and that the order of
Andhra Pradesh
government directing
detention for the
maximum period of 12
months straightaway
cannot be sustained in
law.
The court passed the
order allowing the
appeal filed by the wife
of one Cherukuri
Narendra Chowdari, who
was detained on the
preventive detention
order on the ground that
he has got all the
attributes to be called a
'goonda' as envisaged
under the Act.
1
Women Create History
Documentation Unit, Sanlaap
Three women in Britain have
made history by becoming the
first female officers in 110
years to serve on a submarine,
24 years after the Royal Navy
first allowed women to go to
sea.
Lieutenants Maxine Stiles,
Alex Olson and Penny Thackray
have become the first women
to serve in the Royal Navy
Submarine Service. Following
months of specialized training,
the three women earned their
'dolphins' badges, the hardwon and much-prized symbol
of a submariner.
Defence secretary Phillip
Hammond said, “I am
delighted to congratulate our
first ever female submariners.
Our armed forces offer a range
..." the three
women earned
their 'dolphins'
badges, the hardwon and muchprized symbol of
a submariner" ...
of opportunities and careers,
no matter what your gender.
This is an important step
forward as we strive to make
sure
our forces better
represent the society” The
role of women in the Royal
Navy had changed over the
years; 20 years ago they
started serving on ships and a
ban on women submariners
was lifted in 2011.
During the training, the female
officers conducted operations
on HMS Vigiland, a Vanguard
Class submarine, and learnt
the complex systems on board.
The final hurdle was an
examination programme,
culminating in an intensive
board with the commanding
officer, which they all passed
with flying colours.
2
Right To Dignity ! A Commendable Initiative
Gender Desk, Sanlaap
A Saudi woman has dragged her
husband to court for insulting
her in public and calling her
cow, donkey among other
things.
'Hey cow', 'Hey donkey' and a
third unmentionable word have
been cited by the Saudi woman
in the case document that she
has brought before the criminal
court, the Saudi Gazette
reported.
..."The woman
has called for a
discretionary
penalty by the
court against
her husband" ...
She has accused her husband of
insulting her in public.
According to the complaint, her
husband made it a habit to
humiliate her, the report said.
'The woman has called for a
discretionary penalty by the
court against her husband, it
said.
The court decided to send a
letter to the district chief to
summon the husband before the
court after two weeks.
This is in preparation for
referring the case to the
conciliation committee in an
attempt to melt the ice
between the two. Judicial
sources said the complaints
about such insults have
increased in the court recently.
3
A Delight For Children
Documentation Unit, Sanlaap
platform,” The app, “Tuntunir
Boi', has eight of his popular
stories, a biography alongwith
words about him from Leela
Mazumdar, Sukumar Ray and
more, collected from various
writings.
“The concept is similar to scroll
painting but not the same, as
the artist is physically present
and here the music is in the
background. Plus, pata shilpi is
an oral tradition and here it is
in text. Though, all stories in
Tu n t u n i a r e f r o m o r a l
traditions,” adds Seal.
When one hears the words
'storytelling', 'images' and
'music' in the same sentence,
the mind invariably turns to
Bengal's pata shilpa, where
artists unravel their scrolls,
showing artworks one fold at a
time, and sing the story behind
each painting. Now, get set for
its digital cousin an audiovisual application on
Upendrakishore Raychaudhury,
where illustrations, music and
singer Srikanto Acharya's voice
over will accompany the
stories.
Acharya's wife Arna Seal, who
conceptualized the app, said,
..." It may seem to
be for kids, but in
terms of listening
pleasure, parents
too will love it" ...
“In English, this is a widespread
phenomenon, but in Bengali,
this is the first time an audiovisual app has been created on
children's storytelling
“It may seem to be for kids, but
in terms of listening pleasure,
parents too will love it. It will
bring back their childhood
memories. I used various voices
for different characters like
Tuntuni, the king, and Narahari
Das the ram who is a lion's
uncle,” said Acharya, “The app
was submitted to Apple and all
Android and iTunes users will
get to enjoy it in two weeks,”
said Anindita Banik of
Druidendo, the company that
has developed the app.
But nothing can replace good
old books, feels Author
Sirshendu Mukhopadhyay, “It's
a good idea. Bengali books are
easily available even in the US,
I've seen it myself. But perhaps
this will draw non-readers to
the charm of story books,” he
hoped.
4
Revealing Uniforms Provoke “Sexual
Harassment At Work Place”
Documentation Unit, Sanlaap
saying that the short
blouse left their midriff
exposed when they bent
down, “Female flight
attendants are not
asking for a complete
overhaul of the uniform
but want the blouse
lengthened and the
skirts to be loose
fitting,” Yau said.
