Voices | 10 Years of Change-making

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2014-2024 Spec i al Ed i t i o n

Years of C hange-M aking

10 VOI CES

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W e suffer from an incurable malady: H ope

Mahmud Darwish

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A b o u t

W E D N E S D A Y

Founded by distinguished author and jour nalist, Nilanajana Bhow m ick, Wedn esday is a new sletter that aim s to continue the conver sation ar ound gender equality. It is a space to infor m , educate, and r eflect? celebr ating pr ogr ess w hile addr essing per sisting bar r ier s. Shar p, long-for m , and w or th your inbox (and head) space for ar ound 10 m inutes ever y other w eek . Subscr ibe and shar e (https://m ailchi.m p/3199006e53db/w ednesday).

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G T I H S

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Fi r st W o r d

Word s

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Ur vash i Bu t al i a Edit orial

2014-2024 Specia l Ed ition

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V O I C ES Years of C hange-M ak ing

E p i l o g u e

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FAST FASHION & WOMEN IN GARMENTS ?

Naveen Ki sh o r e

A ONE-SIDED LOVE AFFAIR

Ha ze of red b lind

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On t h e Seman t i c s o f Li n g u i st i c Heg emo n y an d Co er c i o n

H i g h l i g h t s

V o i c e s

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Ni l an j an a Bh o wmi c k An n i e Zai d i

Reclaiming A nger

A gainst T he C alculus of Sk in

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Skin. The la rg est a nd most vulnera b le org a n in the b od y. It protects us with no protection of its own.

90 Co mbat i n g Ch i l d Abu se: In si d e A Ch i l d Resc u e Cen t er

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134 Ar c h n a Sh ar ma H O PE

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Perha ps the power of litera ture lies in its perma nence.

Governments cha ng e, reg imes rise a nd fa ll, a nd crises eventua lly resolve, b ut litera ture end ures.

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Th e Need f o r g en d er eq u al i t y i n t i mes o f c r i si s

125 Dr eami n g A Day Wh en No Wo man Di es Fet c h i n g Wat er !

For centuries, most women ha ve followed this script, expressing their ra g e only in priva te, ma sking their fury with smiles a nd silence.

Ar pi t a Das In Search of V oice

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45 Saba Kar i m Kh an W ork ing M ot hers: T he M yt h of H aving It A ll

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The processing load has peaked, with so many micro-moments where decisions that induce guilt and anger and sorrow surface.

Spea king is seen a s a wa y to a ctive self-tra nsforma tion, a s a g esture of resista nce, of a ffirma tion a nd of strug g le.

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V o i c e s

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Saf i n ah Dan i sh El ah i Sasc h a A Ak h t ar W ords

O f M ot hers A nd D aught ers

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I feel inspired a nd encoura g ed to ca rry on in every wa y - to ca rry on b elieving in the power of women a nd more g enera lly, other people for whom the d ecolonia l strug g le is equa lly importa nt a s it is to me.

"

Wha tever feministic id ea ls the western world uphold s, the Glob a l South still suffers from d eep pa tria rcha l va lues

81 Mar d i ya Si ba Yah ya N ot es on Feminist Survival Pract ices H ow D o I W rit e T his W it hout Rambling?

" 117 Ni d a Usman Ch au d h ar y Towards a G lobal C onvergence of W omen in Law

" The ca use of la ck of women?s visib ility in lea d ership roles surely, could not only a nd soley b e b eca use of women?s la ck of interest a nd commitment!

How d o we live within the cha os? Wha t privileg es d o I need to a ccess to emb od y the perfect a rchetype of a writer?

55 n amr at a W hy Social M edia St ill Fails To Be A Safe Space for W omen A nd M inorit ies

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Reporting on socia l med ia often feels like shouting into the void .

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Ki r t h i Jayak u mar

Ami n a Yaq i n

W eaving A ccount abilit y Int o O ur Feminist W ork

?H urt , H eart ache A nd Fear: T he Treacherous Tale O f India?s Part it ion A s Told By Bapsi Sidhwa

The writing is on the wa ll a nd it is time we a cknowled g e a nd a ction it: Movement intersectiona lity is vita l.

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26 Sabyn Javer i Beyond W ords: T he C omplexit y of Silence

Sid hwa ?s novel is a sta rk remind er of the vicious cycles of history a nd the g end ered tra uma b orne b y women a nd men d uring conflict.

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But wha t of those who wa nt to spea k yet find themselves una b le? In a system where surviva l d epend s on complicity.

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Tai ba Abbas (U nt it led)

Aek t a Kapo o r

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We write the wa y we live, a nd we write the wa y we spea k a nd d on?t spea k. Word s g a ther up b ehind my tong ue, a d a rk river, coiled , seeking a d ifferent outlet on my b od y.

T he G ig Economy A nd W omen W ork ers in Sout h A sia

74 Nai ma Rash i d K eeping It Real

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Socia l silencing b ecomes self-silencing over time, a nd when we silence ourselves, we chea t ourselves (a nd the world ) out of our full potentia l.

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Unions led b y women b a rely exist, even in ind ustries like d omestic work a nd b ea uty services, where most workers a re women.

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94 Dr . Tar an a Hu sai n Kh an T he W omen A nd A Forgot t en C uisine

106 Meh r F Hu sai n Pakistani Women Non-Fiction Writers Re-imagining Culture, Politics And Gender Dynamics

Until the ea rly twentieth century, the id ea of roya l women entering the d oma in of the kha nsa ma s wa s unthinka b le. The loca tion of the kitchen in the ma le section of the Ra mpur fort ma d e it ina ccessib le for the women.

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85 Mah u m Hamz a Resilience is O ver-rat ed, Let 's Fix T he Syst em

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With the a d vent of the cra ft reviva lists consisting of women, new forms of non fiction b eg a n to emerg e d ocumenting cultura l herita g e.

Celeb ra ting resilience d iminishes the urg ency to d isma ntle structura l inequa lities. By focusing on ind ivid ua l success stories, we risk ig noring the b roa d er systems tha t perpetua te inequities.

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Sabi n Mu z af f ar T he A xis of Evil

Ed i t h Mac h ar i a T hat Pot O n H er H ead

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Currently, the vulnera b ility of women to clima te cha ng e is well d ocumented , b ut their involvement in the formula tion of stra teg ies a nd policies on the a d a pta tion to clima te cha ng e prog ra ms is stra ng ely la cking or insufficient.

I Exi st Bec au se Yo u Exi st Syeda Eshal Razi Jafri

H i g h l i g h t s

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While pockets of rea son? a d voca cy a nd pools of sub version ca n b e witnessed online a nd off, it is oversha d owed b y the likes of ca ncel culture, performa tive wokeness a nd org a nized d iversions.

H i g h l i g h t s

A B O U T T H I S I S S U E

Desig n, Concept & Ed ited b y Sa bin Muza ffa r

Ana nke?s Archiva l (hig hlig hts) a rticles Lovely Cla ire Da nga la n

Sara Shoghi

Mela nie Bublyk Liz Gua nta i Edith Ma cha ria

Pub lished b y Ana nkema g.com La tifa Tower, Sheikh Za yed Roa d, Duba i, UAE

Specia l Tha nks To Zuba a n Books Sea gull Books Yoda Press Neem Tree Press Ala Books & Authors

Alex Sanjeev

Zuka Books Rea doma nia Keemiya Crea tives WomeninTechPk The Gender Security Project Women In La w Pk IBM

Ima g es Cred its: Pixa ba y Cha tGPT Ca nva

Keemiya Creatives

Nakiya Nava

Fi r st W o r d

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It was a decade ago t hat t he idea of Ananke was bor n. The bir t h of a new idea is al ways a moment of excit ement and f ear ? even as inf init e possibil it ies open up, t he seed of f ear , anxiet y, uncer t aint y, per haps even of f ail ur e, l ur ks somewher e in t he backgr ound. By cont r ast , l ooking back on somet hing t en year s down t he l ine, mar ks a dif f er ent moment al t oget her ? r ef l ect ive, t hought f ul and, if you?r e l ucky, happy. I have no doubt t hat Sabin, who f ounded Ananke al l t hose year s ago, and her t eam, must be f eel ing somet hing of t his happiness as t hey l ook back on t heir wor k.

Somet hing l ike t his is al so what , I t hink, t hose of us who have been l ucky enough t o be par t of t he Ananke communit y in t hese past year s, must be f eel ing.

Who woul d have t hought a digit al pl at f or m, f ocusing on t hose ver y impor t ant but incr easingl y buzz-wor dy ideas of diver sit y and incl usion, cr eat ing conver sat ions by women, about women, t r anscending administ r at ive, pol it ical , ident it y bar r ier s, woul d st il l be ar ound, and t hr iving, t en year s l at er ? The digit al , which in some st r ange ways we associat e wit h ?per manence? is act ual l y of t en t he opposit e, especial l y when t he f ocus in on ar eas not consider ed mar ket abl e.

Ananke isn?t onl y st il l her e, but in t hese year s, it has cont inued t o gr ow, br inging in new issues, new wr it er s, opening up conver sat ions, of f er ing t r aining, br inging on boar d a r ange of wr it er s, hel ping so many of us make connect ions acr oss bor der s and or ganizing summit s f or young gir l s, pr oviding t ech t r aining and even cr eat ing an onl ine f est ival t hat has at t endance f r om al l over t he wor l d. It ?s har d t o beat t hat .

This t ent h anniver sar y issue, which I hope mar ks t he beginning of yet anot her wonder f ul decade f or Ananke, capt ur es some of t hat diver sit y and indeed some of t he j oy as wr it er s ? pr incipal l y women - t el l t heir st or ies of success, of change, and of hope. Ther e is so much her e, much t hat has been spoken of ear l ier , much t hat is new and t hat r el at es t o Ananke?s ar eas of f ocus ? gender , heal t h, ent r epr eneur ship, educat ion, cul t ur e, STEM, and mor e. Whil e al l of t his is visibl e because it ?s t her e f or us t o see and r ead in t he back issues of t he j our nal and in ot her publ icat ions, what is l ess visibl e is t he har d wor k, t he sl og, t he sheer at t ent ion t o det ail , t he l abour , t hat goes int o t he making of al l successf ul pl at f or ms gener al l y, and t his one specif ical l y.

So, even as we congr at ul at e Ananke f or it s t ent h year , and wish it sever al mor e decades of wonder f ul wor k t hat pushes us t o t hink and encour ages us t o t al k, l et ?s al so r ecognize t he t eam t hat put s t his wor k t oget her and mar k our gr at it ude t o t hem f or t he space t hey have opened up f or us.

And f inal l y, a per sonal not e of gr at it ude. Ever y t ime I visit t he Ananke websit e, I?m immediat el y hooked because I want t o r ead ever yt hing t her e, and of t en, I have t o r at ion my t ime and l imit what I can r ead, wit h a pr omise t o mysel f t o come back l at er . I know I am not t he onl y visit or /r eader who f eel s t his. As you go f or war d, Sabin and t eam, I hope mor e and mor e visit or s f eel t his and r ead mor e ? t he exper iment you began t en year s ago t o cr eat e t he communit y you now have, hol ds t he pr omise of widening, deepening, expanding and consol idat ing t his communit y. Mor e power t o you.

Ur vashi But al ia

A Pa dma shree recipient, Urva shi Buta lia is a feminist publisher a nd writer. She co-founded Ka li for Women, India ?s first feminist publishing house a nd is currently Director of Zuba a n, a n imprint of Ka li.

She ha s a long involvement in the women?s movement in India . Urva shi writes a nd is widely published on issues rela ted to women a nd gender.

The Axis of Evil Sabin M uzaffar 16

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O ppression a nd inflicting violence come in ma ny forms. The most recog nized , however, a re throug h plea sure a nd ? , throug h pa in. The former is stra teg ica lly d esig ned to b e virulently tra nsmitted into communities to d ull a nd d esensitize into ina ction.

Alterna tively, violence a nd vitriol ha ve b een d ecisive pla ything s of mod ern-d a y olig a rchies a nd the powers tha t b e to suppress a nd sub d ue those who rema in immune to the virus. Comb ined , these crea te a potent wea pon.

repea t!

The a g end a is ? a lwa ys ? to crea te d ea fening noise or d iscred it voices a nd thereb y suppla nting truth a nd a ccounta b ility. Wha t b etter ta ctic tha n to pla nt seed s of ha lf truth, peppered with fea r, in the conversa tion? Wea ve ha lf-truths in society, encumb er the ma sses with ra ucous informa tion a nd the purpose is a chieved : a society, communities sub limina lly, coercively stimula ted to emb ra ce na rra tives la id out for them, trig g ering pola riza tion, d issension.

The wheel of control, suprema cy ? unb rea ka b le!

Much ta lk revolves a round the elimina tion of violence. Ind eed , ta lk we must! Dia log ue is essentia l to keep the conversa tion g oing . Collecting a nd W hile pock et s of reason? d ocumenting d a ta ever so importa nt. Certa inly! But the advocacy and pools of na rra tive d oes need to evolve a s ha s b een the subversion can be wit nessed ca se with violence a nd online and off, it is oppression. These ha ve not just g rown multifold , b ut overshadowed by t he lik es of a lso evolved . Mod ern d a y cancel cult ure, performat ive violence is not just ta ng ib le, its potency lies in wok eness and organized its inta ng ib ility. It seeps throug h the very fa b ric of diversions. A spoonful of society, swa mps a nd then ent ert ainment wit h a dollop of terrorizes the collective a nd ind ivid ua l mind sets. devast at ion. Shock t herapy on

repeat O n the one ha nd , overwhelm with a b a rra g e of news a nd informa tion, b oth g enuine a nd fa ke, pola rizing comments a nd b ia sed opinions.

Juxta posed a re g lossy ima g es of celeb rity a nd enterta inment, d irty linen a nd tid b its of sord id g ossip -rea d y-ma d e d istra ctions, d oused with ?reflections?a nd inca nta tions reeking of d ysfunctiona l lib erta ria nism a nd privileg ed self-rig hteousness.

Content is king. Ind eed !

While pockets of rea son? a d voca cy a nd pools of sub version ca n b e witnessed online a nd off, it is oversha d owed b y the likes of ca ncel culture,performa tive wokeness a nd org a nized d iversions. A spoonful of enterta inment with a d ollop of d eva sta tion. Shock thera py on

Time to spell it out? over a nd over a g a in: ma n-ma d e/inflicted food insecurity, wa ter sca rcity, d efund ing or shutting d own multista kehold er org a niza tions focusing relief, ca nceling or vilifying huma n rig hts a d voca tes, murd ers a nd a tta cks on pea ceful protestors, child ren, the vulnera b le or not provid ing a d equa te ca re ? med ica l or otherwise ? to ma rg ina lized communities b eca use of their g end er, ca ste, ethnicity, relig ion or ra ce ? a ll of it a nd more fa ll in the a xis of violence? oppression? Evil! This need s no cla rity? no expla na tion. And yet, we move forth ? expla ining , d efend ing d a y a fter d a y, yea r a fter yea r.

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But most of a ll a nd a s ca n now b e witnessed complicitly or otherwise a re the horrors of impunity. While it ha s b een g oing on for centuries with the colonizers, ca pita lists ma sterfully ma neuvering their pa wns, king s a nd b ishops, even mod ifying la nd sca pes in the mid st, ca pita lizing on g eo-politica l pola riza tion; never wa s it a s insid iously overt a s it is now. From the sig ning of rockets, ea r-piercing silence over g enocid e to proxy wa rs a nd g oa d ing g ullib le jub ila tion on the streets over a short-lived , so-ca lled lib erty; impunity is the sta r-spa ng led , newfound method of suppression? persecution!

No long er d oes the notion ?you a re either with us or a g a inst us? sta nd ! It ha s b een repla ced b y a n intolera b le entitlement ? a licentious license to d ispense horror for power. Melkor a nd Ung olia nt! A pernicious performa nce pla yed out b y the ma ster who feed s a nd the ma levolent crea ture, ever hung ry? und eterred tha t d evours a nd lusts for more a nd more!

Ima g e b y d j2216 from Pixa b a y

There ha s not b een enoug h ta lk a b out one country?s entitled impunity, b ut ra ther d eca d es of pre-emptive rhetoric on the unconvincing pretext of d efense.

There ha ve b een too ma ny conversa tions a b out wha t one or a ny country must ha ve a nd must not ha ve, b a sed on its g eo-politica l positiona lity or its susceptib ility for plund er a nd pilla g e. News-crea tors a re seen la menting over the powerful ha ving ?no sta nda rds a t a ll?when it comes to impunity. Wa s there ever a sta nd a rd a nd tha t too for the powerful? Are we still tha t?

Na ïve? Blind ? O r b oth?

Life, la w a nd g overna nce, how these ha ve b een tra d itiona lly perceived , a re g a sping for their fina l b rea ths. For worse? For b etter?

The la st, ta ttered pieces of the

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shroud of illusion a re coming off ? fina lly! How oppression a nd impunity a re encountered , fa ced a nd d ea lt with will d etermine a nd sha pe the tra jectory of the world we live in ? the present a nd future includ ed . As voices g row strong er with fa ces unma sked a nd flimsy protections no long er d ig estib le, is it time to rea lize tha t the sla te need s to b e wiped clea n? Is it fina lly? fina lly time for reckoning ?

Sa bin Muza ffa r is the Founder & Executive Editor of Ana nkema g.com, a new media a nd development pla tform crea ting inclusive conversa tions in the digita l rea lm, la unched in 2014.

In 2021, she founded a nother initia tive, Ana nke?s Women in Litera ture Founda tion.

Possessing more tha n 26 yea rs of experience in print a nd digita l media , her pa st roles, a pa rt from her long spa nning interna tiona l journa listic ca reer, include being a UN Women?s Empower Women Globa l Cha mpion for Women?s Economic Empowerment a nd a mentor. She ha s mentored a nd tra ined 100+ girls from the Globa l South. Under her guida nce, Ana nke ha s been nomina ted twice by the World Summit on Informa tion Society Prizes (2019 & 2020) & is currently a Commitment Ma ker for the Actions Coa lition, Genera tion Equa lity. Sa bin ha s ha d the privilege of spea king a t numerous prestigious events on va rious pla tforms, high profile conferences a nd institutions including STEP Conference, UN Women, Journa lismAI Festiva l @ London School of Economics, Ca mbridge University, NYU Abu DHa bi, UCL a nd more.

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Ag a inst The Ca lculus of Sk in A nnie Z aidi

I a m tired of skin. I a m tired of the wa y women?s skin seem to swa llow up their kid neys, a orta s, pha la ng es. For a ll the spa ce ta ken up b y skin in pub lic d iscourse, it is a lmost a s if these other b its of us ha d nothing to d o with us b eing women.

concerned a b out how she?s viewed , they feel compelled to punish her. Some punish with ra pe, others b y perpetua ting a mora l b ina ry whereb y women a re split into whore/sa int. And I a m very, very tired of women ra tioning out their a llyship b a sed on skin so tha t some of us a re ca st to the wolves of ha ra ssment a nd b ig otry.

Skin. The la rg est a nd most vulnera b le org a n in the b od y. It protects us with no protection of Rea d er, I sa y, ?we?, a lthoug h I wa nt its own. At one time in history, to exclud e myself from this huma ns b eg a n to cover up skin reckoning . Still, I sa y ?we?b eca use with more la yers. Some scientists so ma ny women fa ll prey to one sug g est it wa s d uring the first ice form of ca teg orica l splitting or a g e, 180,000 yea rs a g o. the other. If it?s not the Clothing b roug ht us protection whore/sa int b ina ry, it?s the from cold , b ut a lso sun a nd ra in, oppressed /lib era ted one. Ca n from insect white women in b ites a nd Fra nce or Denma rk b ruising possib ly b elieve tha t g ra vel. Men a woma n who need ed it a s refuses to show her much a s fa ce d oes not women d id . d eserve to ea t? Do But ever since Ind ia n women a cross people b eg a n the spectrum of to rea d relig ious a ffilia tion Sk in. T he largest and g end ered (or even a theists) mea ning s into most vulnerable organ truly think tha t a clothing , it ha s woma n who keeps b eg un to mess in t he body. It prot ect s her neck a nd chest with our sense covered , ca nnot of justice. We us wit h no prot ect ion of a chieve fina ncia l ma ke a utonomy? Are you it s own. a ssumptions tha t b rown woma n a b out how who refuses to others, a ccept tha t there especia lly mig ht b e a kind of women, freed om in not d eserve to b e showing off your leg s trea ted b a sed or your clea va g e in on wha t pa rt of her skin ca n b e a culture tha t d ema nd s it of you? espied ? how low a sa ree ha ng s Do you sit a round ca lcula ting on her hips, how hig h the skirt, how much of a n ed uca tion, wha t whether or not her ea rs a nd neck job s, how much of a politica l a re covered ? a t wha t time of voice should b e a llowed to a d a y. And while I a m tired of men woma n b a sed on wha t who look a t a woma n?s knees a nd percenta g e of her skin is visib le? jump to the conclusion tha t she Ha nd s a nd a rms, elb ow d own, d esires sexua l cong ress, I a m oka y? Ankles, oka y? Should ers, thoroug hly sick of women who g rea t? Wa ist, ma nd a tory revea l? look a t a nother woma n in a b ikini a nd ca ll her a prostitute.

I a m sick of this ca lculus. The expecta tion of ma jorita ria n Those who sa y such thing s surely a ssimila tion often ma sks a wilful know in their hea rts tha t they?re b lind ness towa rd s the huma n wrong . They sa y those thing s strug g le to b a la nce ind ivid ua l a nywa y b eca use, if a woma n is circumsta nce a nd choice a g a inst neither within g ra sp nor cultura l norms, a nd nowhere is this 20

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b lind ness more insistently b e a ma tter of some concern tha t inscrib ed tha n upon the skins of g irls g o out in flimsy d resses with women. Yet, the mea ning s we b a re should ers or a tta ch to women?s d ecisions to semi-tra nspa rent stocking s while clothe themselves in pa rticula r their ma le collea g ues a nd wa ys a lmost a lwa ys turn out to cla ssma tes a re in suits tha t a re b e wrong if only we would b other entirely clima te a ppropria te. to look closer. An ima g e tha t b roug ht me up short recently wa s a representa tion of St Hild of Whitb y in the Durha m Ca thed ra l.

At first g la nce, I thoug ht it wa s it a pa inting of a n Ira nia n or South Asia n woma n in a cha d or. Ind eed , b ut for the sa int?s na me written on the pa inting , a nyone would ha ve thoug ht so. I found myself wond ering how people mig ht b e St H ild of W hit by in t he D urham C at hedral. impa cted b y the pa inting with or without the na me.

How d oes our response cha ng e, There is clea r med ica l evid ence knowing tha t it is not a tha t cold wea ther increa ses the present-d a y Muslim woma n, b ut a risk of hea rt a tta cks a nd med ieva l Christia n sa int who increa ses b lood pressure. d ressed tha t wa y? Would the Tempera tures of 10 d eg rees C a vera g e white woma n looking a t ca n impa ct the lung s, hea rt a nd tha t pa inting think of St Hild a s b ra in. When the journa list Ja mes oppressed or sub servient to a ny Ga lla g her wa s invited b y d octors morta l ma n? to experience these impa cts, he reported tha t, once tempera tures fa ll b elow 18 d eg rees C, Anyone who is fa milia r more tha n va soconstriction sets in a nd this five contempora ry Muslim women ha ppens even more quickly for who cover their hea d s, is b ound women. Med ica l d octors a lso to know tha t they a re not a ffirmed tha t in the cold , the necessa rily orthod ox in their b lood b ecomes ?a b it like trea cle? b eliefs, nor a re they ea sily a nd tha t cold ca n b e more controlled b y the men in their d ea d ly tha n hea t. Women?s b od y lives. And we a ll a lso know women tempera tures a re, b y a nd la rg e, who d ress in b a ckless tops or lower tha n men?s. Women feel the shorts, who a re controlled b y men cold more, a nd yet, so ma ny a nd b y a culture tha t controls women in cold clima tes continue them to the d etriment of their to wea r less. So, why d o women physica l a nd menta l hea lth. The g o a b out in flimsy d resses in a b ortion la ws in the USA a re 10-d eg ree wea ther? Ha ve they testa ment to this b rute rea lity, a nd swa llowed whole the myth tha t a simila rly repressive d iscourse is they a re their skins a nd tha t their b uild ing up in other more ?free? hea rts, b ra ins, b lood a re not Western na tions. In the UK, I often vita l? Why d o university stud ents, find myself ma rvelling a t g irls a nd sub wa y workers, perha ps even women who expose their limb s in those who work in med ica l freezing wea ther a nd , wond ering professions g o a long with ha rmful a b out their compulsions. While I cultura l expecta tions? And how a pprecia te their freed om to d ress a re women who d o not sub scrib e a s they plea se, it seems to me to to these cultura l norms mea nt to

interpret this scene? Is this prog ressive b eha viour?

fa iled . O n the other ha nd , there ha ve b een times when women a re forcib ly stripped to show them their ?pla ce?. But whether it is throug h resisting exposure or using exposure a s a tool of sha me, women ha ve risked their b od ies. Women?s collective history of scra pping a nd fig hting d efines them much b etter tha n ind ivid ua l choice of clothing . Still, the g lob a l d iscourse continues to focus on their clothes a nd a d omina nt view preva ils tha t we oug ht to g a ug e their power or d isempowerment b a sed on their willing ness to show more of their skin.

