Tag: Human Rights | Page 11

This graphic shows a collage of media headlines on the Supreme Court of India’s verdict on the Fundamental Right to Privacy. Headlines are from ‘Ei Samay’ Bengali newspaper (‘No Entry Goponiyotay’); ‘Hindustan Times’ (‘Right to Privacy: Supreme Court Judgment Mirrors People’s Aspirations’); ‘Amar Ujala’ (‘Nijta Ke Adhikar Per Supreme Court Ka Bada Faisla’); ‘The Indian Express’ (‘Privacy Supreme’); and NDTV (‘Right to Privacy Is Fundamental Right under Constitution, Declares Supreme Court’). The ‘Ei Samay’ report has an interesting graphic that shows a hand holding a huge key, with the icons of a man and a woman holding hands imprinted on the bow of the key. The ‘Indian Express’ story shows a gallery of pictures of the nine judges who came out with the verdict. Graphic credit: Pawan Dhall

Insight Aug '17

Dazzled, and hopeful – the notion of privacy for all Indians

By Vivek Divan

Vivek Divan on the commitment and flourish shown by the Honourable Supreme Court of India in rescuing the right to privacy from oblivion

This main photograph shows an event organized by the Indian Institute of Cerebral Palsy (IICP) just outside the South City Mall in Kolkata on Rakshan Bandhan day this year (August 7, 2017). On a table several friendship bands made of colourful beads and some 'rakhis' are on display. To the left of the table is a disabled child seated on a wheel chair. An IICP volunteer is next to him, and helps him tie a 'rakhi' to a man (presumably a transport worker) standing to the right of the table. All three individuals are smiling. In the background more children with disabilities can be seen seated on wheel chairs, some with their guardians or companions. Other people can also be seen in the background, as also the pavement railings outside the mall, Kolkata Traffic Police signboards, some hoardings, a white car and a few buildings in the distance. Photo credit: Jeeja Ghosh Nag

Happenings Aug '17

‘Rakhi’ for a bus ride, when the law comes untied

By Shampa Sengupta

Shampa Sengupta on the 'rakhi' as a means of sensitizing public transport workers to the concerns of persons with disabilities in Kolkata

This main photograph shows an exhibition match that was played between the Empowering Trans Ability (ETA) and Women Football Association teams in Manipur earlier these summers (year 2017). The match, played in a village ground near Imphal, was part of the ‘Village Level 7-A-Side Open Football Tournament’ organized every year by ETA. This match was the only one played in the women’s leg of the tournament. The photograph shows an ETA player dribbling and moving ahead with the ball near the opponent team’s ‘D’ area and penalty box. The player is being shadowed by a rival team member, while another rival tries to block their way. There are six other players from both teams in the vicinity. A line referee can be seen in the background, as also a few spectators (some with umbrellas) seated on the sidelines or walking on a lane next to the playground. A few soldiers seated in an army jeep or standing next to it – an omnipresent sight in Manipur – are among the spectators. The sidelines are marked by small coloured flags hoisted on bamboo poles. In the distant background are fields, trees and hills merging into a grey-blue sky. ETA’s players are dressed in maroon and black striped t-shirts, white shorts and light green socks, while their opponents are in an orange combination. ETA, a queer support forum, aims to empower lesbians, bisexual women and trans men in Manipur through football tournaments like these. Photo credit: ETA

Clickhappy! Aug '17

Kick-off for gender equity

By Oinam Hemba

Oinam Hemba, founding member of ETA, a community group of trans men, lesbians and bisexual women in Manipur, presents glimpses from a unique football contest

This graphic is a mixed media artwork created with pen ink in doodle art form. It shows a two-in-one human face, and the facial features are such that one half (left side) looks female and the other male. The female side shows pink and red make-up on the eyelids, cheek bones and lips. The male side is in black, white and grey. The contours of the face merge into the background colour, white on the left, blackish on the right. There is an iron chain stretched before the face, giving the impression of a person trapped against their will in physical and social confinement. The expression on the face is one of considerable pain being borne silently for a long time. This is symbolic of the subject matter of the article – the focus on the key concerns of sex workers in India, the violation of rights they have to face (irrespective of their gender) and their struggles against these violations. Artwork credit: Siddhartha Sankar

Insight, Policy Matters Jul '17

On sex work – questions, answers, more questions

By Pompi Banerjee, Siddhartha Sankar

Sex work or prostitution – what’s the difference? Decriminalization or legalization of sex work – same thing, right? Human trafficking and sex work (or prostitution) – is it at all...