Cathay Pacific flight
attendants want the Hong
Kong airline to redesign their
uniforms because they feel
that they are too revealing and
may provoke sexual
harassment, a union said.
Female cabin grew members
said that their white blouses
are too short and the red skirts
too tight, leaving them
uncomfortable at work, the
Cathay Pacific Airways Flight
Attendants Union (FAU) said.
“They are worried about the
uniform being too short when
they work,” FAU vice chairman
Julian Yau said the uniform may
be a “cause” of sexual
harassment.
A study by the southern
Chinese city's Equal
Opportunities
Commission in February
found that 27% of Hong
Kong attendants had
been sexually harassed
on flights in the past 12
months. Eighty six
percent of the 392
participants who said
they were sexually harassed
were females.
..."27% of Hong
Kong attendants
had been sexually
harassed on
flights in the past
12 months" ...
He said that the uniform had
been a source of considerable
complaints from female
attendants since it was
introduced in 2011 with some
Harassment allegations
involved “patting, touching,
kissing or pinching”, or “staring
in a sexual way” or asking for
“sexual jokes and requests for
sexual favours,” according to
the survey.
“We do not tolerate any form
of harassment and take the
issue of sexual harassment
seriously,” Cathay Pacific told
the South China Morning Post,
an English language daily, “The
crew is welcome to exchange
their uniform any time they
feel the fit is not right,” it
added.
5
The Abduction Of Nigerian School Girls
Documentation Unit, Sanlaap
Boko Haram claimed the
abduction of hundreds of
schoolgirls in northern Nigeria
that has triggered
international outrage, threatening to sell them as “slaves”,
“I abducted your girls, “the
Islamist group's leader
Abubakar Shekau said in the 57
minute video, referring to the
276 students kidnapped from
their school in Chibok, Borno
state, three weeks ago.
He described the girls as
“slaves” and said, “By Allah, I
will sell them in the market
place,” The hour-long video
starts with fighters lofting
automatic rifles and shooting
in the air as they chant “Allahu
akbar!” or “God is great,” For
the first 14 minutes, he takes a
swipe at democracy, Western
education, efforts for Muslims
and Christians to live in peace
and rails against non-believers
in Islam. Then Shekau says the
students “will remain slaves
with us.” That appears a
reference to the ancient jihadi
custom of enslaving women
captured in a holy war; who
then can be used as sex slaves.
..."By Allah, I
will sell them
in the market
place" ...
“They are slaves and I will sell
them because I have the
market to sell them,” he said,
speaking in the Hausa language
of n orth e rn N i g e ri a , “ I
abducted a girl at a Western
education school and you are
disturbed. I said Western
education should end,” he
said. Fifty three of the girls
managed to escape from the
militants but 223 were still
being held, state police said.
Nigeria's President Goodluck
Jonathan and his administration have been under mounting
pressure to act since gunmen
stormed the girls' school on
April 14, forcing them from
their dormitories onto trucks
and driving them into the bush.
Jonathan pledged in his first
public comments on the
6
abduction that the government
would find the girls and return
them to their families, “This is
a trying time for this country …
it is painful,” He said, adding
that he had sought help from
foreign powers, including US,
to help tackle security
challenges.
Boko Haram released a new
video claiming to show the
missing Nigerian schoolgirls,
alleging the teenagers had
converted to Islam and would
not be released until all
militant prisoners were freed.
The group's leader, Abubakar
Shekau, speaks on the video
obtained by AFP for 17 minutes
before showing what he said
..."This is a
trying time
for this
country … it
is painful" ...
were the girls, in Muslim dress
and praying in an undisclosed
rural location.
H o w e v e r, t h e N i g e r i a n
government has rejected
conditions set out by Boko
Haram for the release of the
school girls. Asked if the
government would reject the
suggestion by Shekau in a new
video, interior minister Abba
Moro told, “Of course.”
A total of 276 girls were
abducted on April 14 from the
northeastern town of Chibok,
in Borno state, which has a
sizeable Christian community.
Some 223 are still missing.
The footage shows about 130
girls in black and grey full
length hijabs sitting on
scrubland near trees, reciting
the first chapter of the Muslim
holy book, the Koran, and
holding their palms upwards in
7
and Israel for the
rescue operation.
In the video,
Shekau appears in
front of a lime
green canvas
backdrop wearing
combat fatigues
and carrying an
a u t o m a t i c
weapon. Shekau
does not appear in
the same shot as
the girls at any
point during the 27
minute video.
prayer. Three of the girls are
interviewed. Two say they were
Christians and had converted
while one said she was Muslim.
Most of the group were seated.
The girls appeared calm and
one said that they had not been
harmed.
There was no indication of
when the video was taken
although the quality is better
than on previous occasions and
at one point an armed man is
seen in shot with a hand held
video camera.