Since the Covid -19 pa nd emic, it ha s b ecome pa infully a ppa rent tha t people would ra ther risk d ea th tha n cha ng e entrenched cultura l ha b its. The Western world ha s now seen tha t it is possib le to tea ch, to stud y, to sit exa ms a nd contrib ute vita l services to society with fa ces not b eing visib le. Perha ps it is precisely this rea lisa tion tha t ha s ma d e them rush to und o ma sking rules so quickly. It a ppea rs to me tha t there is a b ig g er fea r tha t people mig ht lose d omina nt Western cultura l a ssumptions For yea rs now, photos of Afg ha n a b out women in the 1970s prog ressive Vs ha ve circula ted on oppressive socia l med ia , a s if to d ressing , tha n sug g est tha t, W het her it is t hrough there is a b out b eca use those few people losing women were resist ing exposure or their hea lth. photog ra phed in using exposure as a t ool Could it b e mini-skirts, thing s tha t people were g rea t for of shame, women have a re a ctua lly women in g enera l a t willing to g o the time. The context risk ed t heir bodies. throug h their of the ima g e?s W omen?s collect ive whole lives circula tion is, of insisting upon hist ory of scrapping and course, the cultura l d ecima tion of fight ing defines t hem b lind ness ? a women?s freed oms wilful refusa l to und er the Ta lib a n much bet t er t han see reg ime. However, a n veiled /ma sked invisib le und ercurrent individual choice of huma ns a s just of mea ning running clot hing. people who throug h such photos a re d oing their is tha t freed om b est to sta y equa ls Western a live? clothing norms. There a re no photos circula ted of women who ha d led politica l ra llies in the 1970s a nd 80s, ma ny The most exha usting thing a b out of whom mig ht ha ve b een a ll of this is tha t we a lrea d y know wea ring Ea stern outfits, or they how to think a b out this stuff. We mig ht ha ve b een in b la ck know tha t women a nd men use cha d ors. La tely, simila r ima g es of their skins to send out politica l women in Syria ha ve b een messa g es. All over the world , circula ting a nd , a s writer O ma r people ha ve shed clothes in a id Dod a wryly rema rked on X, ?the of their principles, or to sha me b est ind ica tor if the US is g oing their g overnments. The d ifference to b omb a pla ce is when ima g es is, when men strip to their circula te of its women in the und erwea r in protest, they a re not 1970s.? d escrib ed a s prostitutes. Women in Ind ia too ha ve stripped in protest, often a s a la st resort, Rea d er, I a m specta cula rly tired when leg a l a venues for of jud g ing the qua lity of a protection a g a inst ra pe or d owry woma n?s life b a sed on whether ha ra ssment a ppea r to ha ve 22

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she wa nted to pull on a pa ir of fla red jea ns in the 1970s. I rea lly d on?t ca re whether they wea r jea ns in Da ma scus, or whether they wea r b urqa s to the b ea ch in Ma ng a lore. I d o ca re tha t they d on?t g et sunstroke or chilb la ins. I ca re tha t they ha ve plentiful food a nd wa ter, clea n a ir a nd med icines. I ca re tha t we control our own money a nd our womb s. I ca re tha t we?re fa iling ourselves b y b uying into the d omina nt othering impulse within our own cultures. I ca re a b out how to shut up those who wa nt to sna tch our freed oms, how to d evelop steely nerves to d ea l with the b a ckla sh.

And I long for the d a y when our a orta s a nd a rteries, our eyes a nd ea rs will d omina te the pub lic d iscourse, ra ther tha n our skins.

Annie Za idi is a bilingua l writer a nd current doctora l schola r (Crea tive Writing) a t Durha m University.Her current doctora l resea rch is focused on the embodiment of ?witches?in contempora ry South Asia n litera ture.Shewon the interna tiona l Nine Dots Prize (2019) for crea tive thinking tha t ta ckles contempora ry societa l issues. Her prize-winning essa y a bout conceptions of home a nd identity wa s developed intoBrea d, Cement, Ca ctus: A memoir of belonging a nd disloca tion(CUP, 2020).She received the Ta ta Litera ture Live Awa rd for fiction (2020) for Prelude to a Riot, which wa s a lso shortlisted for the JCB prize the sa me yea r.

Her published novella s include The comeba ck (forthcoming, Aleph 2025),City of Incident (Aleph) a ndGula b(Ha rperCollins India ).Gula bha s a lso a da pted into a film, directed by Sa njoy Na g (forthcoming). O ther works include a collection of short storiesLove Stories # 1to14, a nd a collection of essa ysBa ntering with Ba ndits a nd O ther True Ta les(reissued with a new introduction in 2023).

She is the editor ofUnbound: 2000 Yea rs of India n Women's Writing, a nd ha s co-a uthored (with Smriti Ra vindra ) the inter-genre collection The Good India n Girl.She a lso won the The Hindu Pla ywright Awa rd (2018) for her dra ma script Untitled 1.Her ra dio scriptJa mwa s na med regiona l (South Asia ) winner for the BBC?s Interna tiona l Pla ywriting Competition (2011).She ha s written a nd directed the documenta ry film tra cing the litera ry history of India n women:In her words: The journey of India n women,a nd ha s a lso written multiple short films including the story for the multi-a wa rd winning short,Two Wa y Street(directed by Asmit Pa tha re).

Her body of work tha t spa ns multiple genres including non-fiction, fiction, sta ge a nd film scripts, poetry a nd gra phic storytelling, a nd ha s a ppea red in severa l a nthologies a nd litera ry journa ls including Wa sa firi, Ma ssa chusetts Review, Portside Review, The Cha rles River Journa l (Boston), Anti Serious, The Aleph Review,The Missing Sla te,O ut of Print,a ndGriffith Review.She tra ined a s a journa list a nd ha s published essa ys a nd columns in severa l ma ga zines a nd websites, includingCa ra va n, Republica (Ita ly), Griffith Review (Austra lia ), Frontline, The Hindu, Scroll.in, BBC Hindi, O utlook, Mint Lounge, First Post, DNA, O pen, Elle, GQ India a nd Conde Na st Tra veller.

New a nd forthcoming in 2025: Za idi?s forthcoming novella (title to be fina lised) is a light-hea rted ca per tha t na viga tes friendship a nd the perils a nd plea sures of a life devoted to ma king thea tre in sma ll town India .

A new Ma ra thi tra nsla tion ofBrea d, Cement, Ca ctus: A memoir of belonging a nd disloca tionha s recently been published, a nd a Ma la ya la m tra nsla tion is a lso on the a nvil.

Image by justtraveling from Pixabay

(Untitled) 2 a.m . I close the w indow. Shut out the night. Look aw ay fr om the dar k . Ther e?s m or e in this r oom . It?s har d to decide w hich ter r or is m or e beautiful, w hich beauty m or e fr ightful. The night inside my m ind or the one outside. One is m alleable, w hatever exists ther e can fall, dissolve, subject to my w ill, and that?s alr ight because ther e?s no thr eat. Nebulous, intangible, w ithout a fr action of im por tance, a r andom conclave inside my head, w ho w ould car e w hat happens ther e, w hat glor y, w hat cr eation, w hat destr uction. W hile ther e?s concr ete in the standing str ength w e call r eal, cer tainty in the night w her e w e lean our bodily w eight outside these w indow s, quiet at this hour , these tr ees, these gar dens. This w indow itself, the buildings w e build into the sky. Doesn?t m atter how pr ecar ious, doesn?t m atter that w e?ve seen them cr um ble quicker than an atom of thought. To live in a tim e w hen one half of the w or ld is tilted, sliding into extinction, disappear ance. To m ove in and out of this r eality.

Som ew her e at this tim e, night is not a luxur y. Ther e is a place far aw ay and not too far , w her e night is the only light ther e is. A r eddened black . The m ind im plodes upon itself.

That?s how incom pr ehension w or ks. But only for a w hile.

W hen it w akes, it begins to m ove of its ow n accor d, fir ed by a m echanism follow ing instr uctions fr om a dr eam . It?ll never sleep again.

The night hangs still. Stillness is my illusion. I?m still her e, the w ay I w as last year , asking the sam e questions.W ho will speak for them? W ho speaks, who speaks at all?

We w r ite the w ay w e live, and w e w r ite the w ay w e speak and don?t speak . Wor ds gather up behind my tongue, a dar k r iver , coiled, seeking a differ ent outlet on my body.

Language, I?m not fam iliar w ith the w ay other s do it. Their scr abble of w or ds, w ir es m eshed in their ow n gr ey static, accents clicked by teeth. This, I w on?t call this English. This is not my language. I don?t have a language, the ones that could?ve been m ine hang in thin air , str ands w r aithing

thr ough my gr asp. I com e to this language loaded w ith landscape. Ther e w ill be air am ong sentences. Tr ees standing betw een w or ds. Fr equent silences because I?m looking ar ound fr om side to side, testing the ear th beneath this punctuation.

4 a.m . I?m not the only one aw ake. Roads never r est. But ther e?s no com for t in the thought. I close my eyes to their ghostly com pany. Far aw ay, the gr ey haze of car s r ushing, scr atching up and dow n the night. They never stop.

Sleepless w ayfar er s. The loneliness in that w or d, a cold w hite ache in my teeth. Go hom e. Please. Let ther e be a hom e.

Positions don?t change. Still w atching that constr uction site, still ther e, tw o str eets ahead of m e. Wor k takes tim e.

Paused in constr uction. Poised in cr eation. If only building som ething didn?t take this long. I w ish those r oom s w ould fill. I w ish the gaping black w ould disappear. I have a choice to look aw ay, but I don?t. Those loom ing r oom s, those hollow ed spaces, a hom e for the invisible. Us, in pr ocess, gr avity in context. Gr avity one day doing w hat it?s alr eady doing, sw inging back against the gr eat backdr op. How m any tim es do w e r em em ber the sky is behind us, how m any tim es do w e r ealize w e?r e standing w hile w e?r e falling. Falling back into the sky.

Invar iably falling. This is gr avity too, my voice this str ange w ild or gan, this str ange tender or gan m oving out of m e, my lungs, my hear t being pulled, sending som ething out, a letter soft as flesh dr ifting on the night.

W ith w ater , so m uch w ater. All this em ission. Wr iting is a for m of dying too. Ther e w ill be a tim e for poetr y again.

But not tonight. Not tonight.

Ta iba Abba s is a n a uthor, publisher, a nd a ca demic. Born in Pa kista n, a nd ra ised in Ita ly, she holds a Ma ster?s degree in Compa ra tive Litera ture from SO AS, University of London. Her books include The Night In Her Ha ir(2022), a nd Who Will Spea k For The Men O f Ga za ?(2024).This piece is a n exclusive extra ct from her upcoming work.

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Beyond Word s: T he C omplexit y of Silence Sabyn Javeri 26

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In my feminism cla ss a t NYUAD, I tea ch a n essa y titled "Just Stop" b y Eg yptia n photojourna list Ema n Hila l. Ea ch semester, it elicits a powerful rea ction from my first-yea r stud ents. They a re often shocked a nd sometimes even d isg usted upon lea rning a b out Hila l?s choice to rema in silent a b out her experience of sexua l ha ra ssment d uring a field a ssig nment, where she wa s the only fema le journa list.

to "spea k up," "use your voice," a nd "tell your story," silence is frequently fra med a s a b etra ya l? of oneself, one?s community, or the b roa d er fig ht for justice. Tod a y, the va loriza tion of speech, pa rticula rly for women a nd minorities, is seen a s the ultima te a ct of d efia nce a g a inst oppressive structures. However, there is inherent va lue? a nd often a profound necessity? in choosing silence, not a s a n a ct of pa ssivity, b ut a s a d elib era te a ssertion of a g ency.

Hila l?s motiva tion for this d ecision wa s clea r: if she spoke out, she would n?t b ring the perpetra tor to For women a nd minorities, the a ct justice; instea d , she would of spea king ha s long b een jeopa rd ize entwined with future surviva l. Aud re opportunities Lord e?s iconic for other fema le sta tement, ?Your journa lists. She silence will not For women and minorit ies, protect you,? und erstood tha t spea king psula ted a n t he act of speak ing has long enca up would likely era when silence lea d to ted to been ent wined wit h survival. equa victim-b la ming complicity, a nd a nd possib ly to find ing voice A udre Lorde?s iconic her b eing mea nt recla iming confined for her st at ement , ?Your silence will power. But a s the "own d iscourse a round not prot ect you,? protection." By ra d ica l socia l choosing med ia a ctivism encapsulat ed an era when g rows loud er a nd silence, she resisted the the silence equat ed t o na rra tive? one a cknowled g ment tha t often ring s of intersectiona lity complicit y, and finding true? tha t shrinks, the pub lic spa ces impera tive to voice meant reclaiming a re unsa fe for spea k up ca n feel power. women. Her less like a intent wa s not lib era tion a nd d efea tism b ut a more like a n d esire to ob lig a tion. norma lize the presence of women journa lists in the field . She b elieved tha t if Ag reed , tha t movements like enoug h women ventured out, it # MeToo inspire the tra nsforma tive would red uce the likelihood of power of spea king out. Throug h it, a ny one of them fa cing simila r survivors of sexua l ha ra ssment situa tions a lone. Thus, she a nd a ssa ult b roke long -held rema ined silent a b out her a ssa ult silences, exposing systemic a b uses while encoura g ing other women a nd hold ing powerful ind ivid ua ls to step forwa rd a nd cla im their a ccounta b le. Yet, for every spa ce. survivor who chose to spea k, countless others opted for silence? not out of wea kness or It often ta kes time for my stud ents complicity, b ut for to g ra sp tha t silence ca n a lso b e self-preserva tion, priva cy, or the a n a ct of feminist resista nce. In a fea r of b a ckla sh. Ta ke the ca se of society tha t cha mpions the ca lls Misha Sha fi, a fa mous Pa kista ni

sing er who fa ced a hug e b a ckla sh of victim b la ming when she spoke up a g a inst sexua l ha ra ssment. Misha wa s strong enoug h to follow it to the courts b ut there were ma ny others who d id not ha ve the fa mily support to d o so. This is not to d iscoura g e women from spea king out, b ut to not jud g e those whose circumsta nces prevent them from d oing so. In the end everyone?s situa tion is d ifferent a nd a ll we ca n d o is honour their silence instea d of hold ing it a g a inst them.

The risks of spea king out a re not hypothetica l; they a re rea l, ta ng ib le, a nd punitive. Recently, stud ents in the United Sta tes fa ced a rrests for protesting a g a inst the Pa lestinia n g enocid e a nd Isra eli huma n rig hts a b uses, hig hlig hting the preca riousness of free speech. The irony is sta rk: while society celeb ra tes the coura g e of spea king out, it punishes those who cha lleng e d eeply entrenched systems of power.

But wha t of those who wa nt to spea k yet find themselves una b le?

In a system where surviva l d epend s on complicity? where mortg a g es, stud ent loa ns, a nd school fees tether ind ivid ua ls to structures they mig ht otherwise critique? silence b ecomes less a choice a nd more a necessity.

Spea king out in such contexts ca n risk not just professiona l repercussions b ut the very sta b ility of one?s fa mily a nd future of those who d epend on them. In such a ca se ca n we rea lly ca ll their silence selfish?

It?s importa nt to rememb er tha t, silence, in this context, b ecomes more tha n self-preserva tion? it b ecomes a form of stra teg y.

Choosing not to spea k ca n b e a wa y to preserve sta b ility while find ing quieter, less visib le wa ys to resist. For some, this mig ht involve fina ncia lly supporting movements or ed uca ting their child ren to cha lleng e the very 28

systems they ca nnot. For others, silence mig ht mea n b uild ing networks of solid a rity a wa y from the pub lic eye. For Hila l, it wa s ta king on the pa in so she could crea te spa ce for others to hea l.

This refra mes silence not a s selfishness b ut a s a kind of complex coura g e? one tha t a cknowled g es the constra ints of complicity while refusing to a b a nd on the la rg er socia l g oa ls of justice. O nes tha t require us to think in more complica ted wa ys, a cknowled g ing the intersectiona lity of people?s id entities a nd ind ivid ua l circumsta nces of g end er, cla ss a nd g eog ra phies.

If there is one thing tha t my stud ents a nd I ta ke a wa y from a na lyzing Hila l?s essa y, it?s tha t living within systems of oppression often mea ns b ecoming enta ng led in them. From pa ying mortg a g es to fund ing child ren?s ed uca tion, everyd a y a cts of surviva l ca n b ind ind ivid ua ls to structures they mig ht wish to d isma ntle. This complicity is not a mora l fa iling b ut a reflection of systemic power: to survive in these systems is to d epend on them.

The emotiona l toll of this complicity is profound . The d esire to spea k up cla shes with the rea lities of job security, fina ncia l ob lig a tions, a nd fa milia l responsib ilities. Ma ny feel the weig ht of this contra d iction? a wa re of their role within the system b ut powerless to extrica te themselves from it without immense persona l a nd communa l risk.

Yet even within this enta ng lement, silence ca n hold mea ning . It ca n sig nify the recog nition of one?s limita tions while striving to crea te a b etter world for those who follow. Silence ca n b e a pa use? a moment to reg roup, stra teg ize, a nd a ct when the sta kes a lig n more fa vora b ly. For a ny thinking person, not spea king up a g a inst the g enocid e in Pa lestine, or the ethnic clea nsing of the Ba loch in

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Pa kista n, the a trocities a g a inst Ka shmiris in Ind ia , the Rohing ya s in Burma , wa r tha t Ukra inia ns a re fig hting , the wa r a g a inst the women in Afg ha nista n or Ira n or a g a inst women?s b od ies in western d emocra cies like the US, Bra zil or Pola nd whether it is the rig ht to choose a b ortion or the rig ht to choose wha t to wea r, there is a profound sense of frustra tion. And the weig ht of self-censorship involved in sta ying silent a g a inst so much injustice in the world .But, ultima tely, the question of whether to spea k or to rema in silent is d eeply persona l a nd contextua l.

hig hlig hting the fra ug ht d yna mics of voice a nd a uthority. While her a ctions were intend ed to correct a nd uphold respect, they a lso ina d vertently replica ted the very structures of exclusion a nd d omina nce she critiques in her work. This incid ent remind s us of the complexities of voice a nd silence? how power opera tes not only in wha t is spoken b ut a lso in who is permitted to spea k a nd ?when?.

As Hila l?s essa y remind s us, the expecta tion to spea k up ca n itself b e oppressive. Sometimes, the most ra d ica l a ct is For some, voice is a to stop? to tool for immed ia te refuse the a ction; for others, performa nce, For some, voice is a t ool for reject the silence is a wa y to end ure a nd resist in specta cle, immediat e act ion; for less visib le wa ys. a nd hold Beca use resista nce s energ y ot hers, silence is a way t o one? ca n ta ke the form of for when it nurturing future ma tters most. endure and resist in less a ctivists, quietly The cha lleng e b uild ing a lterna tive is to red efine visible ways. Because systems, or simply silence not a s surviving within resist ance can t ak e t he form surrend er b ut structures d esig ned as a of nurt uring fut ure act ivist s, d elib era te to crush d issent.

Who a re we to a nd throw the first stone? quiet ly building alt ernat ive mea ning ful ct. In this syst ems, or simply surviving arefra ming , silence is no At the sa me time, wit hin st ruct ures designed long er a n the pressure to a b sence b ut spea k ca n t o crush dissent . a presence. pa ra d oxica lly replica te the very systems of power it seeks to d isma ntle.

I know tha t for Ga ya tri Spiva k?s semina l essa y ma ny this ma y come a cross a s a ?Ca n the Sub a ltern Spea k? cop out or a n a ct of cowa rd ice. a d d resses this tension, exploring I?m not here to prea ch. Wha t I try how systems of knowled g e to tea ch in my cla ssroom is tha t prod uction often rend er silence is not a lwa ys a fa ilure of ma rg ina lized voices unintellig ib le coura g e b ut a recog nition of the within d omina nt fra meworks. complexity of living within? a nd Spiva k a rg ues tha t even when cha lleng ing ? a world tha t sub a lterns spea k, their voices a re d ema nd s complicity for surviva l. often co-opted , misund erstood , or Silence, then, is not the opposite d ismissed b y those in power. of voice. It is a surviva l mecha nism, a nd a seed for future Ironica lly, Spiva k herself ha s b een resista nce. implica ted in a cts of silencing .

Recently, a t a colleg e ca mpus in Ind ia , she silenced a ma le stud ent In writing this I a m not who repea ted ly mispronounced a a d voca ting silence a g a inst the na me d uring a d iscussion,

a trocities the world is currently In na vig a ting this b a la nce, we fa cing . But questioning why mig ht rememb er Hila l?s plea to just spea king up b y minorities stop. Stop d ema nd ing , stop b ecomes the only mea sure of their consuming , stop jud g ing a nd solid a rity. Yes, there a re those who stop a ssuming tha t every silence ha ve the privileg e a nd the is a surrend er. In d oing so, we pla tform to spea k out a nd only replica te the sa me structures cha lleng e, a nd ind eed , they of victim b la ming b y shifting should b e held a ccounta b le. O r responsib ility a wa y from those in those who use ha te speech to power to those who a re only too d ra w a ttention a wa y from the a wa re of their own powerlessness. ca rna g es of politica l a nd Silence is not merely the a b sence persona l violence- such people of speech b ut a complex a nd should b e ca lled out. But a t the often misund erstood form of sa me time there a re those who a g ency. As Reb ecca Solnit writes ha ve d epend ents, or ind ivid ua l in The Mother of All Q uestions, circumsta nces tha t prevent them ?Silence ca n b e a pla n, rig orously from spea king out- b ut d oes tha t executed , the b lueprint to a life. It ma ke them is a presence; it complicit? For ha s a history them it is not By holding space for silence, a nd a sha pe. possib le to Silence ca n b e openly cond emn we honor t he diverse ways a form of protest, the violence refusa l to offer resist ance manifest s. N ot aword without risking s tha t b eing fired or leg itimize every act of defiance d eported or For a rrested a nd lose requires a microphone or a injustice.?

Hila l, silence wa s wha tever little precisely tha t: a megaphone, and Inst agram d ifference they pla n, a protest, a re a b le to ma ke post or a T ik Tok ; some a nd a vision for in their current where positions. Such require t he quiet endurance aherfuture voice would people on the not b e a n of individuals lik e H ilal, fring es a re only exception b ut too a wa re tha t who refuse t o let t heir pain pa rt of a their voice ma kes little d ifference in derail t he larger fight for collective roa r. the la rg er scheme just ice. A s Toni M orrison of thing s a nd sa d ly it is on them once said, ?T he funct ion of By hold ing spa ce for tha t the pressure to use their ?voice? freedom is t o free someone silence, we honor the d iverse wa ys fa lls on the most. resista nce else.?