Quote: The posts, some of them pretty insightful and perhaps even cathartic for the writers, have attracted considerable likes, laughs and comments. All good in the spirit of freedom of speech, and some of these posts may even compel a few of the Adarsh Gay Bhakts and Sanskari Homos to introspect on their double standards and biased outlooks. But as they say, too much of a good thing need not be good.

Vartanama Jun '17

One foot in the door

By Pawan Dhall

Adarsh Gay Bhakt, Sanskari Homo, Adarsh NRI Homo . . . a quick search on Facebook will take you to some of these posts that have been doing the rounds...

Resources

Collective action against child sexual abuse

By RACSHA

Rise Against Child Sexual Harm and Abuse (RACSHA), a new Kolkata-based network, completed one year on June 3, 2017. A look at their profile, the issues they deal with, and...

Insight, Policy Matters Jun '17

Sex talk for people with psychosocial disabilities

By Shampa Sengupta

Shampa Sengupta, founder of Sruti Disability Rights Centre, argues that the sexual needs of persons with psychosocial disabilities must be addressed, and that there can be no one-size-fits-all approach to...

This main photograph shows a snapshot of a Bengali article titled ‘Chhaichapa Fire’ (Fire That Would Be Worthless to Try and Douse) by Sanjukta Basu published in ‘Ananda Bazar Patrika’ newspaper on April 3, 1999. The photograph shows a portion of the article text (including the headline), with a black and white sketch (by artist Debasish Deb) more or less centre stage. The sketch shows two women with long flowing hair and sharp facial features holding and looking at each other. A one-line article introduction below the sketch translates into “Homosexuals in the heart of the city are forming clubs to seek social acceptance, writes Sanjukta Basu”. The sketch may not be remarkable by many standards, but the article in question created quite a buzz in the queer activism circles in Kolkata in the late 1990s. It helped the city’s queer support groups reach out to thousands of individuals through letters and one-on-one meetings. Photo credit: Pawan Dhall

Commentary, From the Archives Jun '17

Memories in media outings (part 2)

By Pawan Dhall

In 'Kolkata’s Queer Movement: A Recollection of Media Outings – Mid-1984 to Mid-2013' Pawan Dhall remembers his personal queer-story over the years

This photograph shows a copy of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 lying in the foreground on a table. The name of the Act can be read on the cover, yellow in colour. In the background, the meeting room can be seen. To the left there are three people seated on chairs and engaged in a discussion; further beyond to the right is a person slightly bent over a table, writing something; and to his left are the two speakers of the meeting Dr. Rukmini Sen (Assistant Professor, Ambedkar University Delhi) and Shampa Sengupta (founder of Sruti Disability Rights Centre) – they are seated behind a long table meant for presenters and are facing the rest of the room. Behind them a white screen can be seen. The photograph is taken such that there is a sharp focus on the copy of the Act, while the rest of the photograph is relatively diffused. Photo credit: Abhirupa Kar

Happenings, Policy Matters Jun '17

Community review of new disability rights law

By Dr. Ishan Chakraborty

Ishan Chakraborty reports on a recent meeting held in Kolkata to analyse the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act which was passed in December last year

This first (main) photograph shows the book launch ceremony during the event ‘Books, Films and IDAHOBIT 2017’ organized at the Alliance Francaise du Bengale Park Street centre in Kolkata on May 4, 2017. Dr. Rohit K. Dasgupta, Pawan Dhall and Stephane Amalir (standing from left to right) can be seen holding the two books launched, smiling and facing the cameras in the audience. The books launched were ‘Digital Queer Cultures in India – Politics, Intimacies and Belonging’ and ‘Social Media, Sexuality and Sexual Health Advocacy in Kolkata, India’. The first was authored by Dr. Rohit K. Dasgupta, Lecturer in Media and Creative Industries at Loughborough University, UK. The second was co-authored by Dr. Rohit K. Dasgupta and Pawan Dhall, queer activist and Founding Trustee, Varta Trust. Stephane Amalir is Director, Alliance Francaise du Bengale. In the background is a screen projection of a graphic highlighting the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia. Photo credit: Arunabha Hazra

Happenings May '17

Digital media, queer lives and ‘Indian-ness’

By Kaustav Manna, Arunabha Hazra

Two books on the relationship between digital media and queer lives were launched recently in Kolkata. The event was part of the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia observations....