Boko Haram has been waging
an increasingly deadly
insurgency in Nigeria's mainly
Muslim north since 2009,
attacking schools teaching a
“ We s t e r n ” c u r r i c u l u m ,
..."We will never
release them
(the girls) until
after you
release our
brethren" ...
churches and government
targets.
Speaking in Hausa
and Arabic, he
restated his claim
of responsibility
made in a video released and
said the girls has converted to
Islam. “These girls, these girls
you occupy yourselves with we
have liberated them. Do you
know we have liberated them?
These girls have become
Muslims,” he said. The militant
leader said that Boko Haram's
brothers in arms had been held
in prison for up to five years
and suggested that the girls
would be released if the
fighters were freed. “We will
never release them (the girls)
until after you release our
brethren. Here I mean those
girls who have not submitted
(converted to Islam),” he
added.
Nigeria's government has been
criticized for its lack of
immediate response to the
kidnapping but has been forced
to act after Shekau threatened
to sell the girls as slaves.
President Goodluck Jonathan
has now accepted help from
the US, Britain, France, China
8
Our Best Wishes To Monika…..
Documentation Unit, Sanlaap
against trafficking for nearly a
decade now. But there's ought
to be ways to make our efforts
more effective. Challenges are
going to be tougher in the years
to come, so we need to
upgrade ourselves and if
possible, build a network with
people doing similar work in
other countries, I hope I am
able to use this experience,”
she said.
A demure, unassuming woman
in a printed cotton saree
boarded a Mumbai bound flight
enroute for Washington at the
Kolkata airport. She had never
been to an airport before or
travelled abroad. She hasn't
studied in a school either and
narrowly escaped being sold
off to a brothel soon after
marriage. Yet, 31 year old
Monika Sarkar isn't quite
unknown in the USA. Her
efforts to save young girls from
the clutches of traffickers in
the backyard of North 24
Parganas have earned her a
state felicitation. In the
country Monika will be a state
guest there, spending three
weeks across seven US states
where she will be sharing her
experience with social activists
and change agents from around
the globe. Recognition.
..."In 2007, she
came in touch
with an NGO in
Kolkata that
helped her
intensify the
campaign" ...
A mother of two, Monika
appeared a tad nervous, but
determined to make the most
of the unique opportunity that
has come her way.
Hours
before boarding her first flight,
she said she was eager to learn
from the experiences of people
she was going to meet in the
US, “I have been working
At 23, she walked out on her
husband refusing to cow down
to his dowry demands,
narrowly escaped from the
clutches of traffickers and got
together a dozen other women
from her neighbourhood in
Sayestanagar village to launch
a movement against girl
trading. Her gritty effort has
almost wiped out trafficking
from Katiahat a remote rural
backyard in North 24 Parganas,
about 75 km from Kolkata
where every second woman
was vulnerable to trafficking.
In 2007, she came in touch with
an NGO in Kolkata that helped
her intensify the campaign.
Whenever a girl went missing
Monika and her volunteers
would inform the police and
activate a rescue chain with
assistance from the NGO.
Counselling would be arranged
for the rescued victims and
efforts made to rehabilitate
them. Scores of trafficked girls
in the area have been sent back
to their families and later
9
month from the area. So, she
deserves every bit of the
recognition that she has got,”
said Bappaditya Mukherjee of
Prantakatha, the NGO.
married off, something that
was impossible till a decade
ago.
Monika doesn't stop at that. She
has even started an initiative to
identify traffickers across
villages. It is believed that
Monika has saved more than a
thousand girls from being
trafficked in the last nine
years.
“Monika has proved that she is
a true leader. It is due to her
single handed effort that
trafficking has stoped in the
..."It is believed
that Monika has
saved more than a
thousand girls
from being
trafficked in the
last nine years" ...
Katiahat area. Till she launched
her campaign, around 15 girls
would be trafficked every
At Washington, which is her
first destination, the gutsy lady
will receive state felicitation.
It could be given by the state
governor, “The event details
were not sent to us. But Monika
will go around at least seven
states and interact with state
governors, other than
participants and fellow
activists from other countries.
She will be accompanied by an
interpreter and Monika will
deliver a few lectures with the
help of power point
presentations,” said
Mukherjee. The crusader from
Bengal will be addressing
conferences on anti human
trafficking activities.
She has been working hard on
the presentations, said Monika,
“I knew nothing about them till
I was asked to prepare them.
My NGO colleagues have helped
me a great deal. This is
important for I wish to show the
world how a group of women
has braved all odds to get the
better of the traffickers,
almost without any help. My
experience has taught me that
nothing is impossible. I am
ardently looking forward to the
trip and hope that it opens up
new avenues for women and
helps me to explore ways to
make them independent,”
declared Monika. She will be
boarding her return flight to
India from San Francisco on May
24.
10