Some b a ttles a re ma nifests. Not won with word s; every a ct of d efia nce requires a others, with the refusa l to g ive microphone or a meg a phone, them. The cha lleng e, then, is not a nd Insta g ra m post or a Tik Tok; simply to find one?s voice b ut to some require the quiet end ura nce d ecid e when to use it? a nd when of ind ivid ua ls like Hila l, who refuse to hold it close. to let their pa in d era il the la rg er fig ht for justice. As Toni Morrison once sa id , ?The function of Ultima tely, it?s not their silence tha t freed om is to free someone else.? should b e questioned b ut the Hila l?s silence wa s her wa y of loud voices of those in power wield ing her freed om? not to who crea te institutiona lized shield herself b ut to crea te spa ce structures of self-censorship. In for others to step forwa rd . tod a y?s world it is no long er a question of ?Ca n the Sub a ltern Spea k??b ut ?Ca n the Sub a ltern In tea ching this essa y to my Survive?? stud ents, Ia m not trying to roma nticize silence or g lorify 30

suffering b ut to remind them tha t the pa th to justice is neither linea r nor universa l. It is messy, conting ent, a nd d eeply persona l.

Silence a nd Speech a re not opposites; they a re tools, ea ch wield ed a ccord ing to the need s of the moment a nd the constra ints of circumsta nce.

Fina lly, wha t Hila l?s essa y tea ches us is tha t resista nce ta kes ma ny forms. Sometimes, it is the quiet resolve to sta y a nd fig ht a nother d a y. Sometimes, it is the loud , unrelenting cry for justice. And sometimes, it is the ra d ica l a ct of choosing when? a nd how? to b rea k the silence. As Bell Hooks wrote, ?True resista nce b eg ins with people confronting pa in? a nd wa nting to d o something to cha ng e it.? Whether throug h silence or speech, the g oa l rema ins the sa me: to d isrupt, to cha lleng e, a nd , ultima tely, to tra nsform.

Sa byn Ja veri is Senior Lecturer of Writing, Litera ture & Crea tive Writing a t New York University, Abu Dha bi. She is the a uthor of 'Hija bista n' (Ha rper Collins: 2019) a nd the novel 'Nobody Killed Her' (Ha rper Collins: 2017) a nd ha s initia ted a nd edited two multilingua l a nthologies of student writing titled, 'The Arzu Anthology of Student Voices' (Vol I & II. HUP: 2019, 2018). Her writing ha s been widely a nthologized a nd published in the South Asia n Review, London Ma ga zine, Litro, Journa l of Commonwea lth Litera ture, Wa sa firi, O xonia n Review, Trespa ss, a nd World Litera ture, a mongst other publica tions, a nd she writes a monthly column for 3Q ua rks Da ily on gender a nd identity. She ha s a MSt from the University of O xford a nd a PhD from the University of Leicester. Her resea rch interests include tra nscultura l feminism, South Asia n litera ture, inclusive peda gogy a nd crea tive writing.

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Reclaiming Ang er N ilanjana Bhowmick 32

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Ang er is a powerful emotion, a nd perha ps why it ha s historica lly b een d enied to women. It ha s b een (a nd continues to b e) a ma le privileg e. Women hesita te to show their a ng er pub licly b eca use they ha ve b een cond itioned to b elieve tha t a ng er is unb ecoming , a cha ra cter fla w. Unla d ylike.

However, the sa me a ng er find s a d ifferent connota tion when it comes to men. Then a ng er is ma cho, a sig n of power a nd a uthority; something to b e a d mired . From child hood , women a re ta ug ht to suppress a ng er, to swa llow it, to b ury it d eep within.Could you not show it in

wa s simila rly not for them. The only option a va ila b le to them throug hout the centuries wa s silence? a nd they a re no long er choosing it.

The script ha s flipped over the la st d eca d e or so. Women who sta yed a wa y from owning their a ng er a s power a re now joining protests, lea d ing d emonstra tions, g ra b b ing microphones, a nd screa ming d own the pa tria rchy.

They a re letting their a ng er school them, g uid e them, a nd fuel their d ema nd for equa lity.

For too long , women

For cent uries, most women have followed t his script , expressing t heir rage only in privat e, mask ing t heir fury wit h smiles and silence. Pat riarchy weaponized t his narrat ive. Feminist s were port rayed as angry, man-hat ing women. T he warning was clear?don?t be lik e t hem. D on?t mak e a public show of your anger.

D on?t prot est . D on?t speak t oo loudly. A nger is not for women.

public?Ang ry women a re la b elled hysterica l a nd ?unla d ylike?.

For centuries, most women ha ve followed this script, expressing their ra g e only in priva te, ma sking their fury with smiles a nd silence.

Pa tria rchy wea ponized this na rra tive. Feminists were portra yed a s a ng ry, ma n-ha ting women. The wa rning wa s clea r? d on?t b e like them. Don?t ma ke a pub lic show of your a ng er. Don?t protest. Don?t spea k too loud ly. Ang er is not for women. Thus, feminism wa s a lso not for most women. Dema nd ing equa lity or protesting injustices

compromised . They a d justed . They sta yed silent to preserve the sma ll pockets of ind epend ence they were a llowed . But silence ha s a cost. Ang er, when suppressed , d oes not d isa ppea r. It sits in the hea rt like a stone, hea vy a nd immova b le.

I know this a ng er. It ha s lived within me for yea rs. Growing up in a pa tria rcha l society, I lea rned to swa llow my ra g e, compromise, a d just, a nd hold onto the sma ll victories pa tria rchy g rud g ing ly offered . Ang er ca nnot b e ig nored forever, b ut it a lso d id not b elong in the na rra tive we g rew into,

either. Till it d id .

Severa l yea rs a g o, I stood a t a protest in New Delhi. The crowd wa s young , fea rless, d efia nt. Fists punched the a ir. Voices rose in unison, rig hteous a nd loud . I stood a wkwa rd ly, ob serving . Then a young woma n smiled , took my ha nd , a nd pulled me into the huma n cha in they were forming . I hesita ted . I wa s there to write, not to protest. But I could n?t step a wa y. I screa med slog a ns. I held ha nd s with colleg e-g oing young women whose coura g e left me b rea thless. At tha t moment, I felt my a ng er b elong ed . I lea rned something essentia l: a ng er, when sha red , ha s the power to tra nsform.

This is the a g e of a ng er. It is ra w, una polog etic, a nd unstoppa b le.

The 21st century ha s g iven women new tools for their ra g e: socia l med ia , pub lic protests, a nd collective a ction. Across the world , women a re ta king to the streets, turning their fury into a force for cha ng e. O ne simple question ? ?If not now, then when?? ? ha s ig nited a g lob a l movement. Women a re rising , d ema nd ing justice, equa lity, a nd d ig nity.

In India, more women have t ak en t o t he st reet s in t he last decade t han ever before In Ind ia , the rise of pub lic a ng er a mong women ca n b e tra ced b a ck to 2012. The g a ng ra pe of a young stud ent in Delhi spa rked protests a cross the na tion.

Women poured into the streets, united b y their fury a nd d ema nd ing justice. It wa s one of the first times in the la st d eca d e tha t women ha d ta ken to the streets in la rg e numb ers, una fra id to express their ra g e in pub lic.

The d emonstra tions b roug ht ord ina ry women out to the streets, includ ing stud ents a nd homema kers, ma ny of whom would never ha ve thoug ht they would 34

b e shouting slog a ns in pub lic b efore this moment.

Ind ia n women ha ve continued to fig ht. They protested in 2018 a fter the g a ng ra pe a nd murd er of a n eig ht-yea r-old g irl in Ka thua . They ma rched in Unna o when a minor g irl a ccused a n MLA of ra pe. They formed a 300-mile huma n cha in in Kera la in 2019, d efend ing their rig ht to enter the Sa b a rima la temple a fter centuries of exclusion. In Sha heen Ba g h, housewives turned their neig hb ourhood into a centre of resista nce a g a inst the Citizenship (Amend ment) Act (CAA), which d iscrimina ted a g a inst Muslims. In 2021, women fa rmers stood a t the forefront of one of Ind ia ?s la rg est protests, d ema nd ing the repea l of exploita tive fa rm la ws.

These were not a ctivists. They were ord ina ry women. Ang ry.

Determined .

A G lobal Phenomenon This a ng er is not confined to Ind ia . Across the g lob e, women a re rising in their ra g e. In 2018 in Spa in, thousa nd s ma rched in purple t-shirts with b a nners rea d ing , ?For Those Who Are Not With Us? a nd ?Justice.? In Ista nb ul, women cha nted , ?We a re not silent, we a re not wea k, we a re not ob eying .?

The sa me yea r, in South Korea , some 70,000 women d emonstra ted , hold ing pla ca rd s rea d ing , ?My life is not your porn,? protesting the epid emic of hid d en ca mera s tha t viola ted their priva cy. In Chile, schoolg irls a nd stud ents ma rched a g a inst institutiona l sexism on colleg e ca mpuses a nd schools.

Around the sa me time, in Nepa l, women d ressed in b la ck g a thered to d ema nd stricter la ws a g a inst ra pe; in Bra zil, they ra llied und er the b a nner # EleNa o, d enouncing then-frontrunner presid entia l ca nd id a te Ja ir Bolsona ro, a

35

lea d er who justified the g end er wa g e g a p a nd trivia lised women?s rig hts. In South Africa , women ma rched to Pa rlia ment und er the ?Tota l Shutd own? movement, d ema nd ing a ction a g a inst violence.

In Fra nce, the # NousToutes movement b roug ht feminist g roups tog ether, pushing for strong er mea sures a g a inst d omestic violence. In 2020, in Mexico, women d ecla red a ?d a y without women,? refusing to work or pa rticipa te in pub lic life to hig hlig ht their ind ispensa b le role

T his anger was not confined t o H ollywood. It swept across professions, geographies, and social st rat a, highlight ing t he pervasive nat ure of gendered abuse. In India, t he movement t ook root in 20 18, exposing predat ors in fields ranging from polit ics t o journalism. W hile t he accused fight t heir bat t les in court , t he movement irrevocably shift ed t he conversat ion. in society.

Women a re locking a rms a cross the world . In Portla nd , mothers formed a huma n b a rrier to protect protesters d uring Bla ck Lives Ma tter d emonstra tions. In Mexico, mothers of the d isa ppea red ma rch with photos of their child ren, comb ing ma ss g ra ves in sea rch of a nswers.

These protests a re not isola ted ; they a re interconnected b y a sha red fury. From the streets of Sa ntia g o to the villa g es of Ind ia ,

women a re turning their ra g e into resista nce. They a re no long er sa tisfied with incrementa l cha ng e.

They wa nt a systemic overha ul, a nd they a re prepa red to fig ht for it. Ang er is the threa d tha t unites these movements, a ra w a nd potent force tha t d ema nd s a ttention.

Ang er is not new. But for the first time, women a re owning it a s their power.

H ow M eToo U nit ed t he W orld?s W omen The # MeToo movement b eca me a g lob a l eruption of a ng er, uniting women in 85 countries a nd spa rking a n unpreced ented wa ve of a ctivism. Wha t b eg a n a s a phra se coined b y U.S. a ctivist Ta ra na Burke to support survivors of sexua l a ssa ult a nd ha ra ssment explod ed into a full-throa ted cry for justice in 2017. When a ctress Alyssa Mila no tweeted # MeToo to ca ll out Hollywood mog ul Ha rvey Weinstein, it unlea shed a torrent of ra g e from women a cross ind ustries, b rea king d eca d es of silence a b out ha ra ssment, exploita tion, a nd a b use a t the ha nd s of powerful men.

This a ng er wa s not confined to Hollywood . It swept a cross professions, g eog ra phies, a nd socia l stra ta , hig hlig hting the perva sive na ture of g end ered a b use. In Ind ia , the movement took root in 2018, exposing pred a tors in field s ra ng ing from politics to journa lism. While the a ccused fig ht their b a ttles in court, the movement irrevoca b ly shifted the conversa tion. It d ema nd ed a ccounta b ility, spa rked g lob a l outra g e, a nd sha ttered the illusion of prog ress in spa ces once a ssumed to b e equita b le. # MeToo?s most sig nifica nt impa ct wa s tha t it leg itimised women?s

a ng er. It showed tha t ra g e? long d ismissed a s unla d ylike or irra tiona l? could b e ha rnessed to d isma ntle systems of oppression.

Women a cross the g lob e were no long er a sking for cha ng e; they were d ema nd ing it.

T his anger is unapologet ic It refuses to b e pa cified b y pla titud es or superficia l g estures.

It d ema nd s a ccounta b ility, justice, a nd rea l cha ng e. And it is relentless. Women a re no long er a fra id to show their ra g e? whether throug h vira l ha shta g s, ma ss protests, or g ra ssroots org a nising . They a re using their a ng er to crea te a world where equa lity isn?t a n a spira tion b ut a rea lity.

Illustra tion b y mooremed ita tion from Pixa b a y

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The # MeToo movement wa s a fla shpoint, b ut it wa s a lso a sta rting point. It remind ed the world tha t women?s a ng er is not just a n emotion, b ut a lso a force for tra nsforma tion. This a ng er ha s b roug ht women tog ether in unima g ina b le wa ys, crea ting a g lob a l network of solid a rity a nd a ction. It ha s shown tha t when women cha nnel their ra g e collectively, they a re unstoppa b le.

This una polog etic a ng er mea ns women a re no long er a sking to b e hea rd ; they a re ma king sure they a re. They a re emb ra cing a ng er a s a tool to cha ng e their lives a nd to pa ve the wa y for a future where equa lity is not a strug g le b ut a sta te of b eing .

The a g e of the a ng ry woma n is here ? a nd not a moment too soon.

Nila nja na Bhowmickis a n a wa rd-winning journa list, feminist writer, a ndTEDx spea kerwith over two deca des of experience in storytelling a nd a dvoca cy. Her work ha s a ppea red inTIME Ma ga zine,Na tiona l Geogra phic,The Wa shington Post, a nd more, focusing on gender equa lity, socia l justice, a nd women?s empowerment.

She is thea uthor of two best-selling books,Lies O ur Mothers Told Usa ndHow Not to Be a Superwoma n.

Beyond writing, she ha s worked with multila tera l orga niza tions likeUN Womena ndUNDP India , crea ting stra tegic content a nd a dvoca cy ca mpa igns tha t drive a ction on critica l issues, especia lly Gender Equa lity. She is a lso a TEDx spea kera nd cura tes?Wednesda y?, a weekly newsletter on Gender Equa lity a nd Women?s Empowerment.

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In Search O f

Vo i c e A rpit a D as

It often comes a s a surprise to ma ny people tha t it ha s b een a lmost 12 yea rs since I sta rted tea ching University stud ents. Most people see me as an ind epend ent pub lisher a nd ed itor, a nd a re una wa re of this pa ra llel tra ck in my life, which ha s, over the pa st d eca d e, b ecome a vita l pa rt of my life. Wha t is interesting is tha t when I first sta rted tea ching , I worked with MA stud ents, a nd only la ter ca me to work with und erg ra d ua te stud ents, a lmost in reverse of how it mig ht ha ppen for a ca reer a ca d emic. But then, a nd unlike ma ny others, I ca me to tea ching as a pra ctitioner, which sug g ested the exciting prospect of a b la nk sla te which could b e filled in with unique ped a g og ic pra ctices, while it a lso tra nsla ted into ma ny a nxious hours in the ea rly yea rs d oing lecture prep wond ering if I wa s g etting it a ll wrong !

I b eg a n tea ching UG stud ents only in 2021, on a course ca lled Introd uction to Critica l Thinking , a ma nd a tory found a tion course for a ll first-yea r UGs enrolled a t the priva te lib era l a rts university where I tea ch, no ma tter wha t their future ma jor mig ht b e. Fa irly ea rly on, I d ecid ed tha t wha t I could b ring from my two d eca d es of commissioning ed itor experience to such a course wa s to ena b le these out-of-hig h-school stud ents to b eg in b uild ing their critica l voice.

Ind eed , voice, for me, lies a t the very hea rt of critica l thinking a nd writing . Voice d oes not merely refer to style or to id ea s, b ut the very ma nner in which a rticula tion ha s a d istinctiveness which is unique to the person ma king the point. It is a n id ea we were encoura g ed to exa mine a nd explore a nd d eb a te a nd d iscuss when I wa s a young ed itor b eing mentored b y a couple of rema rka b le seniors in the pub lishing ind ustry who rema in lig hthouses for me till this d a y. As ed itors, we were nud g ed towa rd s und ersta nd ing the intrica cies of the a uthor?s voice a nd to rend er the b est possib le version of it in 38

our fina l ed it. I wa nt to a d d here tha t the ed it a t ha nd need ed to b e even more nua nced a nd ca refully d one, if the ma nuscript we were working on wa s tha t of a tra nsla tion. It is no surprise then tha t one of the wa ys in which I routinely work on voice with the stud ents is via a tra nsla tion exercise.

In the exercise, the stud ents ha ve to g et hold of a short 300-word extra ct which could b e a nything from a n O p-Ed , to a litera ry extra ct, to poetry, etc. in their mother tong ue or a la ng ua g e other tha n Eng lish tha t they a re fluent in. The extra ct ha s to b e rela ted to the theme of the semester. The first time I a ssig ned it, a couple of yea rs a g o, the semester theme wa s Fla neusing /Loitering in the City. I sug g ested the exercise tenta tively, wond ering how 18/19-yea r-old stud ents would respond to it since ma ny of them a d mitted they were not a s fluent in their mother tong ue a s they would like. The sub missions surprised me.

Ab out eig ht stud ents ha d picked some ra nd om yet pred icta b le Hind i film song (on the city a nd wa nd ering a b out the city, fa vourites b eing Yeh ha i Dilli meri ja a n, Ba mb a i Meri Ja a n) for which they prob a b ly g ot the tra nsla tion from Goog le, or perha ps they just took recourse to Goog le Tra nsla te with the orig ina l lyrics. However, a nother 10-12 stud ents ha d rea lly exercised themselves to d o the a ssig nment well, d espite knowing tha t they would not b e g ra d ed for the a ssig nment; they just ha d to turn it in. O ne stud ent found a n essa y on Delhi b y the a ccla imed Hind i a uthor Krishna Sob ti a nd tra nsla ted a pa rt of it.

Another d ecid ed to ha ve her g ra nd mother reminisce to her in her mother tong ue, Ma rwa ri, a b out how her city wa s once d ifferent; the stud ent then tra nsla ted wha t she ha d a ud io-record ed with her g ra nd mother. I wa s b lown a wa y b y the pa limpsest of texts her intera ction with her g ra nd mother in their mother tong ue ha d

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yield ed . For the stud ent too, it stud ents sub mitted fina lly left me wa s a moment of d iscovery a nd feeling a stonished a nd thoroug hly ela tion. As she sa id to me la ter, plea sed . I pa rticula rly wa nt to she a nd her g ra nd mother ha d mention two of these: the first one never ha d a conversa tion of this wa s an op-ed on kind b efore, a lmost compelling her Ka nna d a -med ium schools of to see her eld er in a n entirely Ka nha ng a d in Ka sa ra g od u d ifferent lig ht. The text tha t she d istrict of Kera la (Ka nna d a to record ed wa s rich too b eca use it Eng lish), a nd the second , a wa s colloquia l a nd tra nsla tion of the poem ?Tum conversa tiona l, a nd she a pplied Ka un Ja a t Ho Bha i? b y Ba chcha herself with g rea t enthusia sm to La l Unmesh (Hind i to Eng lish). reta in the orig ina l sense of These two sub missions ha d lig htness a nd love a s she expertly woven concepts from our tra nsla ted the conversa tion to cla ssroom d iscussions into the Eng lish for the exercise. I b eg a n tra nsla tion without in a ny wa y to rea lise tha t the thoug ht of the compromising the integ rity of the exercise ha d struck a chord , a nd orig ina l text itself.

I wa s tha t the stud ents were keen to g ob sma cked on seeing this, explore their eng a g ement, ca tching perha ps just a g limpse sometimes of the tremend ous tenuous for possib ilities tha t some of them, such a n exercise with their V oice does not merely refer mig ht present. mother tong ue. Wha t t o st yle or t o ideas, but t he they were There wa s a lso d oing in a nother striking very manner in which effect wa s thing tha t art iculat ion has a b ring ing their ha ppened with ?self? to the ea ch cohort tha t dist inct iveness which is I a ssig ned this theme of the semester, exercise to. In Fla neusing in unique t o t he person mak ing every section, the City, certa in stud ents feeling closer t he point . It is an idea we who were to the theme d iffid ent a b out in a wa y tha t were encouraged t o examine their spoken no close Eng lish a nd their and explore and debat e and a b ility rea d ing to exercise could neg otia te discuss ha ve cla ssroom a ccomplished . d iscussions, g enera lly the quieter ones, sud d enly ca me to After this first ra ther tenta tive sta rt life with this exercise. Their to the a ssig nment, I d ecid ed to newfound sense of confid ence ma ke it a g ra d ed a ssig nment. I wa s evid ent a nd interesting ly, in ma d e sure the stud ents ha d more the a fterma th of this exercise, time to g ive thoug ht to wha t they some of them even b eca me more wa nted to choose a s their extra ct conversa nt in the cla ssroom. O ne a nd I expressly forb a d e them from of them wa s a d eeply eng a g ed send ing in ra nd om Bollywood a lb eit pa infully shy stud ent who song s! The theme the next wa nted to tra nsla te a n op-ed semester --Rea d ing the which wa s not in their mother O ther? wa s ha rd er for a n exercise tong ue b ut in the la ng ua g e of of this sort, for its sheer reflective the sta te the fa mily ha d b een qua lity, which for some stud ents a t posted in for long , Meitei. Yet lea st felt like a n a b stra ction. I a nother la yer of b ring ing the self ha d to d ed ica te more office to the theme a t ha nd wa s a d d ed hours a t this time to help the in this pa rticula r stud ent?s stud ents feel more confid ent sub mission. a b out the a ssig nment. Wha t my Wha t b ecomes evid ent a fter

loca l fisher folk community a nd 3-4 hig h school stud ents. The g roups then wrote na rra tives tog ether, neg otia ting the fisherfolk?s use of their own la ng ua g e throug hout. Wha t wa s pa rticula rly enlig htening for me in Eva sco?s d escription of the Filipino project wa s the fa ct tha t the mentors stepped b a ck entirely once the stud ents a nd the fisherfolk b eg a n eng a g ing with ea ch other. ?We wa nted to lea rn how these young writers would crea te litera ture in the la ng ua g e of their loca l communities, retrieving a nd rea ffirming the va lue of the tried -a nd -tested wisd om a nd In a symposium knowled g e pa nel on Voice systems of a nd Power in a rtisa na l Litera ture I have seen archit ect ure and fishermen, org a nised b y RMIT a re University art st udent s work wit h local who often, if not Melb ourne which I communit ies t o creat e an a lwa ys, wa s pa rt of for recently a s the art efact or st ruct ure t oget her, ta ken g ra nted a nd respond ent, one ma rg ina lized exchanging ideas and of the pa nelists, in society.? I the b rillia nt writer seen a nd schola r k nowledge, and k eeping alive ha ve Roa nna Gonsa lves t he local idioms, mot ifs and a rchitecture a nd a rt ta lked a b out b ell stud ents hooks's fa scina ting t echniques; how excit ing it work with conceptua lisa tion would be t o see st udent s loca l a b out ?coming to voice?. Gonsa lves develop st ories and narrat ives communities to crea te a n writes, ? In hooks? t oget her in t he same way wit h a rtefa ct or conceptua lisa tion, structure no sing le voice is a local communit y! tog ether, id entified as excha ng ing a uthentic. Instea d , knowled g e, a nd the sense of self, a nd of voice, is id ea s a nd conceptua lised a s keeping a live the loca l id ioms, techniques; how multi-d imensiona l, d yna mic, motifs a nd exciting it would b e to see versa tile. Spea king is seen a s a wa y to a ctive self-tra nsforma tion, stud ents d evelop stories a nd a s a g esture of resista nce, of na rra tives tog ether in the sa me wa y with a loca l community! a ffirma tion a nd of strug g le.? In a much humb ler a nd sca led d own ma nner, I suppose it is this In conclusion, to me, such motiva tion tha t I wa s trying to keep a live b y introd ucing the interventions a re nothing short of tra nsla tion exercise in my critica l the result of wha t I ca ll Aud a cious thinking cla ssroom. At the sa me Mentoring , mentoring tha t refuses symposium pa nel, a nother to rema in circumscrib ed within esta b lished pa ra meters of wha t is pa rticipa nt, Crea tive Writing Professor Ma rjorie Eva sco spoke possib le a nd instea d pushes the envelope, b a sed on the trust tha t a b out the Da g a t Bohol project she wa s pa rt of in the port town the mentee will meet the mentor of Ja g na in Philippines, where ha lfwa y. It is without d oub t the only wa y to ena b le stud ents to severa l g roups were formed includ ing two ind ivid ua ls from the find their voice in the cla ssroom, d oing this over four semesters is tha t the stud ents see it a s a n exercise where they ca n a ) show something of their persona l self b )unlea sh some a mount of crea tivity. I a m fra nkly more interested in the first b it of evid ence---the fa ct tha t b eing a b le to show something of themselves/their intima te selves/their lives a t home, in a critica l thinking cla ssroom, eng end ered such prod uctivity a nd purposeful work on pa rt of the stud ents. Let's unpa ck this point further.