Word cloud in the shape of a thought blurb on the theme of the new mental health legislation – it includes words like ‘advance directives’, ‘choice’, ‘dignity’, ‘insurance’, ‘LGBTIQ’, ‘mental health’, ‘legislation’, ‘quality’, ‘suicide’ and ‘treatment’. Graphic credit: Pawan Dhall

Insight, Policy Matters Apr '17

New mental health law: Act of dignity?

By Pallav Bonerjee

Pallav Bonerjee assesses India’s brand new mental health legislation, the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017. The spring of 2017 brought along with it much needed relief and cause for celebration for...

Quote: Government of India questioned on glaring absence of rules to ensure education, social security, health, rehabilitation and recreation for persons with disabilities!

Happenings, Policy Matters Mar '17

Discord on rules for Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016

By Disability rights organizations in India

Excerpts from a letter sent to the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment by the National Platform for the Rights of the Disabled Delhi, March 25, 2017: The National Platform for...

Quote: Irom Chanu Sharmila may have stepped away from the politics of polls, but her politics of resistance will live on. Like subterranean water – not visible, nonetheless there – a deep aquifer of silent energy, quietly influencing life above ground.

Vartanama Mar '17

Incremental change

By Pawan Dhall

Civil rights champion, political activist and poet Irom Chanu Sharmila may have lost in the recent Manipur Legislative Assembly elections. But all is not lost. Perhaps her defeat was expected,...

Photograph shows scores of people sitting and waiting, mostly in small groups, on the open stairs leading up to the Kolkata Medical College & Hospital building. A few are walking up or down the stairs. A blue, red and white signage on the entrance to the building says “M. S. Life Drug House – Chemists & Druggists”. It is day time, and many people are walking past the stairs to elsewhere in the hospital complex. The building, built in a neo-classical style of architecture in the mid 19th century by the British, is painted in white with gold linings on the roof and elsewhere. In the foreground are a couple of trees and a small temple to the right of the stairs. Photo credit: Dr. Shaoni Sanyal.

Insight, Policy Matters Mar '17

Act up call for hospitals on trans health rights

By Diksha Sanyal, Shubhrajit Roy

Diksha Sanyal makes a strong case for judicial intervention to ensure health facilities honour apex court verdict on transgender rights

Happenings Mar '17

(Un)equal before the law?

By Danish Sheikh

Danish Sheikh on the launch of a report on obstacles to justice faced by queer people in India Delhi, February 24, 2017: The International Commission of Jurists today launched a report titled “Unnatural Offences”...

Photograph shows a huge steel rack packed with books on law and human rights, files and other documents in the chamber of a lawyer. The rack covers one entire wall of the chamber from floor to ceiling. Photo credit: Kaushik Gupta

Advice - Rights and Laws Mar '17

Tackling past blackmail during childhood

By Kaushik Gupta

Kaushik Gupta answers a reader query on dealing with sexual and financial blackmail experienced before someone turns adult Reader queries Can anything be done if suppose someone who is 20...

Tagged Under: Human Rights

Dazzled, and hopeful – the notion of privacy for all Indians

‘Rakhi’ for a bus ride, when the law comes untied

Kick-off for gender equity

On sex work – questions, answers, more questions

One foot in the door

Collective action against child sexual abuse

Sex talk for people with psychosocial disabilities

Memories in media outings (part 2)

Community review of new disability rights law

Digital media, queer lives and ‘Indian-ness’

New mental health law: Act of dignity?

Discord on rules for Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016

Incremental change

Act up call for hospitals on trans health rights

(Un)equal before the law?

Tackling past blackmail during childhood

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