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where the instructor d oes not foist their id ea s a nd ?self? on the stud ents, ra ther she hold s spa ce within which the stud ents ca n eng a g e in a n explora tion to find their own pa th.

Arpita Da s is a n a lumna of St Stephen?s College, Delhi University a nd the School of O rienta l a nd Africa n Studies, University of London, for which she received the Felix Schola rship. She is the Founder- Publisher of the a wa rd-winning independent publishing house ba sed in New Delhi, Yoda Press. As Associa te Professor Pra ctice, Writing, she tea ches the Publishing Semina r to senior students of Crea tive Writing a t Ashoka University a nd a Founda tion Course ca lled Introduction to Critica l Thinking to first-yea r students. In the pa st, she helped set up the Word La b a t the India n Institute of Huma n Settlements in Ba nga lore, a nd led the Sa ge School of Publishing courses a t va rious universities a nd institutions a cross India . Arpita writes often on book culture, publishing, popula r culture, gender a nd bibliothera py for va rious periodica ls a nd pla tforms. She is a lso the Editor of the South Asia Series a t Melbourne University Publishing.

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H ighlight s | 20 24

O n t he Semant ics of Linguist ic H egemony and C oercion Sabin M uzaffar 42

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O f la te, la ng ua g e or ra ther the Ling uistic coercion comes in ma ny mecha nisms a nd ma china tions of d ifferent forms.

Terms a nd la ng ua g e ha ve b ecome a n expressions used b oth in incessa nt ob session. From time la ng ua g e a nd litera ture a re immemoria l, a ll tools of la ng ua g e open to wid e interpreta tion. a nd expression ? b e it the O thello, the Moorish milita ry ma n hierog lyphics of old , Luthera n who eventua lly kills his loving Pa mphlets, censored b la nk Ca uca sia n wife is one exa mple. spa ces in Pa kista ni d a ilies in the Need less to sa y, the text is 80s, Ma hsa Amini?s ima g e, pioneering on ma ny levels Ma hmud Da rwish?s lilting poems to includ ing the sta rt of a d ia log ue d issemina tion of ma l, mis & on even issues like g end er-b a sed d is-info throug h med ia , these violence, intima te pa rtner ha ve b een mea ns of societa l violence a nd more. Tha t sa id , for integ ra tion, a liena tion, sub version a n eig hth g ra d er especia lly a nd oppression. b elong ing to a Glob a l South country, stud ying the b rillia nce of La ng ua g e a s a ma nifesta tion of the old b a rd , the term moor ca n culture, herita g e a nd leg a cy a lso b e more tha n merely a mb ig uous. pla ys a systemica lly structura l role For ma ny a n expert, the term ma y when it comes to b oth oppression not exa ctly b e a nd sub version. d erog a tory b ut it Ind eed physica l ca n ? sub limina lly wa rs nd otherwise ? d isproportiona tely Language has, more a communica te a g a rner huma n d ifferent story suffering , b ut it is oft en t han not , been a a ltog ether a t the the comb a ta nt, of unrelenting sieg e pot ent t ool leveraged intersection color, ra ce, of la ng ua g e tha t ion, ethnicity, in effect prod uces by t he powerful; t hose relig g eo-politica the g enocid a l who are armed wit h positiona lity letc! repression of existence ? of a access, availabilit y and Structura lly, the wa y of life? of ed uca tion system living . ha s a lso pla yed a t he machinery t o contentious role La ng ua g e is exploit it s full when it comes to explosive, it is colonizing powerful! pot ent ial. la ng ua g e a nd culture. In his b ook, La ng ua g e ha s, Decolonising the more often tha n Mind , Ng ug i Wa Thiong o writes: not, b een a potent tool ?The colonia l system of ed uca tion levera g ed b y the powerful; those who a re a rmed with a ccess, in a d d ition to its a pa rtheid ra cia l d ema rca tion ha d the structure of a va ila b ility a nd the ma chinery to the pyra mid : a b roa d prima ry exploit its full potentia l. Colonia l b a se, a na rrowing second a ry la ng ua g es ha ve a lwa ys ta ken mid d le, a nd a n even na rrower preced ence over na tive ones of university a pex. Selections from those conquered , sub jug a ted or oppressed . And a s time g oes b y, prima ry into second a ry were la ng ua g e of those who rule, is throug h a n exa mina tion in my time ca lled the Kenya Africa n enforced on na tions a nd Prelimina ry Exa mina tion, in which communities who ha ve no choice one ha d to pa ss six sub jects b ut to a d opt it. The process of a ssimila tion b y d esig n b ecomes ra ng ing from Ma ths to Na ture org a nic with the pa ssa g e of time. Stud y a nd Kiswa hili. All the pa pers were written in Eng lish. Nob od y Thus the d omina nt, colonia l could pa ss the exa m who fa iled la ng ua g e, which ha s g ra d ua lly the Eng lish La ng ua g e pa per no loca lized , executes a ling uistic heg emony b a sed on its ma tter how b rillia ntly he ha d d one in the other sub jects.? positiona lity, symb olic sta tus a nd structure.

More recently, the Ara b ic

Ima g e b y? ? ? ? Cd d 20fromPixa b a y

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la ng ua g e specifica lly ha s a lso The question then a rises: ca n b orne the b runt of stra teg ica lly la ng ua g e b e truly d ecolonized ? d evised propa g a nd a by It is an internecine wa r meg a loma nia ca l sta tes whose g enera tiona lly foug ht from eons med ia ma chinery ha ve d eftly of time. It is a wa r foug ht a g a inst levera g ed va rious method s of those who a re ?more equa l tha n messa g ing tha t a re others? b y revolutiona ries who a re fea r-mong ering a nd a b le to use la ng ua g e a s a g eo-politica lly cha rg ed in ?ja gged knife?? a s journa list, essence to prod uce the impa ct a uthor Ta tha g a tha Bha tta cha rya a nd effect they so d esire:Us writes in the Acknowled g ements versus Themund er the shroud of pa g e in his d eb ut novel Genera l trust a nd sa fety ? a g a in a t the Fireb ra nd a nd his Red Atla s: intersection of ca ste, loca tion, ?Some word s a re like g uerrilla s, color, ra ce a nd of course relig ion. they a re a lwa ys g oing to esca pe.

They will g o here a nd there. You Politica l correctness, fueled with ca nnot g a ug e their tra jectory of either ha te, b ig otry, fea r or tra vel, a nd they will a lwa ys return privileg e, ha s b een instrumenta l fire.? when it comes to ca ncel culture a s well a s self-censorship. With the ushering of a ?Word s a re cra zy ? new era of they a re cruel, technolog y, they a re new med ia T he quest ion t hen unpred icta b le. In ha s b ut my short life, I ha ve arises: can language be known ma ny such a mplified ra cia lized , s.

These t ruly decolonized? It is word ling uistic word s move me. b ig otry.

Word s of sa fety an int ernecine war never interested On the me.

But word s a re generat ionally fought a lso flipsid e, forever. g lob a liza tion of the Eng lish from eons of t ime. It is Ma nuscripts d on?t b urn, no ma tter la ng ua g e for how much fuel you a war fought against exa mple ha s put into the fire. a lso pla yed a t hose who are ?more Even word s forg ed ca ta lyzing in fea r tod a y ca n role when it equal t han ot hers?. b ecome the word s comes to of someone?s sub version coura g e a nd tomorrow.? resista nce.

Poets like Sa bin Muza ffa r is the Pa lestinia n Mosa b Ab u Toha Founder & Executive ha ve sa id time a nd time a g a in Editor of Ana nkema g.com, new a b out using the Eng lish la ng ua g e media a nd to communica te lived experiences development pla tform crea ting inclusive of colossa l huma n suffering , pa in conversa tions in the a nd d eva sta tion. digita l rea lm, la unched in 2014.

Glob a liza tion of la ng ua g e ha s In 2021, she founded a nother initia tive, a lso crea ted pa thwa ys to Ana nke?s Women in Litera ture Founda tion. resista nce a nd resilience with the Possessing 25 yea rs of experience in print a nd digita l media , her pa st roles, a pa rt use of tra nsla tions. Tra nsla tions of from interna tiona l journa listic ca reer, Da lit litera ture in South Asia for include being a UN Women?s Empower insta nce or the Africa n continent?s Women Globa l Cha mpion for Women?s Economic Empowerment a nd a mentor. She Gikuyu a nd Kiswa hili ha ve shed ha s mentored a nd tra ined 100+ girls from lig ht not just on the d omina nt, the Globa l South. Under her guida nce, Ana nke ha s been nomina ted twice by the imperia l la ng ua g e; b ut a lso World Summit on Informa tion Society Prizes b ring ing to limelig ht reg iona l (2019 & 2020) & is currently a Commitment la ng ua g es, their leg a cy a nd even Ma ker for the Actions Coa lition, Genera tion Equa lity. their suffering a nd end ura nce.

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W orking M others:

The Myth O f Ha ving It All Saba K arim K han

Last month and more than eight I thought back to her incessant years into my role as a ?working questions as I prepared to leave mother?* (if that is a thing?), I and wondered if I?d made a found myself at a literary event at mistake by accepting a weekend the Pakistan Embassy, surrounded work commitment: Where are you by stalwarts of Pakistani literature going? Will other people be there? and storytelling, in anticipation of Will you be on stage? And then of moderating a conversation on all course, the million-dollar question things books and writing. What of what time will you come back? could be more joyous, one might That last question always throws imagine, than spending the me off-kilter: do I divulge the truth, evening discussing Urdu and offer a half-truth or make up English poetry and prose, listening something blatantly false to to anecdotes of readers from temporarily placate her? Instead, I unexpected corners of the country, tried to distract her by asking for and sipping chai whilst watching some photos of mine to be taken. hordes of people get in line to have their book For a moment, I was signed by a tempted to take writer they clearly Put anot her way, I, lik e so her along. If it found charismatic meant so much to and inspirational. many ot her women in her to spend the Whoever said similar sit uat ions, despit e evening with me, books are dead should I just bite definitely didn?t t he privileges, am plain the bullet and know what they t ired. T he processing load make her happy? were talking After all, she wasn?t about! has peak ed, wit h so many a troublesome child and I knew micro-moment s where But I could not her presence would decisions t hat induce stop thinking cause no about my 7- and disruption to the guilt and anger and 8-year-old event. My impulse sorrow surface. daughters, whom was signaling a I had left behind definite ?yes? but to on a Sunday our socially afternoon, to fuel my own conditioned minds, optics matter supposedly intellectual ambitions. more than anything else. So, of My older daughter?s words kept course, I left both my girls behind, ringing in my ears as she stood at knowing fully well that I?d miss the door and waved goodbye, being with them all day and ?Mama, please can I come with putting them to bed at night; the you?? and my response equally next day too (being a Monday), I chilling and etched in my mind: ?I would barely get to see them as really wish you could but children I?d be in class till 8pm. By the time aren?t allowed at the event, my I?d get home, which would be close dear,? I consoled her. The words to 9pm, they?d both be fast asleep felt jarring, knifing through me even ? and that?s exactly how it went as I uttered them, knowing that all down. Before leaving for school she would have done was sat the next morning, my younger quietly and watched me or played daughter came to me and cried in the garden, even if I did take by my bedside incessantly: ?I miss her along. you, Mama,? she kept repeating, as 46

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if confirming the guilt that had firmly calcified within me.

pairing of me with my 8-year-old daughter at a literary evening ? might they judge me or worse still, be irked at a child tagging along to an adults only event?

In most professional introductions, I am intentional about including my role as a mother. My website bio reads: ?Born in Karachi, she now I am by no means suggesting that lives in Abu Dhabi with her children must be a part of every husband and two daughters.? such occasion or that any request However, as Anne-Marie Slaughter they present you with, must be wrote in her famous article in The complied with. O n the contrary, it Atlantic titled, ?Why Women Still is imperative that they learn to Can?t Have It All?, ?gravitas and accept ?no? from time to time and parenthood don?t seem to go understand that at certain together.? Mentioning my moments, their mothers will need to daughters in my bio might still be leave them and attend to seen by some as commitments alone. incongrous, just What I am the way the suggesting ? in Sadly, t here are no readily fact underlining in notion of work-life harmony bold ? is that this pack aged solut ions. ? allowing the juggling act, this N onet heless, in t he two to veneer of trying to ocasionally strike some sort of absence of st ruct ural coalesce? rather happy balance support , being pulled in so that comes with the than work-life balance, still of being a many direct ions is finally territory appears working mother, is unpalatable to fiercely messy and forcing me t o reflect a many. difficult, if not lit t le more deeply on what impossible to achieve. Above all, k ind of agency I might Coming across it is terribly have in t his sit uat ion. as the sort of exhausting, both mother who physically and cannot school mentally. her children properly enough to create boundaries, one who drags them to serious and cerebral Put another way, I, like so many events, and who cannot other women in similar situations, demarcate neatly between work despite the privileges, am plain and ?life?, poses a threat to the tired. The processing load has identity of being a savvy and peaked, with so many professional go-getter. Appearing micro-moments where decisions overly emotional and giving into that induce guilt and anger and the girls?demands (some might say sorrow surface. The emotional blackmail), instead of remaining labour required to tackle all fronts strictly by the book, would make satisfactorily takes a real toll me equally culpable of lacking because quite frankly, our systems depth and seriousness. Truth be and institutions aren?t set up to told, my overwhelming concern at serve the needs of ?working the Embassy event had been: how mothers?, as the pandemic so might people perceive this unusual clearly exposed. School runs, office

runs, spelling tests, drama Foregoing some work opportunities rehearsals, soccer practice, is another. It?s never easy but planning Pinterest level birthdays, prioritizing and optimizing the chasing your own ?reach for the workload has got to help. You are stars? worklife, daily home-cooked in the best position to decide meals and of course, the over what to take on and what to table commoditized ?self-care? mantra of for later and I am gradually going exercise and meditation and to have to train myself in this ?me-time?. The spa, a pipe-dream? direction, starting with doing this There are nights I lie awake making just this past month. to-do lists in my head, worrying that it?ll all be forgotten by the Finally, minimising the surround morning. O ther times, I am sound and external scorecard is swamped with one crazy creative equally important. Would I no idea or the other, each of which I longer be perceived as a am equally desperate to pursue. I supermom if I let some things pass? worry about not doing enough. I Should that bother find myself not me in the first place fully immersed and isn?t the title in either realm, Finally, minimising t he more a burden than home or work a boon? But people or everything surround sound and do lament the choice in between. ext ernal scorecard is women sometimes The mind equally import ant . W ould make to trade a high becomes a role for one minefield.

I no longer be perceived powered that allows better as a supermom if I let work-life harmony Sadly, there some t hings pass? Should and those sort of are no readily reactions only t hat bot her me in t he first exacerbate the packaged solutions. confusion. place and isn?t t he t it le Nonetheless, in more a burden t han a the absence of boon?

In her article, structural Slaughter quotes support, being Bronnie Ware, an pulled in so Australian blogger who was many directions is finally forcing involved in palliative care for a me to reflect a little more deeply long time. In her book The Top Five on what kind of agency I might Regrets of the Dying, she shares have in this situation. Not much, the most common regret she heard perhaps, but three tiny steps may from patients: ?I wish I?d had the offer a starting point: courage to live a life true to Asking for help, if it is available, is myself, not the life others expected one. Husbands, house-help, of me.? Following that, the other whoever is part of the family, needs frequent regret they stated to her to step up. I have to become was ?I wish I didn?t work so hard.? comfortable with not doing every Ware mentions that ?This came from single school pick up. And if we every male patient that I nursed. are doling out cookies and They missed their children?s youth brownie points to working fathers and their partner?s companionship.? for showing up at school functions, Don?t get me wrong. I am not women are deserving of the same.

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making a case for abandoning women?s professional ambition in favour of more family time. If anything, more women need a seat at the table. Rather, I am advocating for more realistic expectations from working mothers (both by others and by themselves), a serious acknowledgement that their lives and identities are chaotic and therefore offering them the flexibility and empathy to deal with this. I am also suggesting giving a serious shot to work-life harmony, rather than expecting these two to be strictly compartmentalised arenas at all times.

It?s high time that we stopped erroneously assuming that these women can just miraculously be at it nonstop (in fact applaud them for it), that they will rarely complain and retain some semblance of sanity whilst at it. But perhaps most of all, I am alerting us to the cost women bear for chasing the myth of having it all and the dangers of glorifying this, just the way we have placed motherhood martyrdom on a pedestal. I?d go so far as to say, that?s where the mess got created in the first place. With this in mind, now that I think about it, maybe I made a mistake by not taking our daughter to the book talk after all.

It would have been a neat example of walking the talk. *?working mothers? for the scope of this essay refers to mothers who are in some form of paid employment.

Saba Karim Khanis an author, award-winning documentary filmmaker and educator, who read Social Anthropology at the University of O xford and works at NYU Abu Dhabi.

Khan?s debut novel, Skyfall, was published by Bloomsbury and she is a contributor to the recently launched anthology, Ways of Being: Creative Non-fiction by Pakistani Women. She is a columnist for Khaleej Times and her writing, interviews and talks have appeared in The Guardian, BBC, The Independent, the Emirates Literature Festival, Lahore Literary Festival, NYUAD Institute, Gulf News, The National, Wasafiri, Huff Post, Verso, LUMS, Think Progress, DAWN, The Friday Times and Express Tribune. Khan?s doc-film, Concrete Dreams: Some Roads Lead Home, produced by the Doha Film Institute (DFI), secured official selections and won awards at film festivals in NYC, Paris, Berlin, Toronto, USA, Sweden and India. Before joining the Academy, Saba worked as Country Marketing and Public Affairs Head at Citigroup. Born in Karachi, she now lives in Abu Dhabi with her husband and two daughters.

Sa b a Ka rim Kha n ca n b e conta cted a t https://sa b a ka rimkha n.com/.

Image byGordon JohnsonfromPixabay

I EXIST BECAUSE YOU EXIST The splendor in this light provided by you, You a re the green oa sis in my desert.

The lonely sa ndca stle, lost without a clue, The ha ven of mother?s love keeps me a lert.

The flower tha t you nourished, With you, my worries perished.

My ga ze for you with gra ce, Just how do you ma ke no mista kes?

Tea ching me va lues, ra ising me true, Helping me pra ctice virtues to pursue.

O ur memories stored in a sha red pla ce, I ca n ha ndle a cha llenge with you in this ra ce.

A mom?s motherhood is not tobe forgotten, The sa crifices a re tobe remembered.

No ma tter how fa r I would?ve gotten, You will a lwa ys be the pa ssion for my effort.

A precious pa inting people picture, O ur founda tion is a s solid a s our structure.

Syeda Eshal Razi Jafri A ge: 14 School: A l Sadiq Islamic English School (A SIES). D ubai - U A E 50

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Of M ot hers A nd D aught ers

Safinah D anish Elahi

My d a ug hter wa s nine when I thoug ht to myself, wha t a m I d oing wrong ? How ha ve I fa iled a s a pa rent tha t my own d oesn?t like me? Wha t ca n I d o to fix this rela tionship?

wa y to ra ise child ren ha d we not b een exposed to so much more in our g enera tion. The internet, fra nchising culture, socia l med ia , g a d g ets, phones ? the b enefits run sid e b y sid e the d a ma g e of hyper a wa reness the internet crea tes for a child too young to und ersta nd . Much la ter in my journey a s a pa rent, I tell my son: Goog le d oesn?t know your a g e.

But more on tha t la ter.

I ha d not b een a g ood pa rent to her. I wa s in a b a d pla ce in my life a nd strug g ling to keep my menta l hea lth a floa t. I wa s too proud to rea ch out to a nyone; I ha d a lwa ys b een known to ha ve everything sorted . Sure, I spoke to I wa s lost a t trying to b e a friend s. Ra nted . La mented . But I mother. I ha d a lwa ys b een a would n?t sa y I wa s a b le to find a cla ss topper, g ood a t sports, solution to my suffering menta l g ood child etc. I ha d never ha d hea lth a nd a t the sa me time b e a such a slump in my life, how wa s I ca lming fig ure in my d a ug hter?s not the b est mother, wha t life. Thera py wa s ha ppened to my still ta b oo ? it g ra d es here? I wa s still for the sea rched for menta lly sick, solutions tha t Wha t we d on?t people who would n?t b ecome und ersta nd a s ha ve rea l prob lems la ter. psycholog ica l Fa mily a nd friend s pa rents is tha t prob lems, not out of their nob od y qua lifies us were someone who d epth. I d ecid ed mig ht b e in a to rea ch out to a a s ?fit to b e a slump b eca use counsellor. I d on?t pa rent.?People of some think she wa s a suffering from unplea sa nt certified thera pist rela tionships. (in hind sig ht I g enera tiona l should ?ve looked tra uma s, inherent for a qua lified one) b ut she wa s Wha t we d on?t reg rets, a nxiety recommend ed b y und ersta nd a s d isord ers, a ng er someone I trust, so pa rents is tha t nob od y qua lifies issues, g o untrea ted . I went a hea d a nd b ooked a n us a s ?fit to b e a a ppointment. I pa rent.?People entered her house suffering from a nd sta rted telling g enera tiona l her a b out my life. How I wa s stuck tra uma s, inherent reg rets, a nxiety in a situa tion b eyond my d isord ers, a ng er issues, g o ima g ina tion, how much reg ret I untrea ted . ha d , how sa d I wa s. The first few sessions, I just spoke a b out myself a nd my unfortuna te living Without a ctua lly knowing wha t cond itions. we?re sig ning up for, we b ecome pa rents. Wha t a responsib ility to ra ise a young one, when you When I g ot to my d a ug hter, I felt ha ve no such qua lifica tion! Most myself sta rt to b ecome d efensive. ind ivid ua ls from our pa rents?

She is impossib le. She b la mes me g enera tion d id not put too much for everything . She d oesn?t listen thoug ht into ?ra ising ?hea lthy a t a ll! My counsellor, however ind ivid ua ls. Perha ps the numb er of unqua lified , d id help me. She told child ren supersed ed the numb er me to pick my b a ttles. She told of pa rents a nd tha t wa s rea son me to stop for a moment a nd see enoug h to ?let them lea rn on their why my d a ug hter is rea cting . Why own.?And perha ps tha t would I wa nt her to d o a pa rticula r ha ve continued to b e a b etter 52

53

thing so b a d ly, ca n there b e a n a lterna te solution?

d id I find time to d o a ll of this, I a ctua lly d on?t know. I a lso wrote my first novel d uring this period . I think b etter menta l hea lth wa s helping me b ecome more Ma ny months a fter a fa ll out with prod uctive a nd less physica lly my counsellor, who a polog ized to sick too (I ha d b een suffering from me for projecting her own tra uma , hea d a ches a nd una nnounced much la ter on, I d id sit b a ck a nd fevers for a few yea rs now). And think a b out wha t she ha d told me my rela tionship with my d a ug hter to stop in tha t moment of qua rrel. wa s flourishing . I a lso rea lized a I d id stop. I d id pick my b a ttles. I lot of wha t I wa s a sking her to d o let her not shower for three d a ys. I wa s not for me, b ut how I would let her wea r her ha ir d own without a ppea r to people a s a mother. b rushing it. I let her ha ve nug g ets Her unkempt ha ir wa s a testa ment for lunch. I took her out on to my fa ilure a s a mother. Her d irty ma ma -d a ug hter d a tes. I rea lized , na ils screa med ?b a d mom?a s much to my surprise tha t I need ed loud ly a s the Mua zzinon our to look a fter myself too. I took up a pa rt-time job a t my son?s street. I ha d b een focusing on her school. I reg istered myself for a physica l presenta tion much more d eg ree I ha d tha n her b een long ing psycholog ica l to d o ? on a well-b eing . And to cond ition tha t If we are fort hcoming, we b e honest, my own.

I will only self-stud y a nd are labelled rude, if we not a ttend Wha tever feministic care about our own cla sses. I d id id ea ls the western tha t so it wa s world uphold s, the well-being or our not a b ig Glob a l South still children?s, we are cha ng e to my suffers from d eep home pa tria rcha l va lues considered selfish, and environment, I a nd fa mily systems. wa s only out Assig ned roles a re god forbid if we want a in the still reg a rd ed career, it is sheer morning s when a ccepta b le a nd my child ren nything blasphemy. It is however ajeopa were in school rd izing the a nd I stud ied ha rmony of these import ant t o look aft er a t nig ht. No d esig na ted oneself. one?s pla cements, a re a sched ule wa s threa t to ca refully interrupted , sowed power no ca r wa s d yna mics. Ma ny of ta ken ? I still went to lunches a nd these a re a socia l construct, a nd wed d ing s a nd cooked d inners contra ry to how they a re a nd a ttend ed to a ll who need ed projected , their roots a re not my a ttention. even relig ious.

But I a lso ha d this a lterna te life where I wa s d oing thing s tha t g a ve me contentment a nd d rive. I should a d d here, if not a lrea d y ob vious, I?m a hig hly a mb itious person, a nd for people like me, a ny environment tha t d ulls my d rive, is not a hospita b le environment.

Ma ny times, women who ta ke a sa crificia l role a re reg a rd ed a s ?g ood women?a nd we a ll pla y very b ea utifully into it. From TV d ra ma s to conversa tions a t socia l g a thering s, it is a lwa ys hig hlig hted how a ll a woma n need s to b e is pa tient.

In this time, I a lso b eg a n rea d ing a g a in. You ma y b e thinking how

If we a re forthcoming , we a re la b elled rud e, if we ca re a b out our own well-b eing or our

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child ren?s, we a re consid ered selfish, a nd g od forb id if we wa nt a ca reer, it is sheer b la sphemy. It is however importa nt to look a fter oneself a nd b e cog niza nt of the responsib ility of ra ising well-round ed ind ivid ua ls who know they ca n a sk for help, who a re contrib uting memb ers in our society, who a re empa thetic, kind , confid ent a nd trust-worthy. But it is a lso equa lly importa nt to fill your cup first.

My d a ug hter is fifteen yea rs old now. She ha s very b een recently a llowed socia l med ia a fter ca reful thoug ht a nd trust (a story for a nother time). She posted a story of our ma tching shoes titled ?b uilt in b est friend .?She a nd I d o ma ny thing s tog ether; footb a ll, pa d el tennis, g ym. I ha ng out with her friend s; she ha ng s out with mine.

My friend s compla in tha t their teena g ers roll their eyes a t them, lock themselves in their rooms.

Mine d oesn?t. I ta lk to her a b out everything . She trusts me. I a m her b est friend a nd she is mine. And none of this would ?ve b een possib le without a ltering my rela tionship with first myself, a nd then ca reful a nd open communica tion with her. Pa renting is a journey, a nd not a n ea sy one.I lea rn from her a nd my son every sing le d a y.

Ima g e b yHANSUAN FABREGASfromPixa b a y

Parent ing is a journey, and not an easy one.I learn from her and my son every single day.

Sa fina h Da nish Ela hi is a la wyer, poet a nd novelist from Pa kista n. She ea rned her MFA in Publishing a nd Contempora ry Fiction from Emerson College, Boston, USA. Her debut novel, Eye on the Prize, published in 2020, tra nsla ted into Urdu ha s been converted into a TV series.

She is a lso the founder of a n a wa rd winning publishing house, Reverie Publishers. She is a n Honora ry Fellow a t the University of Iowa a nd wa s a resident in their Interna tiona l Writer?s Progra m 2022. Her second novel, The Id le Sta nce of the Tippler Pig eon ha s b een shortlisted for the Asia n Fiction Prize.

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Why Social Media Still Fails To Be A Safe Space For Women And Minorities N amrat a

In tod a y?s hyperconnected world , socia l med ia a nd d ig ita l pla tforms ha ve b ecome a cornerstone of communica tion, a d voca cy, a nd community-b uild ing . Yet, for women a nd ma rg ina lized g roups, these pla tforms often feel more like b a ttleg round s tha n sa fe spa ces. Despite their g lob a l influence a nd va st user b a ses, socia l med ia a nd d ig ita l pla tforms consistently fa il to a d d ress the unique cha lleng es a nd threa ts fa ced b y women a nd minorities online. This g la ring oversig ht ra ises a critica l question:Why weren?t sa fety a nd inclusivity ba ked into these pla tforms from the sta rt?

The Unfriendly Reality of Social Media From incessa nt trolling a nd ha ra ssment to d oxxing a nd cyb ersta lking , women d isproportiona tely b ea r the b runt of online a b use. Stud ies revea l tha t nearly 38% of women globally experience online harassment, with this fig ure rising to 58% a mong young women a g ed 18-29.

Pla tforms like X, Fa ceb ook, a nd Insta g ra m ha ve ma d e strid es in mod era tion, b ut their tools a re often rea ctive, not proa ctive.

Women a re left to fend for themselves, reporting a b usive content a fter the d a ma g e is a lrea d y d one.

Ana g ha 28 (*na me cha ng ed on request) a tech professiona l sha res, ?I ha ve never been a ble to sha re my pictures on a ny of the pla tforms. Before AI the fea r of ha cking a nd now it is morphing.

The fea r ha s been consta nt though the rea sons behind the fea r ha ve cha nged.?

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The prob lem is not just the a b use? it is the d esig n. These pla tforms were pred omina ntly crea ted b y tea ms tha t d id not prioritize the sa fety of d iverse users. The la ck of g end er

representa tion a nd minority voices in tech prod uct d evelopment ha s led to b lind spots tha t continue to end a ng er women a nd other vulnera b le g roups.

The Flawed Product Design In 2024, it is a la rming tha t something a s b a sic a s profile picture sa fety rema ins a cha lleng e. There?s little d istinction b etween a professiona l pla tform like Linked In a nd a d a ting a pp like Tind er when women a re b omb a rd ed with unsolicited a nd ina ppropria te a ttention. The question is, why d esig n fea tures tha t a ctively encoura g e people to see who is checking their profile? Wha t mea ning ful purpose d oes this serve in professiona l or persona l g rowth?

With AI b eing the b uzzword of our times, why ha sn't it b een ha rnessed to ta ckle the ra mpa nt issue of ra nd om, ina ppropria te DMs women receive? The la ck of effective checks a nd reg ula tions not only perpetua tes ha ra ssment b ut a lso crea tes a n unsa fe d ig ita l environment, forcing women to think twice a b out their visib ility online. It is not just a technica l fa ilure; it is a fa ilure to prioritize the sa fety a nd d ig nity of users. ?I quit socia l media pla tforms a ll together in the pa ndemic. It wa s getting too much to ha ndle,?

Jyothika 34 sha res. ?The comments, the DMs, a nd the kind of la ngua ge they used it wa s impossible to continue pa rticipa ting in a ny conversa tion or post a nything of your own.

During the pa ndemic it ha d sta rted impa cting my menta l hea lth. Things got worse when my friend?s Insta gra m ID wa s ha cked a nd misused by someone she knew. I decided tha t it is enough.?

Why d oes the responsib ility to

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b lock, mute, or report fa ll squa rely found no viola tion,?lea ving users on the victim? Fea tures like pub lic helpless a g a inst ha ra ssment a nd comments, open DMs, a nd minima l a b use. For women striving to a ccounta b ility for a nonymous ca rve a n id entity a nd ea rn a users crea te a n environment ripe livelihood throug h these pla tforms, for a b use. For insta nce, this fla wed method olog y is a Insta g ra m?s "Restrict" fea ture or X?s sig nifica nt d eterrent. Instea d of "Mute" b utton, while helpful, still fostering sa fety a nd inclusivity, it pla ce the b urd en on users to reinforces the notion tha t their shield themselves ra ther tha n concerns a re d ismissed , d oing a d d ressing the root ca use of more ha rm tha n g ood a nd ha ra ssment. pushing ma ny women to reconsid er their presence online.

Linked In offers a fea ture tha t a llows users to see who ha s Bullying on socia l med ia pla tforms viewed their profile. A woma n ha s rea ched a la rming levels, sha red her experience of using pa rticula rly a ffecting women, a nd Linked In's premium fea ture, which minority g roups. The relentless a llows users to ha ra ssment, see who ha s a b use, a nd viewed their ta rg eted profile. To her b ullying shock, she fa ced b y d iscovered tha t these a long -forg otten ind ivid ua ls W it h A I being t he sta lker wa s still often ta ke a reg ula rly buzzword of our t imes, why d eva sta ting checking her toll on their hasn't it been harnessed t o menta l hea lth, profile. The unwelcome a nd t ack le t he rampant issue of tra g ica lly, in revela tion reig nited pa st some ca ses, it random, inappropriat e tra uma , lea ving ha s led to her to cope with d ea ths. The D M s women receive? its emotiona l a nonymity a fterma th for offered b y weeks. these pla tforms X recently emb old ens a nnounced a a g g ressors, a llowing them to ha ra ss, soon-to-b e-la unched intimid a te, a nd silence controversia l fea ture a llowing ma rg ina lized voices with little b locked users to still view posts.

This cha ng e ha s spa rked outra g e a ccounta b ility. Despite numerous reports a nd compla ints, the la ck a mong users, who question the purpose of b locking if it d oes not of effective a ction or systems to a d d ress such b ullying lea ves prevent a ccess to their content. victims feeling isola ted a nd For ma ny, b locking is a crucia l vulnera b le. The fa ilure to crea te a tool to ma inta in sa fety a nd b ound a ries. By und ermining this, is truly sa fe a nd supportive X ina d vertently ena b ling sta lking environment for women a nd a nd ha ra ssment? The move ra ises minorities contrib utes to a d a ng erous cycle of ha ra ssment, serious concerns a b out user sa fety, priva cy, a nd the pla tform?s further exa cerb a ting the cha lleng es they fa ce b oth online commitment to protecting its a nd offline. community.

Reporting on socia l med ia often feels like shouting into the void .

No pla tform ha s fully a d d ressed More often tha n not, reports the nua nces of intersectiona lity ? return with responses like,?We how the experiences of

ha ra ssment multiply for women of color, LGBTQ + ind ivid ua ls, or those with d isa b ilities. This oversig ht d emonstra tes a b roa d er systemic fa ilure to consid er the lived rea lities of ma rg ina lized communities d uring prod uct d evelopment.

Why It is More Than Just a "Tech Problem" Fa tema , 41, recounted a recent ord ea l tha t left her d eeply sha ken,?I recently bought a sma rtwa tch, one of the la test models ma rketed exclusively for women? a sleek rose-pink design, la beled a s a ?women?s only? product. At first gla nce, it seemed perfect. But the horror bega n when I sta rted using it. This so-ca lled 'sma rt' device a llows ra ndom stra ngers to send me friend requests, tra ck my workout loca tions via Bluetooth, a nd even a ccess my ema il ID a nd phone number, which a re ma nda tory to use the device. There?s even a socia l interfa ce simila r to Fa cebook, where people post workout pictures, a nd others comment on them? using a built-in ca mera , no less."She further expressed how even something a s simple a s monitoring her workouts ha s b ecome a source of a nxiety, a s she consta ntly fea rs b eing sta lked or spied upon.

"Turning off these intrusive fea tures strips the wa tch of its functiona lity, lea ving it a s little more tha n a ba sic timepiece. None of this is mentioned on the pa cka ging, nor do shopkeepers seem a wa re of these inva sive 'fea tures.' Why is it tha t women a re being forced into these unsa fe intera ctions under the guise of empowerment? Where is the choice, the sa fety, or the considera tion for priva cy?"

This sta tement ra ises a critica l question:How ca n we cha mpion women?s empowerment on one ha nd while designing products tha t strip them of ba sic sa fety 58

a nd a utonomy?

Sa fety concerns ra ised b y women users of food d elivery a pps like Zoma to a nd Swig g y, a nd ca b b ooking pla tforms like Ub er, a re a la rming ly frequent in Ind ia .

Stories of phone numb ers b eing misused , lea d ing to ha ra ssment, sta lking , or even fla shing , ha ve b ecome a ll too common. Every d a y, we witness insta nces where women a re forced to file compla ints, b lock numb ers, or confront a b users to sa feg ua rd themselves.

But here is the uncomforta b le question:Why does the onus

U nsafe plat forms are more t han an inconvenience; t hey are a det errent t o part icipat ion.

W omen self-censor, leave plat forms, or avoid public conversat ions alt oget her t o escape abuse.

a lwa ys fa ll on the victim? Why a re these pla tforms not built with stronger sa fegua rds to prevent such viola tions in the first pla ce?

With a ccess to a dva nced technology, shouldn?t the crea tors of these pla tforms bea r the responsibility to ensure user sa fety? especia lly for women a nd other vulnera ble groups?

Empowerment should not mea n a sking women to consta ntly fig ht for their rig ht to exist sa fely in pub lic or d ig ita l spa ces. Instea d , it should b eg in with crea ting systems where such viola tions a re proa ctively a d d ressed , ensuring tha t sa fety is not just a fea ture

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b ut a fund a menta l principle.

O n the other ha nd , in the a fterma th of the a b ortion la w cha ng es in the U.S., women found themselves forced to a b a nd on period tra cking a pps? a tool mea nt to empower them? b eca use their d a ta wa s b eing wea ponized to monitor a nd ta rg et them. This shocking misuse of persona l hea lth informa tion exposed a chilling rea lity: technolog y d esig ned to support women could instea d b e used to control a nd oppress them. The implica tions g o b eyond reprod uctive rig hts. In a d isturb ing pa ra llel, a movie

Safet y is not just a "nice-t o-have" feat ure; it is fundament al t o ensuring a t hriving, inclusive user base. By priorit izing t hese act ions, plat forms can st art t o regain t rust and act ually deliver on t he promises t hey mak e.

hig hlig hted how such d a ta wa s exploited to d iscrimina te a g a inst women in hiring , feed ing into preexisting b ia ses a nd jud g ments.

This is not just a b out tech fea tures; it is a g la ring reflection of how, in ma ny a spects of society, women?s control over their b od ies is still questioned or outrig ht ta ken a wa y.

Dig ita l pla tforms, instea d of empowering women, often b ecome tools tha t und ermine their a utonomy, from d a ta priva cy concerns to the online ha ra ssment tha t ma ny women fa ce d a ily. This issue g oes b eyond tech? it is a b out ensuring tha t women a re

a llowed to ma ke d ecisions free of fea r or ma nipula tion, b oth online a nd offline. This is not the future women d eserve. Technolog y should b e a force for prog ress a nd equa lity, not a tool for surveilla nce a nd sub jug a tion.

Unsa fe pla tforms a re more tha n a n inconvenience; they a re a d eterrent to pa rticipa tion. Women self-censor, lea ve pla tforms, or a void pub lic conversa tions a ltog ether to esca pe a b use. This silences crucia l voices in a rea s ra ng ing from a ctivism to lea d ership, skewing online d iscourse towa rd those who wield power without fea r of repercussions.

During a focused g roup d iscussion on g end er ma instrea ming , Vincy, a 30-yea r-old a d vertising professiona l, sha red her perspective, hig hlig hting a crucia l point tha t often g ets overlooked ."The conversa tion wa s a ll a bout educa ting women a nd ma king them a wa re of their rights,"she sa id ."But I ra ised a question tha t shifted the entire dia logue: Why is it a lwa ys women who need to be educa ted? Men need to be educa ted too."

She went on to expla in how, d espite b eing ed uca ted a nd ind epend ent, she frequently fa ces situa tions where her a utonomy is questioned . She sha red a n exa mple from a recent visit to a sa lon, where, d espite b eing a n a d ult a nd fully ca pa b le of ma king her own d ecisions, the stylist turned to her pa rtner for a pprova l b efore cutting her ha ir.

Simila rly, in med ica l setting s, she ha s ha d d octors insist on seeking her pa rtner's permission b efore proceed ing with a ny d ecisions a b out her b od y.

"Even though I?m knowledgea ble a nd ca pa ble,"she continued ,"it?s a ssumed tha t someone else must a pprove wha t I choose to do."

She further pointed out how fina ncia l ind epend ence is a lso

compromised for women. In ma ny ca ses, women ca nnot a pply for loa ns or own property without a ma le g ua ra ntor? typica lly their fa ther or husb a nd . These structura l b a rriers reflect the b roa d er issue of women?s a utonomy b eing und ermined .

She sha red a n exa mple from her

T he growing insecurit y surrounding social media anddigit al plat forms reveals a deeply t roubling t rut h: women are rout inely denied t he aut onomy t o mak e decisions for t hemselves.

visit to a rura l villa g e, where g overnment schemes intend ed to empower women b y provid ing free ma teria ls to b uild toilets ha d fa iled . Even thoug h the ma teria ls were d elivered , the toilets were never b uilt b eca use the men in the community, who were not involved in the prog ra m?s d ia log ue, refused to a llow it.?Women still wa lk to fields to relieve themselves in the da rk, fea ring a bduction or ha ra ssment,?she la mented .?This is not empowerment.?

She conclud ed b y pointing out tha t true empowerment ca nnot ha ppen without involving men in these conversa tions a nd ma king them a ctive pa rticipa nts in resha ping societa l norms.?Until men a re equa lly educa ted a nd enga ged in this process, women will continue to be denied a uton The g rowing insecurity surround ing socia l med ia a nd 60

d ig ita l pla tforms revea ls a d eeply troub ling truth: women a re routinely d enied the a utonomy to ma ke d ecisions for themselves. The perva sive inva sion of priva cy? throug h surveilla nce or unsolicited d a ta mining ? exposes how women's persona l choices, from reprod uctive hea lth to d a ily a ctivities, a re trea ted a s pub lic commod ities to b e exploited .

The recent incid ent on X, where a user crea ted a threa d compiling pictures sha red b y women, und erscores a d isturb ing trend : the norma liza tion of ha ra ssment in d ig ita l spa ces. When questioned a b out this b rea ch of priva cy, the perpetra tor's justifica tion wa s chilling ,? X is a pub lic pla tform. If you sha re your pictures here, they ca n b e used a ny wa y. It's like wa lking on the street; there a re risks."

This compa rison b etween sha ring on a pub lic pla tform a nd wa lking on the street is not just misg uid ed ; it is d a ng erously red uctive. Yes, when you wa lk on a pub lic street, you expose yourself to the outsid e world ? b ut you d o so with a n expecta tion of b a sic sa fety.

You expect tha t your persona l spa ce will not b e inva d ed , tha t you will not b e ha ra ssed , a nd tha t the la w will protect your rig hts. The sa me should a pply online. A d ig ita l pla tform, no ma tter how "pub lic" it is, should not b ecome a free-for-a ll for misuse, exploita tion, a nd ha ra ssment.

The a rg ument tha t women, simply b y sha ring content on a pub lic forum, a re inviting ha ra ssment, is rooted in victim-b la ming a nd fa ils to recog nize the very rea l risks of d ig ita l spa ces. It is not the a ct of sha ring tha t need s scrutiny, b ut the systems in pla ce tha t a llow such b la ta nt exploita tion of women?s content. The very fa ct tha t pla tforms like X ca n d ismiss such b eha vior with a shrug a nd a reference to "pub licness" shows how poorly these pla tforms prioritize user sa fety. If we a llow

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this menta lity to persist, we risk norma lizing a culture where women?s d ig ita l lives a re open for a b use, simply b eca use they chose to eng a g e pub licly.

The question is not why women a re sha ring their pictures? it is why they a re b eing trea ted a s ta rg ets, with no recourse for the ha rm ca used . The rig ht to pa rticipa te in d ig ita l spa ces without fea r of ha ra ssment or exploita tion is a fund a menta l a spect of d ig ita l freed om, a nd it is time for pla tforms to ta ke responsib ility for ensuring tha t rig ht.

In a n era d efined b y d ig ita l innova tion, it is a stonishing tha t prod uct tea ms ha ve consistently overlooked these g la ring issues.

How is it tha t user sa fety? especia lly for women a nd minorities? rema ins a n a fterthoug ht? While fea tures tha t b oost visib ility a nd connectivity a re prioritized , essentia l sa feg ua rd s to prevent ha ra ssment a nd a b use a re nota b ly a b sent.

This is not merely neg lig ence; it und erscores a systemic fa ilure within prod uct d evelopment. If these tea ms ha d b etter d iversity or g enuinely listened to the voices of women a nd ma rg ina lized g roups, would n?t they ha ve foreseen the risks? How ma ny more users must spea k out a b out feeling unsa fe b efore mea ning ful a ction is ta ken? It is time pla tforms stop trea ting sa fety a s a n optiona l fea ture a nd integ ra te it a s a core pa rt of their d esig n.

The consequences extend b eyond ind ivid ua ls. Businesses, b ra nd s, a nd entire communities tha t d epend on socia l med ia for visib ility a re a lso impa cted . When women a nd minorities feel unsa fe online, the d ig ita l economy suffers, losing out on d iverse voices, perspectives, a nd innova tion.

What Needs to Change I t is hig h time for tech compa nies to und ersta nd tha t sa fety a nd inclusivity must b e found a tiona l to user experience, not just a d d ed a fter the fa ct. Here?s wha t need s to b e d one to a d d ress the ong oing issues:

T he argument t hat women, simply by sharing cont ent on a public forum, are invit ing harassment , is root ed in vict im-blaming and fails t o recognize t he very real risk s of digit al spaces.

- Diverse Design Teams:Platforms must involve a b roa d er spectrum of voices in their d esig n processes. More women, minorities, a nd ma rg ina lized communities need to b e pa rt of the conversa tion to ensure tha t the experiences of a ll users a re reflected in the d esig n a nd functiona lity of these pla tforms.

- Proactive Moderation:Both AI a nd huma n mod era tors must work ha nd -in-ha nd to id entify ha rmful content b efore it rea ches users.

Automa tion a lone ca nnot ca tch every nua nce of a b use or ha ra ssment? huma n oversig ht is essentia l for context a nd a ccura cy.

- Accountability for Abusers:The time for leniency is over. Stricter pena lties for a b usive b eha vior, includ ing swift a ccount suspensions or perma nent b a ns, must b e consistently enforced .

These pena lties must b e a pplied equa lly to a ll users, reg a rd less of their sta tus or influence.

- User-Friendly Tools:Empower users b y provid ing them with b etter control over who ca n intera ct with them. This includ es enha nced priva cy setting s, more g ra nula r content filters, a nd options for opt-in communica tion cha nnels, ensuring users ca n ta ilor their experience to their comfort level.

- Transparency:Platforms must b e open a b out their efforts to comb a t ha ra ssment a nd a b use.

This includ es sha ring clea r d a ta on how well their sa fety mea sures a re working , the numb er of compla ints received , a nd the a ctions ta ken to a d d ress them.

- Make Reporting Easier and Effective:The reporting process need s a complete overha ul. It should b e intuitive, quick, a nd simple. The experience should never feel like a b urd en. Pla tforms should ta ke reports seriously, a nd if a certa in threshold of reports is rea ched , a ma nua l review b y a d ed ica ted tea m should b e trig g ered a utoma tica lly.

- Validate Reports and Act Decisively:It is not enoug h to simply receive reports? pla tforms must va lid a te the concerns ra ised a nd a ct d ecisively. Prob lema tic users or ha rmful content must b e swiftly id entified a nd removed , with tra nspa rent communica tion a b out the a ctions ta ken. Fa ilure to d o so not only und ermines user trust b ut a lso perpetua tes unsa fe environments.

- Stay True to Promises:When pla tforms la unch, they often promise to crea te spa ces for knowled g e-sha ring , cura tion, a nd community b uild ing . However, too ma ny of them d evolve into b reed ing g round s for misog yny, a b use, a nd toxicity. These pla tforms must b e held a ccounta b le for the environments they crea te. If they wa nt to b e seen a s truly empowering spa ces, they need to live up to their orig ina l promises a nd foster sa fe, inclusive communities.

The Call to Action 62

Sa fety is not just a "nice-to-ha ve" fea ture; it is a fund a menta l rig ht, essentia l to ensuring a thriving , inclusive user b a se. Without it, the very essence of d ig ita l spa ces b ecomes compromised . Pla tforms must ta ke immed ia te a ction to sa feg ua rd their users, not just a s a response to criticism, b ut a s a proa ctive responsib ility.

As users, we must hold socia l med ia compa nies a nd d ig ita l pla tforms a ccounta b le for their fa ilures in protecting us. This is not just a ma tter of consumer rig hts? it?s a b out b a sic huma n d ig nity. We need to ra ise our voices, a d voca te for b etter policies, a nd d ema nd tha t tech compa nies prioritize sa fety over profits. The time for silence ha s pa ssed . We ca n no long er sta nd b y a nd wa tch a s these pla tforms continue to ig nore the very rea l d a ng ers their users fa ce d a ily.

Governments a nd reg ula tors a lso ha ve a crucia l role to pla y. It is time to introd uce policies tha t enforce strict sa fety sta nd a rd s a nd ensure tha t tech pla tforms a re not a b ove the la w. Until these pla tforms a re held a ccounta b le for their a ctions a nd ina ctions, the cycle of ha ra ssment a nd inequa lity will persist.

As socia l med ia a nd d ig ita l pla tforms continue to g row, they must evolve. The sa fety a nd well-b eing of users must b e prioritized ? not a s a n a fterthoug ht, b ut a s a n integ ra l pa rt of their d esig n. Crea ting sa fe, inclusive d ig ita l spa ces is not a luxury, nor is it optiona l. In a world tha t is increa sing ly moving online, the a b ility to feel sa fe a nd respected on these pla tforms is not a privileg e? it is a necessity.

Socia l med ia hold s immense power to connect, empower, a nd tra nsform? b ut only if tha t power is ha rnessed with responsib ility. The found a tion of every d ig ita l spa ce must b e b uilt on sa fety, respect,

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a nd equa lity. We a ll d eserve spa ces where we ca n express ourselves freely, without fea r of ha ra ssment or exploita tion. The time to d ema nd b etter is now, a nd it sta rts with ea ch of us ra ising our voices in unison.

Note:Ha ving worked a s a socia l media ma na ger for over a deca de, Na mra ta ?s observa tions a re not just theoretica l, they come from firstha nd experience.

From overseeing the intrica te workings of these pla tforms to understa nding user beha vior, she ha s witnessed how these pla tforms often fa il to protect a nd empower their users. It is time for rea l cha nge, a nd it is in the ha nds of both the users a nd the pla tforms themselves to ma ke tha t ha ppen.

Na mra ta is the ed itor of Kita a b , a South Asia n litera ry ma g a zine b a sed in Sing a pore. Since 2018, she a lso runs a crea tive a g ency ca lled Keemiya Crea tives where she works with a uthors a nd pub lishing houses in d ifferent ca pa cities. She is a pub lished a uthor who enjoys writing stories a nd think-pieces on tra vel, rela tionships, a nd g end er.

Na mra ta is a lso a n ind epend ent ed itor a nd a b ook reviewer. Her writing s ca n b e found on va rious sites a nd ma g a zines like the Asia n Review of Books, Contempora ry South Asia Journa l of King ?s Colleg e-Lond on, Ma d in Asia , The Frid a y Times, Da ily Sta r, The Scroll, Feminism in Ind ia , The Brown O rient Journa l, Inkspire Journa l, Moonlig ht Journa l, The Sa me, Chronic Pa in Ind ia a nd Ca fe Dissensus a mong others.

Find her on Twitter: www.twitter.com/privytrifles

T he G ig Economy A nd W omen W orkers in Sout h A sia A ek t a K apoor 64

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The sig ht of uniformed women d elivering g roceries a nd mea ls on scooters is no long er a ra rity in cities like Delhi a nd Mumb a i. Nor is it unusua l to see a woma n d river pull up when you b ook a ca b throug h a n a pp.

There is a lso a b oom in on-d ema nd a pp-b a sed services such a s b ea uty or d omestic work in Ind ia n metros, lea d ing to more women joining wha t is ca lled the g ig economy ? a la b our ma rket run throug h d ig ita l pla tforms.

But ha s this new d evelopment led to women?s welfa re, employment opportunities, a nd la b our rig hts?

Recent stud ies point to b oth a d va nta g es a nd d isa d va nta g es of pla tform-b a sed g ig work for women in South Asia .

tra nsporta tion, d elivery, b ea uty, child ca re, home repa irs a nd simila r loca tion-b a sed a ctivity.

There?s a lso a nother kind of online g ig work? tha t of remote white-colla r ta sks like d a ta entry, clerica l work, writing , tra nsla tion, sa les, multimed ia a nd crea tive services. The Ind ia n Sub continent lea d s the world in supplying this kind of freela nce la b our: Ind ia supplies 26 percent of online workers; Ba ng la d esh is a t second pla ce with 15 percent; a nd Pa kista n in third pla ce with 12 percent. The United Sta tes is a d ista nt fourth with 5 percent of a ll supply.

The Fa irwork Dig ita l pla tforms project, which T here?s also anot her k ind of connect clients ra tes with workers for online gig work ?t hat of remot e loca tion-b a sed specific ta sks or g ig pla tforms in whit e-collar t ask s lik e dat a ent ry, 38 countries ?g ig s?. O nce the ta sk is d one, the clerical work , writ ing, t ranslat ion, a cross five pla tform ta kes a continents, ha s commission. found b etter sales, mult imedia and creat ive Instea d of owning cond itions for services. T he Indian Subcont inent g ig workers in tools or equipment, these ia a s leads t he world in supplying t his Ind pla tforms focus on compa red with connecting Ba ng la d esh a nd k ind of freelance labour: India people. While they Pa kista n, a nd supplies 26 percent of online a re pa rt of wha t?s even the US, often ca lled the h there is a work ers; Bangladesh is at second thoug ?sha ring economy?, still a long roa d ma ny of these a hea d to ensure place wit h 15 percent ; and pla tforms g row economic g rowth their own profits Pak ist an in t hird place wit h 12 for a ll. The b y relying on project, which is percent . workers?time a nd coord ina ted resources from the O xford includ ing phones a nd vehicles, a s well Internet Institute, University of O xford , a s customers?a ssets, includ ing their a nd the WZB Berlin Socia l Science homes where the la b our ta kes pla ce.

Center, ha s b een tra cking 11 pla tforms ea ch in Ind ia a nd Ba ng la d esh, a nd six in Pa kista n.

Ind ia ?s report for 2024 found G ig economy in Sout h A sia compa nies like Big Ba sket, Swig g y, Urb a n Compa ny a nd Zoma to ra nking six out of 10 on pa ra meters such a s In the pa st 10 yea rs, a pp-b a sed fa ir pa y, fa ir cond itions, fa ir contra cts, pla tforms ha ve b ecome quite common fa ir ma na g ement a nd fa ir in cities a cross Ind ia , Ba ng la d esh, a nd representa tion. BluSma rt a nd Zepto to a sma ller extent in Pa kista n. These follow with five a nd four points, pla tforms ha ve b uilt on the reg ion?s respectively. O ther compa nies, hug e informa l economy a nd includ ing Ub er, scored zero. increa sing a ccess to sma rtphones a nd mob ile internet. The pla tforms mostly opera te in d ensely popula ted Ba ng la d esh?s la st report in 2023 cities a nd focus on urb a n services like found Da ra z a nd Sheb a tied a t five

points, HelloTa sk a t four, a nd the rest, includ ing Ub er, a t one or nil points. In contra st in Pa kista n in 2023, a ll six g ig compa nies includ ing the much-a d vertised Bykea , Ca reem, Food Pa nd a a nd Ub er, scored zero.

USA? the country with the ma ximum g ig pla tforms world wid e? ea rned just two points ea ch for the top three compa nies in 2023, a nd zero points for 10 others.

O ne of the rea sons for the b etter performa nce of g ig pla tforms in Ind ia is the sig nifica nt power of tra d e unions a nd increa sing pressure on the fed era l a nd sta te g overnments to cod ify g ig workers?rig hts. In the 2024 g enera l elections, two lea d ing Ind ia n politica l pa rties promised to a ct on b eha lf of g ig workers in their ma nifestos. Dra ft b ills ha ve b een filed in Ka rna ta ka a nd Jha rkha nd , while Ra ja stha n b eca me the first Ind ia n sta te to pa ss a n Act for g ig workers? welfa re in 2023. O ther sta tes too ha ve ma d e the rig ht noises a b out a ssuring leg isla tion for g ig workers.

Thoug h Ba ng la d esh?s g overnment ha s not yet ta ken a ny steps towa rd s ensuring rig hts, the workers themselves ha ve b een g etting org a nised throug h online socia l networks such a s Fa ceb ook g roups, ind ica ting a positive d irection for worker rig hts in future.

T he female fact or The g ig economy is often seen a s a new phenomenon tied to technolog y a nd pla tforms, b ut the truth is tha t women ha ve b een d oing g ig -style work for a g es, whether it?s hourly job s in sa nita tion a nd construction or ta sk-b a sed job s in cra fts a nd sa lons.

Their work lives a re influenced b y a ra ng e of other fa ctors, includ ing loca l politics, la b our la ws a t d ifferent levels, a nd socia l issues like ca ste, relig ion, a nd community d yna mics.

Due to such cultura l fa ctors a s well a s the d ig ita l d ivid e? which lea ves women wa y b ehind men in terms of ed uca tion, a ccess to d ig ita l d evices, 66

a nd fintech services? women in the Sub continent ma ke up a very sma ll proportion of the g ig economy. Just 2 percent of g ig workers in Ind ia a re women (a b out 100,000 in tota l), a nd a b out 9 percent in Ba ng la d esh (a b out 58,500). Gend er d iscrimina tion follows them to the workpla ce? includ ing in limited choice of work, g end er wa g e g a p, issues of sa fety a nd sexua l ha ra ssment, a nd fewer opportunities for g rowth.

The g ig economy ? especia lly the loca tion-b a sed , on-d ema nd service sector ? sells the id ea of ?flexib ility?, where workers ca n supposed ly choose when, where, a nd how they work. But reports ha ve shown tha t this so-ca lled promise of flexib ility d oesn?t live up to the hype, especia lly for women workers. The work is a ssig ned b y a lg orithms tha t prioritise b usy service hours, so women d on?t a lwa ys g et to choose job s tha t fit a round their

Just 2 percent of gig work ers in India are women (about 10 0 ,0 0 0 in t ot al), and about 9 percent in Bangladesh (about 58,50 0 ). G ender discriminat ion follows t hem t o t he work place?including in limit ed choice of work , gender wage gap, issues of safet y and sexual harassment , and fewer opport unit ies for growt h. unpa id responsib ilities a t home. They a lso ca n?t neg otia te or cha lleng e thesystem? they ha ve to a ccept the g ig s a nd pa y they?re g iven, or risk b eing kicked off the pla tform entirely.

This a spect of g ig work points to a la ck of b a sic leg a l a nd socia l protections. It?s ha rd to org a nise a g a inst compa nies run b y a lg orithms, not people. Unions led b y women b a rely exist, even in ind ustries like

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d omestic work a nd b ea uty services, where most workers a re women.

Instea d , women tend to neg otia te d irectly with compa nies or rely on informa l Wha tsApp g roups for support.

In mixed -g end er unions, women often feel left out, a nd their voices g o unhea rd .

tha t Ba ng la d eshi women remote workers a re b etter ed uca ted : 47 percent of the women ha ve a g ra d ua te d eg ree compa red to 25 percent of the men.

While ma ny women prefer freela ncing d ue to a d d itiona l unpa id work a t home a nd ca reg iver responsib ilities, d omestic workers? who a re the most vulnera b le of a ll ca teg ories of g ig workers? prefer stea d y incomes. But the g ig economy is poorly reg ula ted , lea ving workers open to exploita tion.

Pla tforms la b el them a s ?pa rtners?or ?ind epend ent contra ctors?instea d of employees, so they miss out on protections like pensions, ma ternity lea ve, or insura nce. Ind ia ?s new Cod e on Socia l Security 2020 is the first la w to recog nise g ig workers, b ut it ha s not yet b een implemented a nd d oesn?t cover d omestic workers? a sector d omina ted b y women from lower economic b a ckg round s.

Issues like ma ternity lea ve a re b a rely d iscussed . The la w on workpla ce sexua l ha ra ssment in Ind ia ? the Visha kha Guid elines ? d oesn?t a pply to g ig workers, lea ving them vulnera b le. While women-centric ca b compa nies in Ind ia such a s Ta xShe inform women a b out this la w d uring orienta tion, women d rivers working with la rg er compa nies like Ub er a nd O la , or with food d elivery a pps, ha ve to fend for themselves. Since the customer?s ra ting d ecid es their future on the a pp pla tform, women a re often hesita nt to report prob lems. In fa ct, sa fety concerns hea vily W hile many women prefer influence whether women Tha t sa id , freelancing due t o addit ional even join or on-d ema nd sta y in the pla tforms d o b ring unpaid work at home and workforce. some structure to Pa kista n?s few the cha otic, informa l caregiver responsibilit ies, fema le ca b b lue-colla r job d rivers a re now domest ic work ers?who are t he ma rket in these quitting d ue to countries. most vulnerable of all extreme Unorg a nised ha ra ssment workers in this cat egories of gig work ers?prefer reg ion fa ce a nd sa fety issues, b esid es cha lleng es like low st eady incomes. But t he gig b lea k working pa y, job insecurity, cond itions. la ck of skills, a nd economy is poorly regulat ed, Women limited a ccess to d elivery technolog y. In this leaving work ers open t o workers in Ind ia scena rio, the ea rn 10 exploit at ion. pla tform economy percent less ha s the potentia l to tha n men a s help ma rg ina lised they ca n?t workers? especia lly a lwa ys b enefit from surg e pricing or women? g a in fina ncia l ind epend ence incentives? since they a void risky b y ma king self-employment ea sier, shortcuts or unsa fe a rea s, especia lly helping them open b a nk a ccounts, a t nig ht. a nd ena b ling them to receive d ig ita l pa yments. Some hyb rid mod els in Ind ia offer b enefits like hea lth insura nce, In Ba ng la d esh?s white-colla r g ig provid ent fund s, a nd ma ternity lea ve, economy, includ ing pla tforms like especia lly when NGO s a re involved .

Upwork a nd Fiverr, women work long er O ne exa mple is the Aza d Found a tion hours? 40.37 hours per week versus in Ind ia , which ha s g iven hund red s of 35.90 for men? b ut ea rn sig nifica ntly women a n a venue to ea rn a s ca b less(USD 330 for men versus USD 223 d rivers throug h the Sa kha ca b service, for women). This is d espite the fa ct while ensuring sa fety a nd d ig nity of

la b our. Such pla tforms a lso g ive women more flexib ility to b a la nce work a nd home responsib ilities. There a re other exa mples of women-focused compa nies helping with tra ining a nd retention, such a s Urb a n Compa ny, which ha s reg ula r re-tra ining for b ea uticia ns, helping them lea rn tra nsfera b le skills.

Moving forwa rd , more reg ula tion a nd la ws a re need ed a cross the reg ion to ensure worker rig hts. Pub lic sector a nd priva te compa nies need to work tog ether to optimise prod uctivity while g enera ting equita b le employment for a ll g end ers.

Aekta Ka poor is the founder a nd editor of eShe (eshe.in), a media pla tform ba sed out of New Delhi tha t a mplifies women?s voices a nd stories a bout our sha red huma nity. eShe hosts pea ce summits led by women from a round the world to discuss solutions for pea ce in South Asia , a nd ha s la unched the nonprofit initia tive South Asia Union. eShe ma ga zine wa s media pa rtner for the sixth Femme Q Summit in Stra sbourg 2023, the SABERA Awa rds 2020 a nd 2021, The Economic Times SDGs Summit 2020, a nd Women Economic Forum 2017. It ha s been ra nked a mong the top 30 women?s ma ga zines in the world by content a ggrega tor Feedspot.

Aekta fea tures in a nd a s 'An Unsuita ble Girl', ep.1 of the web series 'Love Storiya a n' on Ama zon Prime. The docu-dra ma is produced

by Ka ra n Joha r a nd Somen Mishra , a nd directed by Na tiona l Awa rd-winning filmma ker Ha rdik Mehta .

Aekta is a founding member a t Southa sia Pea ce Action Network (Sa pa n), a nd is co-founder a nd editoria l director a t Accurite Da ta Solutions Inc., ba sed in Sa n Jose.

She wa s mentor for The Do School's Industry Disruptor 2020 by We Empower Asia , UN Women, in India a nd Europe, a nd for the NITI Aa yog-UN Investor Consortium for Women Entrepreneurs 2020. In the pa st, she ha s been the editor of prestigious publica tions a nd websites, mostly in the luxury, lifestyle a nd fa shion spa ce.

She wa s the la unch editor of Fa shion101.in (Da inik Bha ska r Group), India 's first multi-lingua l fa shion news a nd celebrity style porta l, a va ila ble in English, Hindi a nd Guja ra ti. Prior to tha t, she wa s pa rt of the la unch tea ms of Ma rie Cla ire (O utlook Group) a nd Ha rper's Ba za a r Bride (India Toda y Group), a nd wa s the editor of monthly lifestyle ma ga zines Atelier, Diva a nd Wedding Vows.

As a n independent journa list, her pieces on lifestyle, fa shion a nd women's issues a ppea r in newspa pers a nd ma ga zines such a s O pen, The Economic Times, The Hindu a nd Mint Lounge, besides news websites like News 18, News la undry CNBCTV18 a nd Money Control.

In 2016, she received the Women Economic Forum a wa rd for Iconic Innova tive Lea ders in Media .

She ha s been a spea ker a t severa l forums including guest lectures a t IIM Ahmeda ba d, a nd severa l other media a nd fa shion colleges in Delhi, Ja ipur a nd Bhopa l.

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She ha s a uthored the spiritua l memoir '100 Pa ths' (2017) a nd ha s edited the a nthology of short stories 'Everything Cha nged After Tha t: 25 Women, 25 Stories' (2021). Certified in hypnothera py, neuro-linguistic progra mming a nd Pra nic hea ling, she a lso fa cilita tes fun, empowering sessions a nd conducts guided group medita tions a t eShe?s tra dema rked workshops Shine Your Light.

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H ighlight s | 20 15

FA ST FA SH IO N & W O M EN IN G A RM EN T S

A O NE-SIDED LO VE AFFAIR C laire D angalan

GAP,Forever 21, Za ra , H&M, Ma ng o, a nd so ma ny others? we love them.

We love b eing a b le to upd a te our wa rd rob es every few months, or even every month if we wa nt to. Those who ha ve more b uying power shop a t these pla ces virtua lly every sing le d a y.

Tha nks to ?fa st fa shion? or ?va lue fa shion? ? everyone g ets to b e a shopa holic, a nd a lwa ys on-trend . O h wa it, not everyb od y, a lmost? in this world .

Wa y b a ck in history, women used to ma ke a nd mend their own clothes, a nd g oing to a d ressma ker or a ta ilor wa s consid ered a b it of a luxury.

Prod ucts of the textiles, clothes, lea ther a nd footwea r (TCLF) ind ustries, e.g . rea d y-to-wea r (RTW) clothes which eventua lly b eca me fa shiona b le in the la tter pa rt of the 20th century, cha ng ed everything .

RTW wa s usua lly chea per to b uy, ea sily a ccessib le, a nd a lwa ys pa tterned a fter the la test fa shion cra ze. However, in the ea rly d a ys of TCLF, there were only two ma in sea sons: fa ll/winter a nd spring /summer.

And a ccord ing to a 2014 report b y the Interna tiona l La b our O rg a niza tion (ILO ), ?Business wa s supply d riven, prod uction cycles were pred icta b le, the supplier b a se wa s usua lly reg iona l a nd rela tively sta b le? ?

The g lob a liza tion phenomenon tha t followed ma d e sta ying trend y a la rg er tha n life experience. O n one end , shoppers, a lwa ys on the lookout for the la test fa shion b uys a nd d iscount sa les g o on a b uying frenzy (see ?Bla ck Frid a y? in the US) d uring ma jor sea sona l sa les, while on the other end , workers in the textile a nd g a rments ind ustry ha ve to continua lly cope with ever-increa sing prod uctivity d ema nd s a nd ra pid ly d iminishing ea rning s a s contra ctors a nd sub -contra ctors a re forced to sub mit to the need of g lob a l fa st fa shion b ra nd s to offer fa shiona t the lowest possible price. It must b e noted , thoug h, tha t the effects of g lob a liza tion on TCLF wa s not consistent in the four sectors a s cha ng es in g lob a l tra d e a g reements d irectly impa cted the clothing a nd textile ind ustries; hence, cha ng es a nd sea sons in the lea ther a nd footwea r sectors ha ve b een more g ra d ua l 70

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overa ll.

cha ng ing styles a nd d ema nd s in the fa st fa shion ind ustry. Lucy Sieg le?s word s in her a rticle ?Brita in?s a ppetite for fa st fa shion is pushing workers into sta rva tion cond itions? (2010) sums thing s up perfectly: ?The fa shion ind ustry?s two sea sons a yea r ha ve b een repla ced in hig h-street shops b y 30 to 50 mini-sea sons. A CMT (cut-ma ke-trim) fa ctory in Ind ia , Ba ng la d esh or Ca mb od ia must b e hyper-responsive to cope with d esig n cha ng es from offices in Europe. A la st-minute fa x insisting tha t a b utton need s to b e moved send s a poorly-fund ed , b a d ly-ma na g ed fa ctory into a pa nic. Third -world firms will never tell Western reta il superpowers tha t a n ord er is too d ifficult, so workers simply must finish it.?

When it comes to clothes, quite ob viously, choosing a nd b uying the fa b ric you need a nd then selecting a style tha t you wa nt your d ressma ker to follow, a nd then wa iting to g et the d ress finished ta kes a lot long er tha n simply g oing to your store (physica l or virtua l) of choice a nd simply b uying something off the ra ck (or from online ca ta log ues). Accord ing to the Ethica l Fa shion Forum, ?A Ca mb rid g e University stud y reports tha t in 2006, people were b uying a third more clothes tha n they were in 2002, a nd women ha ve four times a s ma ny clothes in their wa rd rob e tha n they d id in 1980. Women a re a lso g etting rid of simila r a mounts ea ch W e have reached new yea r.?

The workers tha t height s when it come t o prod uce wha t most of us so a vid ly shop for a nd so ea g erly wea r In short, we ha ve our capacit y t o buy t he come in d ifferent rea ched new clot hes we want and not ca teg ories. O nce upon heig hts when it time, there were come to our have t o consider what we amostly reg ula r workers ca pa city to b uy employed in g a rment the clothes we wast e, and not have t o ma nufa cturing firms; wa nt a nd not ha ve exert any effort t o mend however, g lob a liza tion to consid er wha t the d ema nd s of we wa ste, a nd not or repair small wardrobe afand st fa shion ha ve ma d e ha ve to exert a ny it more profita b le effort to mend or problems lik e a missing (chea per) to employ repa ir sma ll but t on or a hem t hat workers on contra ctua l wa rd rob e prob lems b a sis, ma king pa id work like a missing needs st it ching because, sea sona l a nd b utton or a hem tha t need s stitching hey, might as well buy a d epend ent on the need s of reta ilers, a nd b eca use, hey, mig ht ha ve popula rized the a s well b uy a new new one! pra ctice of g etting one! ca sua l or informa l workers who work on a piece b y piece b a sis, a t home. Even with the H ow much do work ers get ? a d vent of so-ca lled ethica l tra d ing pra ctices, loca l g overnments ha ve turned a b lind eye to unfa ir a nd Before we move on to how much inhuma ne la b or cond itions especia lly workers in the g a rment/clothing where the level of unemployment is ind ustry a ctua lly receive a s hig h a nd a consta nt supply of la b or compensa tion for the work d one, we is a va ila b le to repla ce those who ca n need to know a little a b out the no long er tolera te wha tever system is working s of the system tha t ha s a lrea d y in pla ce. continuously pushed fa ctory workers? ea rning s d own.

Ba ck in 2010, in the report ?Ta king Sud d en shifts in wha t?s in vog ue ha s Lib erties?, it wa s found tha t in Ind ia , ma d e work in the g a rment ind ustry ?Fa ctory helpers were pa id £60 a more cha lleng ing a nd competitive a s month, less tha n ha lf of the living g a rments/clothes ma nufa cturers ha ve wa g e; workers a t some fa ctories to keep up with the more frequent

worked up to 140 hours of overtime ea ch month, working until 2a m; 60% of workers were una b le to meet prod uction ta rg ets ? in one fa ctory the ta rg et for ea ch worker wa s to prod uce 20 la d ies shirts every hour.?

Currently, Ba ng la d esh, Vietna m, Ind ia , Pa kista n, Ca mb od ia a nd Sri La nka , which b elong to the list of top 20 clothing ind ustry prod ucers, ha ve the lowest minimum wa g es in the ind ustry. In the 2014 report of ILO , the monthly ?tempora ry ra te for ind ustria l zones? for clothing ind ustry workers fa lls a t less tha n USD 100 in Ind onesia , Ind ia , Pa kista n, Ba ng la d esh, Mya nma r a nd Sri La nka .

Ma jority of g a rment workers a re women. In countries like China , Ba ng la d esh a nd Ca mb od ia , women employed in the g a rment/clothing ma nufa cturing ind ustry ma ke up 70 percent, 85 percent a nd 90 percent respectively.

While g a rment workers a re, in g enera l, 72

a n exploited g roup, women workers a re usua lly sub ject to certa in forms of a b use such a s systemic d iscrimina tion (e.g . lower wa g es tha n men d oing the sa me type of work), low job security, a nd poor prospects of promotion (?Exploita tion or ema ncipa tion?

Women workers in the g a rment ind ustry? b y Emilie Schultze, Fa shion Revolution).

So cheap clothes really aren?t cheap We now know tha t other people ? the prod ucers themselves, i.e. g a rment workers ? should er a la rg e pa rt of the expense we a re supposed to pa y a s customers a t the end of the clothing supply cha in. And the more we b uy a nd d ema nd for the la test fa shiona b le clothes to b e a va ila b le a t the lowest possib le price, the more will the cycle of exploita tion continue. ?Swea t shops? only exist b eca use wha t we d o helps perpetua te their existence.

O n the reta il sid e, a lot of hig h street, fa st fa shion reta ilers ha ve b eg un to review their own pra ctices a nd how these impa ct the entire prod uction cycle, especia lly the workers.

However, most of their d ecisions a nd a ctions d esig ned to a llevia te the plig ht of clothing fa ctory workers a re the result of pressure from va rious interest g roups

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a nd their d esire to ma inta in g ood PR with their pub lic. O nly a few a ctua lly a pply ethica l b usiness pra ctices b uilt into the core of their enterprise.

Compa nies like Elroy, People Tree, M. Pa tmos a nd Loomsta te show how b usinesses ca n still ma ke d ecent profits while b uilt upon ethica l b usiness pra ctices a nd susta ina b le b usiness mod els whether or not prod uction ta kes pla ce closer to home or somewhere oversea s.

More d evelopments need to ha ppen, a nd quickly.

Fa st fa shion d oesn?t just a ffect the workers, it a lso a ffects the environment a s more wa ste is prod uced in the process; yes, even with the preva lence of ?flea ma rkets.? Why should we d ispose of thing s tha t a re a ctua lly still wea ra b le just to ha ve the next new thing ?

It is not just the g a rment workers, in g enera l, who suffer, their child ren, their fa milies d o, too. Just a s we d esire a b rig ht future for our child ren, so d o they. We a re a ll the sa me a t the b a sic level, we a ll wa nt nice thing s? b ut b efore we rea ch out for tha t new b louse or shirt b eca use wha t we b oug ht la st month isso yesterda y, ma yb e we should think twice first a nd a sk ourselves, ?do I rea lly need this?

Cla ire Da nga la n is a Filipina freela nce fea ture writer (a .k.a . Lovely Cla ire Ca chuela ) ba sed in the Philippines. She is a consumma te lover of the a rts, especia lly litera ture. She ta ught Cultura l Anthropology, Sociology, Huma nities a nd Litera ture ba ck in the Philippines. Her interests, a side from writing, include the environment, hea lth a nd fitness, culina ry a rts, socia l issues, studies on world view, a nd ?unprofessiona l photogra phy.?

K eeping It Real N aima Rashid 74

Do you feel it too? Look a round you.

Do you see a new cha rg e in women to d o more with their lives, to flip the old scripts tha t d efined wha t they could a nd could not d o?

g round rea lities in the momentum of its upwa rd swing . It is sa id tha t a sig n of prog ress is tha t we ha ve a new set of prob lems to d ea l with. By tha t token, we a re d efinitely on the rig ht tra ck.

So, while everyone is jub ila nt a b out this, I wa nt to keep it rea l a nd susta ina b le. As we In my own circle, it seems tha t one out of every three women a ll thrive in this new a g e, I?d like to g round myself a nd my ha s either opened her own rea d ers in some rea l (b ig , sma ll or micro) b usiness, remind ers. The following a re a s g one b a ck to stud ies in mid -forties or returned to work. much d a ily remind ers to me a s They ha ve ra ised fa milies a nd invita tions for you to consid er. successfully set child ren on their pa ths b ut they d on?t wa nt to stop there. They a re 1.Enough wit h t he silence ra ising themselves too.

There?s a conta g ion to it a nd we ca n see it reflected in officia l sta ts a nd feel the surg e a mong our friend s a nd a cqua inta nces. This na tura lly ra ises the question of supporting women in g enera l a nd women supporting women, in pa rticula r.

For so long , women ha ve b een d efined b y silence, controlled b y it, threa tened into it a nd even rewa rd ed for it.

We were silent a b out the cha lleng es of b a la ncing work a nd fa mily, we were silent a b out the pressures of b eing the Superwoma n, when I ha d It?s a n exciting time to b e my child a nd wa s suffering a live, for sure. From the truism from a cute post-pa rtum of ?A woma n is a woma n?s d epression, I d id n?t even know worst enemy?, we find ourselves tha t term existed b eca use thrust into a new era of a round me, women were women supporting women, a ta lking with b ea tific fa ces new sisterhood . a b out how ?a ng elic?the experience of child b irth wa s, we were silent a b out period I?m excited a b out the pa in when d oub ling over with possib ilities of this b ut a lso cra mps, we were silent a b out ca utious a s I a m a b out a ll how women?s hea lth issues new terms a nd fa d s. I were trivia lized a nd the rememb er the construct of the d a ma g e it ca used .

Superwoma n, the woma n who could jug g le a mb ition, work, fa mily, socia l jud g ement Let?s not a d d the pressure of without a crea se in her silence to this new pha se. forehea d , cellulite on her Socia l silencing b ecomes thig hs or a cha rred b it in her self-silencing over time, a nd ca sseroles. It wa s a n when we silence ourselves, we oppressive construct, imposing chea t ourselves (a nd the a d a ng erous id ea of world ) out of our full potentia l. perfection tha t women felt pressured into living up to or b eing mea sured a g a inst, a t 2.C heck yourself first the very lea st.

I fea r tha t this sud d en sisterhood ca n b e a new kind of oppression if it g losses over

It?s a n open secret tha t women tend to b e perfectionists a nd

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und er-estima te themselves while men with ha lf the a b ility still consid er themselves qua lified . We ha ve a tend ency to shoot ourselves in the foot b efore a nyone else d oes.

When you a re stuck a nd looking for a solution, instea d of seeking it in the outsid e world , check in with yourself first.

Wha t fa lse limits ha ve you a ccepted in your mind ? Wha t conversa tion d o you need to ha ve with yourself a nd with others to move thing s forwa rd ? Wha t a ction a re you a fra id to ta ke b eca use you d on?t ha ve a preced ent?

I?ll b e the first to a cknowled g e tha t I work on this continua lly. I rea lize tha t I d isempower myself in sma ll, even silly, wa ys, b eca use I ha ve g rown up with the notion tha t such a nd such wa s a ma n?s ta sk. Fixing a b ulb , a nything rela ted to tech or fina nces.Neither of this is rocket science b ut d ue to my cond itioning , I would conveniently switch my b ra in off a t these ma tters a nd slip

into lea rned helplessness which would ea sily spira l into a b lock.

Now a wa re of my limiting b elief, I ta ke sma ll, slow a nd stea d y steps consciously to a d d ress it. I?m rewriting the script running on a uto in my mind .

3.C hampion ot her women ? t he right way Cha mpioning women d oes not mea n letting them off the hook. It d oes not mea n ha ving no sta nd a rd s when a ssessing a woma n?s work, b eing g entle with feed b a ck b eca use women a re sensitive, just letting it g o b eca use she?ll over-rea ct.

There?s a wa y to support women while hold ing them to hig h sta nd a rd s of performa nce. I think we a re clea r it?s not a b ility they ever la cked . When women a re hold ing themselves b a ck, it usua lly ?comes d own to two thing s:

W hat false limit s have you accept ed in your mind? W hat conversat ion do you need t o have wit h yourself and wit h ot hers t o move t hings forward? W hat act ion are you afraid t o t ake because you don?t have a precedent ?

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a .La ck of self-b elief a nd self-relia nce d ue to yea rs of b eing cond itioned into b elieving their a b ilities were tied to g end er-d efined roles b .Ab sence of support systems or a supportive culture When possib le, find wa ys to a ssist them a t these fa ult lines.

Don?t soften, ed it or sug a rcoa t thing s for them. You?ll b e chea ting them out of experience. Instea d , offer support in a wa y tha t equips them with the resources a nd

a noma ly, not the norm. While tha t ha s cha ng ed completely, there a re still toxic tra ces of expired mind sets a nd prejud ices tha t ling er in the la ng ua g e we use.

I?m ta lking a b out word s like g ra vita s a nd a g g ression.

Those med a ls b elong to the b yg one times when women were only consid ered professiona l if they d ressed like men.

We need to d econd ition ourselves a nd upend the voca b ula ry of success.

When we b ecome more self-a wa re a round the ng ua g e we use every W e need t o decondit ion la d a y to d efine success a nd the sta nd a rd s we hold ourselves and upend t he ourselves to, we?ll see tha t we often confla te style with vocabulary of success. sub sta nce.

W hen we become more self-aware around t he language we use every day t o define success and t he st andards we hold ourselves t o, we?ll see t hat we oft en conflat e st yle wit h subst ance. resourcefulness to ha nd le life full-on. Beca use they ca n.

Give the toug h feed b a ck.

Give her the cha lleng e tha t pushes her out of her comfort zone. Ta ke a b et on her.

4.St op using expired language Until recently, women in lea d ership, b usiness a nd other professions for men were a n

Sepa ra te the two a nd you?ll see how freeing it is.

Crea te the voca b ula ry tha t you need . In b usiness, women a re now b ring ing a ra ng e of feminine experience, energ y a nd voca b ula ry.There is no sha me now in d iscussing topics like hea ling , tra uma a nd energ y in rela tion to money a nd wea lth. These were consid ered too woo woo (for the rea l world of men).

Women b ring their own la ng ua g e a nd style to the sa me sub sta nce. Let?s rememb er to see clea rly a nd not confuse one for the other.

5.Pick your feminism a nd respect those of others As a rule, I g et nervous a t the mere mention of a nything end ing with a n ?ism?. But even a mong the murky wa ters of ?ism?s, ?feminism?is its own troub led b ea st. Rememb er, it mea ns d ifferent thing s for d ifferent people a nd ma ke a n

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effort to look for the mea ning pa st the tyra nny of the term.

6.T hink beyond your own life

I once excused myself from a g roup of fema le collea g ues in the UK with whom I wa s working on a project. I wa nted to lea ve in time so I could g et home a nd b e present for him when he g ot home from school. The memb ers of the g roup g a ve me a ta lking d own, sa ying I wa s over-pa renting a nd tha t my son, 18 yea rs old , wa s old enoug h to cook for himself a nd he need ed to und ersta nd tha t the role of a mother wa s not to a lwa ys b e present to welcome him, tha t she ha d a life of her own.

Instea d of one-off a cts of support, ta ke the time to b uild a culture tha t will outlive you.

Think of your d a ug hters a nd sons.

I ha ve ta ug ht my son to cook since a very young a g e, so he ca n ma na g e very well on his own. Also, I ha ve mostly d one everything I wa nted to in life with the full support of my fa mily a nd in-la ws to b oot, so he ha s no d oub t tha t I ha ve a life of my own a nd a very mea ning ful one a t tha t.

However, it is my choice to b e present for him b eca use it?s a sta nd a rd I ha ve set myself. He?ll b e living on his own soon enoug h. My own mother, a d octor b y profession, a lwa ys ma d e sure she wa s home when we g ot b a ck from school. She fit her ca reer a round her va lues, not the other wa y round . I?m d oing the sa me.

Coming from d ifferent cultures, our va lues mig ht look very d ifferent b ut the essence of feminism for me mea ns tha t a woma n lives in full a g ency a nd freed om to exercise her potentia l a nd b enefit the world from it. Ag ency a nd freed om look d ifferent in d ifferent cultures.

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Neg otia ting our d a ily lives, we ta ke so ma ny d ecisions which set a n intent a nd d irection in line with our va lues. Every time you tea ch your fa mily to respect your b ound a ries, every time you tea ch your fa mily tha t household chores

C oming from different cult ures, our values might look very different but t he essence of feminism for me means t hat a woman lives in full agency and freedom t o exercise her pot ent ial and benefit t he world from it . a re for everyone, every time you tell a story with a fema le prota g onist, every time you b rea k a cycle of neg a tive b eha viour, you a re tea ching your child ren something .

Instea d of ma king these sing ula r, one-off a cts, b uild a culture. Tell a story, crea te a tra d ition, pa ss it on. Ta ke prid e in it, show others how to ta ke prid e in it. By setting a preced ent, we ma ke it tha t much ea sier for our sons a nd

d a ug hters to ha ve a hea lthy sta nd a rd a s reference point.

7.Become t he role model you wished you had In the ea rly 1990s, a fter the a iring of X-files, there wa s a n increa se in the numb er of women opting for STEM ca reers. This wa s ca lled the Scully effect. A sing le positive role mod el in a field ca n ha ve a ripple effect tha t extend s to g enera tions.

Tod a y, we ha ve women lea d ing the wa y in so ma ny d ifferent professions a nd tra nscend ing a ny b a rriers of a g e or g end er. You d on?t ha ve to b e fea tured on the front cover of Time in ord er to b e a role mod el. Ea ch of us ha s the power to b e one for those close to us who a re wa tching us.

Step into tha t power, step into tha t responsib ility.

8.If it doesn?t exist , build it The Biskery is a women-led persona lized a nd b ra nd ed b iscuit compa ny b a sed in Leed s. The found ers a re moms to schoolg oing kid s. The timing on the web site sa ys clea rly tha t they only work when their kid s a re a t school.

They used this constra int a s a b ra nd ing point, showing how to b uild a b usiness a round priorities.

You wish there wa s a compa ny tha t only hiresd mothers looking to step b a ck into the workforce? Build it.

You wish there wa s a g ra nt tha t supported women writers over 50? Crea te it.

You wish there wa s a workpla ce with a rob ust

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menopa use support policy tha t went b eyond ?b uying fa ns?? Build it.

Eleva te the new norma l relentlessly.

It?s g rea t to b e led b y the g ra nd vision of the future. But it?s equa lly importa nt to keep a n eye on thing s on the g round tha t ca n trip us over.

It?s exciting tha t we ha ve a n opportunity to b uild a future tha t wa sn?t a lwa ys possib le. At the sa me time, we a re ha rd -wired for certa in thing s a nd cond itioned into b eliefs a nd mind sets throug h d eca d es of experience. We?ll soa r when we und ersta nd a nd ma na g e our stumb ling b locks ra ther tha n pretend they d on?t exist.

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Na ima Ra shid is a n a uthor, poet a nd tra nsla tor who works between Urdu, Punja bi, French a nd English. Her work ha s been long-listed for Na tiona l Poetry Competition a nd Best Sma ll Fictions. Her published tra nsla tions include critica lly a ccla imed tra nsla tions of works

by Ali Akba r Na tiq (Na ula khi Kothi, Penguin India , 2023) a nd Perveen Sha kir (Defia nce of the Rose, O xford University Press, 2019) a nd a joint tra nsla tion from French (Chica nes, Les Fugitives, 2023). Her most recent work is a poetry collection, Sum of Worlds (Yoda Press, 2024).Her work a nd views ha ve been widely published interna tiona lly including in Wild Court, Poetry Birmingha m, The Scores a nd Asymptote. She ha s conducted tra nsla tion workshops with Sha dow Heroes a nd will be conducting one with Bristol Tra nsla tes in 2025. At present, she is working on her short story collection a nd her novel.

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N ot es O n Feminist Survival Pract ices How Do I Write This Without Ra mbling?

M ardiya Siba Yahya

Towa rd s the end of the second qua rter of 2024, I wa s a t a ja zz show with a n a cqua inta nce, feeling the music within us, while slowly moving our b od ies to the rid d im. After the show end ed , we took some time to quickly ca tch up. We ha d previously reconnected a t a nother g a thering , a nd when she mentioned she would b e in the city I wa s b a sed , we ma d e a pla n to ca tch up a nd a ttend the show.

During our conversa tion she mentioned tha t she wa s exploring the world , tra veling while slowly writing a nd cond ucting her resea rch. Tha t wa s pa rtly me!? I told her. I a lso mentioned tha t I wa s consid ering sta rting a persona l b log where I d ocument thing s of interest. She va lid a ted my id ea s, a nd sa id ?even if it is just for you, ma ke sure to sta rt tha t b log .?

At the moment we were ha ving the conversa tion while I felt va lid a ted in my lifestyle, the thoug ht of perha ps cutting b a ck on some of the trips especia lly the work rela ted ones ling ered . It wa s g etting more exha usting a nd expensive. Plus, my resea rch a nd writing processes were never a s slow. I ra rely ha d the spa ce to explore a theme long term, a lthoug h one ca n sa y my work on surveilla nce ha s mostly b een me d iscovering pieces of d ifferent puzzles a t va rious points of my ca reer.

Usua lly my work especia lly commissioned resea rch wa s a series of cond ensed , short a nd hig h energ y-ind ucing timelines tha t often coincid ed with ea ch other.

When I returned home tha t nig ht I thoug ht more d eeply a b out wha t it would mea n to d o work slowly.

All the while nursing a nd reflecting on Ja sb ir Pua r's [1] word s tha t, ?If we sa y tha t events a re ha ppening fa st, wha t must we slow d own in ord er to ma ke such a pronouncement? If we d elinea te time a s ha ving a stea d y rhythm, wha t d isjunctures must we smooth 82

out or over in ord er to a rrive a t tha t conclusion? If we feel tha t thing s a re ca lm, wha t must we forg et in ord er to inha b it such a restful feeling ??

Pua r a rg ues a g a inst the ?leisurely prod uction of intellectua l schola rship?, a nd the id ea tha t work ca n only thrive in a sta b le environment which is often the id ea listic solita ry confines of the writers room. The context Pua r uses is of politica l sta b ility, however I prefer to extend it to how one's life is influenced a nd sha ped b y politica l, socia l, hea lth a nd persona l insta b ilities.

How d o we live within the cha os?

Wha t privileg es d o I need to a ccess to emb od y the perfect a rchetype of a writer? Here I wa s, enjoying a ja zz show, a ll while in the mid d le of completing a ma nuscript tha t wa s d ue in a few d a ys. I wa s b ea ten d own, d ra ined , a nd consta ntly crying a b out how pa inful putting ea ch word to pa per wa s. Tha t show wa s necessa ry to reconnect with the community, my b od y a nd find some form of joy throug h music.

Wha t wa s slow writing when a n institution wa s hound ing me for ?their?ma nuscript? Mea nwhile I wa s a lso exploring a new skill in fiction, when I wa s much b etter positioned a s a non-fiction writer. I chose to step out of my comfort zone to lea rn a nd a pply a new skill a t the sa me time. My b od y wa s in pa in, a nd I need ed to show up to life reg a rd less.

Writing a nd resea rching violence with a close rela tionship to the topic is never ea sy, a nd the pa inful a spects of this work wa s very much und ersta nd a b le to me.

I a m still unsure whether to ca ll the d a ys a fter I sub mitted the ma nuscript d epressive moments, b ut wha t I d o know is I b eg a n to d efa ult on my d ea d lines ? never sha ring the second pa rt of my proposa l, or following throug h on rela ted a rticles I ha d promised .

This led me to eventua lly d ecline everything tha t ma d e my stoma ch churn.

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Between this period , I wa s rea d ing The Feminist Killjoy Ha nd b ook b y Sa ra h Ahmed [2], who in the ea rliest cha pters pointed out tha t feminism need ed feminists to survive. Ahmed referenced Aud re Lord es self-preserva tion, a nd how a s feminists our b od ies spea k to us.

She sa id ?there is only so much we ca n ta ke on b eca use there is only so much we ca n ta ke in a nd the need to follow our feeling s.?[3] While rea d ing these sections, it wa s a s if Ahmed wa s spea king d irectly to me a t tha t moment.

I no long er wa nted to write or fig ht a b out b ig technolog y corpora tions who exploit ma rg ina lized communities. I no long er wa nted to b ump hea d s with d a ta a nd d esig n tea ms on why we need ed to includ e ma rg ina lized communities in the work we d o. Sa ying the sa me thing s over a nd over felt like a persona l fa ilure to communica te a nd a chieve cha ng e.My stoma ch churned ea ch time I ha d to sit on a ca ll to work with technica l tea ms ma d e of white men. My stoma ch churned when I ha d to eng a g e with the white women from the institution who ha d commissioned my resea rch. I need ed to b rea the a nd exist. So I b eg a n to rethink my rela tionship with the work.

Returning to Ahmed , she wrote tha t ?from b eing a feminist killjoy, we lea rn tha t if we d on't g et very fa r or we d on't g et throug h, tha t is not a sig n of our fa ilure b ut a mea sure of how much we a re up a g a inst.? [4] While Ahmed supports this b y cla iming we need to d o ?wha t we ca n, when we ca n a nd where we ca n? [5], I a m more interested in where Ahmed a sks us to pa y a ttention to wha t our b od y communica tes a nd our feeling s.

Why wa s my stoma ch a nd hea d feeling stra ng e ea ch time I ha d to eng a g e with this very institution or g roup of technolog ists? If I d id not listen to my a ng er a nd the g ut feeling , I ma y not ha ve b een a b le to survive. Why d id I a lwa ys sense

cond escension when I spoke to these technolog ists a nd d efensiveness when I spoke with the resea rch institution?

O n the sid e of my writing I wa s not coping with the unrea listic d ea d lines. Sa d ly for the institution however, cond ucting the resea rch a nd putting tog ether a ma nuscript on community violence wa s not the end of the fig ht.

Violence a nd resulting inequa lities were not solved b y b ring ing issues to lig ht a nd I d id not emerg e on the other sid e triumpha ntly smiling . I felt ra w, a nd I wa s even a ng rier. How wa s I d oing work on ca re, a nd violence, when the sa me institution of feminists were una b le to extend such to their resea rchers? Why were requests for support, a nd extra time met with quota tions of the contra cts we sig ned ? For them it wa s a tra nsa ctiona l rela tionship, they g ive us money, they g et to cla im our work a s pa rt of their successes,a nd use our b od ies a s tokens.

Following Ahmed ?s a d vice, listening to my b od y mea nt completing the initia l work a g reement a nd cutting ties with the institution. For me it wa s the b eg inning of a long -wind ed investig a tion into a sub -topic on surveilla nce resista nce tha t ma y b e slow burning. Writing ha s a lwa ys b een my la b our of love, a spa ce for expression a nd explora tion. Ea ch time I b eg a n to feel ha teful towa rd s it, Ahmed remind ed me I could not a fford to let it d ie. The thing ca using tha t feeling need ed to d ie instea d .

I need ed to survive so tha t my feminist work a lso survives. Given wha t we a re up a g a inst, a nd to b a la nce our uncerta in a nd unsta b le tempora lities we mig ht need to emb ra ce feminist work a s a long journey of sma ll opportunities towa rd s cha ng e.

Long journeys require resilience, a nd Ahmed ?s word s, ?feminism need s feminists to survive?.

Perha ps wha t my a cqua inta nce wa s pointing to wa s how we b a la nce our fig ht, with joy, hea ling a nd self-preserva tion.

[1]Ja sb ir K. Pua r, Terrorist Assemb la g es: Homona tiona lism in Q ueer Times (Durha m: Duke University Press, 2007).

[2]Ahmed , Sa ra . The Feminist Killjoy Ha nd b ook. Sea l Press, 3 O ct. 2023.

[3]Ib id 2 [4]Ib id 3 [5]Ib id 4

Ma rdiya Siba Ya ha ya is a feminist writer, digita l sociologist, resea rcher, a nd community movement builder a nd works a s a Globa l Community Ma na ger, a t Tea m CommUNITY housed a t Article 19. She experiments with design justice a pproa ches to a ddress digita l surveilla nce a ga inst minoritized communities.

Ima g e b yBia nca Va n Dijk

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Resilience is O verra ted , Let?s Fix the System Instea d M ahum H amza

Resilience is often portra yed a s a symb ol of streng th, persevera nce, a nd huma n spirit.

Women?s resilience, in pa rticula r, is celeb ra ted a s a b ea con of hope, whether in med ia ca mpa ig ns, motiva tiona l ta lks, or everyd a y conversa tions. From the rura l entrepreneur na vig a ting societa l b a rriers to the sing le mother jug g ling multiple roles, women a re ha iled a s heroes of resilience.

But here?s the rea lity we often ig nore: resilience is not a choice, it?s a necessity b orn out of systemic fa ilure.

In Pa kista n, this na rra tive is perva sive. Women a re celeb ra ted for end uring cha lleng es posed b y a n unequa l society, b ut little a ttention is pa id to why those cha lleng es exist in the first pla ce.

This g lorifica tion risks perpetua ting a d a ng erous sta tus quo where the b urd en of overcoming systemic b a rriers is pla ced solely on women instea d of a d d ressing the systems themselves.

Resilience isn?t always the answer, it can also be a trap.

The na rra tive of resilience a s a n a d mira b le tra it is not unique to Pa kista n. Glob a lly, women?s strug g les a re often fra med a s ta les of triumph. While these stories hig hlig ht ind ivid ua l streng th, they risk norma lizing inequa lity a nd ha rd ship.

Ima g e b y Piya pong Sa yd a ung from Pixa b a y

In Pa kista n, la b or force pa rticipa tion is just one exa mple.

With only 22% of women in the workforce compa red to 80% of men, systemic b a rriers prevent women from a ccessing opportunities. Those who succeed a re la ud ed a s exceptiona l, while the systemic hurd les tha t exclud e the ma jority rema in una d d ressed .

Simila rly, ed uca tion is a nother sta rk

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exa mple. Girls in rura l a rea s a re pra ised for their persevera nce in wa lking miles to a ttend school, yet only 40% complete prima ry ed uca tion compa red to 67% of b oys. Instea d of focusing on their resilience, the question should b e: why is ed uca tion still ina ccessib le for so ma ny?

Why d o g irls in Pa kista n risk their lives for ed uca tion?

Why d o we celeb ra te their streng th ra ther tha n fix the systems tha t force them to strug g le?

pursue ca reers without b ea ring a n unequa l sha re of ca reg iving . With a constitutiona l ma nd a te requiring a t lea st 30% fema le representa tion in g overnment, Rwa nd a exemplifies how systemic cha ng e ca n empower women b y emb ed d ing their voices in policy-ma king a nd lea d ership.

These systemic cha ng es focus on removing b a rriers ra ther tha n celeb ra ting those who overcome them, refra ming resilience a s a n option ra ther tha n a necessity.

Shifting the Narrative in Pakistan

The Costs of Celebrating Resilience The roma nticiza tion of resilience comes a t a steep cost. Women interna lize the expecta tion to end ure, lea d ing to chronic stress, b urnout, a nd una d d ressed menta l hea lth cha lleng es. In Pa kista n, where menta l hea lth rema ins stig ma tized , the b urd en is compound ed b y a la ck of a ccess to ca re.

Furthermore, celeb ra ting resilience d iminishes the urg ency to d isma ntle structura l inequa lities. By focusing on ind ivid ua l success stories, we risk ig noring the b roa d er systems tha t perpetua te inequities. This norma liza tion of ha rd ship susta ins a cycle of invisib ility, where women?s unpa id la b or a nd opportunity costs g o unrecog nized .

Global Efforts to Challenge Systemic Inequities Ma ny countries a re successfully shifting the focus from ind ivid ua l resilience to systemic reform, offering va lua b le lessons for Pa kista n.

Icela nd , a g lob a l lea d er in g end er equa lity, ha s implemented policies like sha red pa renta l lea ve, ensuring ca reg iving responsib ilities a re evenly d istrib uted a nd ena b ling women to pa rticipa te more fully in the workforce. Ca na d a ha s ma d e sig nifica nt prog ress throug h its Afford a b le Child ca re Prog ra m, a llevia ting economic pressures on fa milies a nd a llowing women to

In Pa kista n, the need to move from celeb ra ting ind ivid ua l end ura nce

T he narrat ive of resilience as an admirable t rait is not unique t o Pakist an.

G lobally, women?s st ruggles are oft en framed as t ales of t riumph. W hile t hese st ories highlight individual st rengt h, t hey risk normalizing inequalit y and hardship. to a d d ressing systemic fa ilures is urg ent. Initia tives like the Aurat Foundation, which a d voca tes for women?s rig hts, a nd Sehat Kahani, which provid es d ig ita l hea lthca re solutions, a re steps in the rig ht d irection. Simila rly, g ra ssroots org a niza tions like the Kashf Foundation empower women throug h fina ncia l litera cy a nd microloa ns, crea ting opportunities tha t cha lleng e the sta tus quo.

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Skill-b uild ing prog ra ms a re a lso pa ving the wa y for systemic cha ng e.Cod eGirls, a women-only cod ing b oot ca mp, equips young women with essentia l cod ing a nd b usiness skills, a iming to close the g end er g a p in Pa kista n's tech ind ustry.

Simila rly,Ca terpillHERsfocuses on d eveloping a nd implementing prog ra ms tha t enha nce women?s skills in entrepreneurship a nd STEM, ensuring they ha ve the tools a nd opportunities to thrive in a competitive la nd sca pe.

Prominent fig ures such a s Ma la la Yousa fza i a nd Sha rmeen O b a id -Chinoy ha ve a lso spotlig hted systemic issues on

g lob a l pla tforms, pushing for collective a ction ra ther tha n ind ivid ua l persevera nce.

From Resilience to Equity True empowerment lies not in how much women ca n end ure b ut in crea ting systems where they d on?t ha ve to. To a chieve this, Pa kista n must: -

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Address Systemic Failures:Advocate for g end er-responsive policies tha t ensure equa l opportunities in ed uca tion, work, a nd lea d ership.

Redistribute Invisible Labor:Launch pub lic ca mpa ig ns to cha lleng e societa l norms a nd invest in community-b a sed child ca re to a llevia te

Skill-building programs are also paving t he way for syst emic change.C odeG irls, a women-only coding boot camp, equips young women wit h essent ial coding and business skills, aiming t o close t he gender gap in Pak ist an's t ech indust ry.

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Ima g e b y Bia nca Va n Dijk from Pixa b a y

-

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ca reg iving b urd ens.

Shift Storytelling:Media must hig hlig ht systemic b a rriers a long sid e ind ivid ua l a chievements, shifting focus from roma nticized ha rd ship to a ctiona b le cha ng e.

Invest in Collective Empowerment:Collaborate with priva te sectors to crea te mentorship a nd upskilling prog ra ms ta ilored to women.

Resilience should never b e a surviva l mecha nism forced upon ind ivid ua ls b y b roken systems.

Instea d , it should b e a choice within a n equita b le society. The next time we celeb ra te a story of resilience, let?s a sk: wha t societa l fa ilure ma d e this strug g le necessa ry, a nd how ca n we prevent it from recurring ?

Ma hum is a content ma rketer a nd a n entrepreneur with a focus on crea ting impa ctful na rra tives. As the Ma rketing Executive a t Ca terpillHERs, she levera ges her expertise to empower women a nd foster growth in the digita l spa ce.

By a d d ressing these questions, we ca n crea te a future where resilience is not a necessity b ut a testa ment to the streng th of equita b le systems.

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H ighlight s | 20 19

Comba ting Child Abuse: Inside A C hild Rescue C ent er Liz G uant ai 90

Child a buse is the ma in form of violence a ga inst children globa lly. According to Childhelp, more tha n 3.6 million referra ls involving more tha n 6.6 million children a re ma de to child protection a gencies every yea r.

At the hea rt of child protection a re sa fe pla ces, known a s rescue centers, both Sta te-owned a nd NGO s, where protection officers, socia l workers, counselors a nd other ca regivers work relentlessly to ensure tha t these children survive the tra uma of child a buse a nd rebuild their lives.

retired . Seb a stia n Muroki is the Director a nd overa ll coord ina tor of the Centre. I will not sta te the Centre?s a d d ress b eca use of the sensitivity of child ma tters reported on a d a ily b a sis.

St Ma ria n Centre provid es shelter, comfort a nd pa renta l love to child ren rescued from a ll kind s of exploita tion, sexua l a nd physica l a b use, d rug a b use, neg lect, child tra fficking a mong other heinous a cts of violence a g a inst child ren.

Severa l sta ff includ ing a socia l worker, three house pa rents, a project officer a nd volunteer counselors a ssist Seb a stia n in his I ha ve visited this b ea utiful fa mily work of ensuring Child ren?s severa l times. La st interests a re fully yea r I wa s protected . There is privileg ed to join no fixed source of them for a fund ing for the Christma s pa rty, T he C ent re also host ed Centre, which a mong st other seven-year old *Brian, a currently relies on friend s. We a te, d ona tions from sa ng , d a nced , child wit h albinism who well-wishers for la ug hed a nd susta ina b ility. pla yed until was k idnapped from his d a rkness d rew us family at age five and pa rt. Whenever I When I first visited visit, I find the t raffick ed t o N airobi for the Centre in April child ren pla ying , 2016, I met *Rose, rit ualist ic pract ices. a twelve-yea r old rea d ing or rela xing . g irl rescued from Luck ily, a good Sometimes I find perpetua l the old er child ren Samarit an rescued t he d efilement b y her in the kitchen stepfa ther. cooking for their Accord ing to boy. young er sib ling s. evid ence The g ua rd ia ns, whom they ca ll g a thered b y Seb a stia n, her ?pa rents?, a re consta ntly a va ila b le mother knew of the a b use b ut to wa tch over their child ren. fa iled to report a t the police sta tion in ord er to protect the perpetra tor, her husb a nd a nd However, this is not the typica l b rea d winner from b eing a rrested . nuclea r fa mily. The memb ers a re Another story tha t b roke my hea rt child ren who ha ve b een is tha t of Fourteen-yea r old *Lilia n ill-trea ted b y society a nd rob b ed a young victim of sex tra fficking . of their b ea utiful child hood . They She wa s a b used a s a child ha ve suffered severe a b use a nd prostitute a t the Kenya n Coa st a re now recovering from its from a tend er a g e of ten, offering d eva sta ting effects. I ha ve lea rnt sex to b ea ch tourists. Seb a stia n tha t fa mily d oes not necessa rily a d mitted tha t it wa s pa rticula rly imply tha t memb ers b e rela ted b y d ifficult to reha b ilita te *Lilia n, a s b lood , it is a lso wha t you ca ll she wa s so cond itioned a nd home, where you find ca re a nd ha b itua ted to lea d a sexua l protection, a s evid enced in this lifestyle tha t she would a ttempt to ca se. This fa mily is known a s St molest young er child ren a t the Ma ria n Child ren?s Centre in Centre.

Na irob i, found ed in 2008, b y a Ca tholic nun who ha s since

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The Centre a lso hosted child ren with pa rents who ha ve seven-yea r old *Bria n, a child with b een inca rcera ted or a re a lb inism who wa s kid na pped from themselves survivors of child his fa mily a t a g e five a nd a b use. The Centre a lso receives tra fficked to Na irob i for ritua listic ca ses of child ren whose pa rents pra ctices.

Luckily, a g ood a re serving custod ia l sentences in Sa ma rita n rescued the b oy a nd prison a fter b eing ind icted for he wa s referred to St Ma ria n. His va rious crimes, such a s, sexua l fa mily wa s fina lly tra ced a nd he a nd physica l a b use of their wa s re-united with his pa rents two child ren, selling illicit b rew, yea rs la ter. Seb a stia n a lso reports rob b ery, a mong others. of a rescued child with d isa b ilities; a victim of neg lect b y the mother influenced b y the When a child is rescued a nd b elief tha t such child ren a re b roug ht to the Rescue Centre, cursed a nd a b a d omen for the Seb a stia n ensures tha t the child fa mily. Another child wa s a d mitted comforta b ly fits into the St Ma ria n with a iling hea lth. His superstitious fa mily. Ea ch child receives a mother would not ta ke him to pa cka g e of b a sic items to help hospita l b elieving he wa s them settle, includ ing clothing possessed b y a nd b ed d ing . d emons a nd They a re tra ined could only b e on essentia l life exorcised b y skills such as the villa g e toileting , hyg iene, pa stor/ a nd g enera l witchd octor. self-ca re.

W hen a child is Seb a stia n reports rescued and brought t o tha t such skills a re (At the time mostly la cking in these child ren. In this story wa s t he Rescue C ent re, a d d ition to the published) Sebast ian ensures t hat provision of The Centre necessa ries, the hosts 20 t he child comfort ably child ren receive child ren, with 92 others fit s int o t he St M arian counseling sessions a nd a re a lso b eing enrolled in a supported family. school.

If the externa lly with child ?s life is school fees seriously a nd b a sic end a ng ered , they need s. a re ta ken to a fa r However, off b oa rd ing a round 50 child ren a re rescued every yea r. school. The old er child ren a re equipped with technica l skills a t O n a vera g e, these child ren a re neig hb oring polytechnics.

All housed in the Centre for a b out child ren a re ta ken throug h a six to 12 months b efore they a re comprehensive menta l hea lth either reconnected with their ca re prog ra m to help them fa milies or ta ken to a lterna tive overcome their b ruta l pa st. They shelters. Ma ny rea sons a ttrib ute a re g iven continuous g uid a nce to these child ren?s a d mitta nce to a nd counselling to eleva te their the Centre, some a re b roug ht self-esteem a nd help them to b eca use their g ua rd ia ns fa iled to protect them or circumsta nces reg a in their norma l lives. limited them from performing their d uties properly. While some kid s Seb a stia n a nd his tea m lia ises a d mitted were introd uced to a nd with the police, courts, tea chers, were victims of d rug a b use, ma ny relig ious lea d ers, a nd community were sufferers of ma lnutrition d ue workers to tra ce their fa milies a nd to pa renta l neg lect, poverty or ta ke leg a l a ction on the la ck of resources. In a d d ition to perpetra tors of child a b use. this, the Center is a lso a home for 92

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Pa rents a re a lso g iven counselling . Since most ca ses emerg e from the slums where poverty is a b ig contrib uting fa ctor, the Centre a ssists pa rents with ca pita l to set up income g enera ting a ctivities to ensure b etter ca re of the child ren once they a re returned to their fa milies.

I a sked Seb a stia n whether he loves his job . He replied , ?This is not a job . It is my voca tion. I choose to b e the pa rent to neg lected child ren, a nd it g ives me joy a nd sa tisfa ction to see their innocent a nd vulnera b le lives, once ill-trea ted , fully reha b ilita ted a nd restore their full d ig nity.?

It b rea ks my hea rt to see Parent s are also given such b ruta lity ta rg eted at counselling. Since most innocent cases emerge from t he child ren. If it were not for slums where povert y is a the commitment big cont ribut ing fact or, a nd d ed ica tion of t he C ent re assist s parent s protection wit h capit al t o set up a nd rescue income generat ing Centers such a s St Ma ria n a nd others, act ivit ies t o ensure bet t er these care of t he children once child ren?s lives t hey are ret urned t o t heir would not b e the sa me. Let families. us a ll join ha nd s to end child a b use.?

Liz Gua nta i is a development *Rea l na mes hidden to protect Specia list in Gender minors a nd survivors of child & Youth a ffa irs; a buse. huma n rights; Special Thanks: Seb a stia n Muroki ? Director, St Ma ria n Child ren?s Centre.

Interna tiona l Tra de, Women Pea ce a nd Security. She is a cha mpion susta ina ble a nd inclusive socio-economic development, with significa nt focus on women a nd youth a s key development pla yers. Liz wa s a lso selected a s a Women Deliver Young Lea der (2020-23), UN Women Globa l Cha mpion for Women Economic Empowerment (2015-16), a lumni of the Africa Presidentia l Lea dership Progra m (2019) a nd a n Advoca te of the High Court (Kenya ).

TheWomen And A Forgotten Cuisine D r Tarana H usain K han

O ne a fternoon in the 1960s, Na sreen Beg um, the d a ug hter-in-la w from the roya l fa mily of Ra mpur, sa t on a stool with two other d a ug hters-in-la w cha tting a nd pretend ing to ob serve the kha nsa ma (ma le chef) cooking in the pa la ce kitchens.

O cca siona lly she wa s a sked to stir a d eg h pot or sa mple the curry.

When d inner wa s served a t the roya l ta b le the kha nsa ma informed Na wa b Ra za Ali Kha n (ruled 1930-1949), the la st na wa b of Ra mpur, tha t the b rid es ha d prepa red the mea l. The scene ma rked a sig nifica nt shift??the la te entry of the elite a nd roya l women of Ra mpur into its culina ry story. By then the meticulously honed Ra mpur cuisine cra fted b y g enera tions of over a hund red specia lized cooks ha d entered its d ecline.

For centuries, the women of Ra mpur, sequestered in the zena na s (fema le section) of the pa la ces a nd homes, ha d no role in d eveloping the princely sta te?s renowned cuisine. The sta te?s g a stro-d iploma cy, exercised a t g ra nd b a nquets hosted b y the na wa b s of Ra mpur for their politica l g uests, wa s completely ma le d omina ted . The g ra nd ma sters of the cuisine were the kha nsa ma s from Awa d h, Delhi, Ka shmir a nd other Muslim cultura l centres working tirelessly to crea te a nd refine a d istinctive Ra mpuri cuisine a s a pa rt of the b roa d er policy of a ccultura tion. While men neg otia ted the shifting sa nd s of colonia l politics throug h wa rs, d iploma cy a nd food , the women va nished from officia l cisg end ered histories. Their contrib utions in politics a nd cuisine survived only in interg enera tiona l ora l histories, the d eta ils softened a nd b lurred b y d eca d es of retelling .

Until the ea rly twentieth century, the id ea of roya l women entering the d oma in of the kha nsa ma s wa s unthinka b le. The loca tion of the kitchen in the ma le section of the Ra mpur fort ma d e it ina ccessib le for the women. Thoug h la rg e tiffins from the kitchens were d elivered d a ily to the la d ies of the ha rem, ea ch pa la ce a nd house in the

zena na ma inta ined its own sma ll kitchen.Princess Mehrunnisa record s in her memoire,An Extra ordina ry Lifetha t her mother, Ta la t Za ma ni Beg um?? the third wife of Na wa b Ra za Ali Kha n??wa s a g rea t cook a nd prepa red specia l d ishes for her d a ug hter?s visits. Bored with the rich kha sa mea ls, a nd homesick for fa milia r fla vours these women must ha ve instructed their ma id s to prepa re a lig hter or sea sona l fa re.

The zena na ha d its own specia lly a ppointed ecosystem. The loca l ka ha ris (ma id serva nts) cooking a wa y from the competitive a tmosphere of the ma in kitchen incorpora ted their own sub a ltern fla vours. In her memoire, ?Remembra nces of Da ys Pa st Ja ha na ra Beg um, the sister-in-la w of Na wa b Ra za Ali Kha n writes, ?The zena na a lso b ustled with women a ttend a nts? the tora yda rnis who d istrib uted customa ry portions of food a nd sweets on relig ious occa sions a nd ca rried them on tra ys to the neig hb ours.?O ra l histories revea ls tha t the zena na wa s a vib ra nt pla ce where sea sons, fa mily occa sions, na za r pra yers, Muha rrra m, Eid , Na uroz a nd relig ious festiva ls a nd ob serva nces were celeb ra ted throug h song s a nd d istinctive food s.Monsoon b roug ht pa ttey (pinwheels of Coloca sia lea ves) a nd pa kodey (d umpling s) while winter welcome d ra sa wa l (sug a rca ne juice kheer) a nd va rious ha lwa s.Since the Na wa b never d ined in the zena na ,the women only ca tered to their own ta ste-b ud s, a llowing the two pa ra llel culina ry tra d itions to evolve in ta nd em.It is a lso possib le tha t the b eg ums from other princely sta tes who were ma rried to the Na wa b or into his fa mily b roug ht their own ma id s who looked a fter their mistresses a nd possib ly prepa red d ishes from their homela nd .

This culina ry d evelopment wa s a lso reinforced b y the complex socia l d yna mics of the zena na .In her letters La d y Alice Rea d ing d escrib es her visit to the court of Ra mpur in 1923 where she met Na wa b Ha mid Ali Kha n?s (ruled 1894-1930) wife, Her Hig hness Sha hensha h Beg um a nd their

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d a ug hter in la w, Ra ffa t Za ma ni Beg um. She writes, ?Next to my room wa s a hig h b rick wa ll, the zena na , a nd there a b out a hund red wives lived , ea ch one in a little fla t of a b out three rooms, with their own serva nt to prepa re their food a s ea ch is a fra id of b eing poisoned b y the other.?Tra g ica lly, these humb le a nd unique d ishes of the zena na never found their wa y to the roya l b a nquets or written record s.

A sig nifica nt shift occurred in 1930, when Ra ffa t Beg um, the chief

queen of newly crowned Na wa b Ra za Ali Kha n, b eca me the first roya l woma n to step b eyond the constra ints of the zena na . She a ssumed control of the roya l kitchen correspond ing d irectly with the munsa rims (a d ministra tors) a nd possib ly the chefs. This preced ent continued with Sa kina Beg um, the wife of Na wa b Murta za Ali Kha n (titled 1966-1982) who ma na g ed the d a ily menus a nd b a nquets.

Mirroring the cha ng e in the roya l household , the women of elite fa milies b eg a n instructing a nd 96

working with their kha nsa ma s, experimenting with recipes, setting their finer points, overseeing the kitchens a nd stores situa ted in or nea r the zena na s a nd pa ssing jud g ement a t the d ining ta b les with the rest of the fa mily. In ma ny household s, the kitchens ha d a lwa ys b een the d oma in of the b eg ums b ut the tra nsforma tion la y in their d irect intera ctions with the professiona l kha nsa ma s. These women pla yed a crucia l role cod ifying a nd preserving Ra mpur?s culina ry herita g e. A new tra d ition emerg ed : b rid es were sent to ob serve the kha nsa ma s,to lea n the

fla vour ma trix, the cooking proced ures a nd the ing red ient comb ina tions of ea ch d ish. This knowled g e ena b led them to instruct the kha nsa ma a nd eva lua te their work a t the d ining ta b le.

This wa s the period when the culina ry impa ct of women truly b eg a n. But while the g a ins of the nuvea u ?ha ute?cuisine of Ra mpur wa s meticulously d ocumented in the nineteenth century Persia n ma nuscripts a nd preserved in the roya l lib ra ry (now the Ra mpur Ra za

Lib ra ry), d ishes from the la ter pha se lived solely in culina ry memories. Ja ha na ra Beg um d escrib es the d ishes served a t the roya l ta b le till the 1960?s??urus e ba hri, gosh e feel, da r e ba hisht etc.??na mes which a re unrecog niza b le b y the present g enera tion a nd come with no correspond ing recipes in the cookb ook ma nuscripts. We come to know from Huna rma nda n e Ra mpur (The Ta lented Persona lities of Ra mpur) tha t the loca l women prepa red ka b a b s from veg eta b les??g ula r ka b a b s, la uki ka b a b s a nd kha m kele ke ka ba b (unripe b a na na ka b a b s)??b ut these a nd severa l other recipes pa ssed d own ma terna l lines, g ra d ua lly d isa ppea red .

The a b olition of privy purses in 1971 ma rked a nother turning point. As the fa mily fortunes of most la nd owning fa milies of Ra mpur d eclined , the women ??working with the kha nsa ma s a nd the ma id s??ma d e crucia l d ecisions a b out kitchen economies. They d etermined which d ishes to ma inta in a nd which should b e d ropped off the menu b eca use they were too expensive; d efinitive cha ng es in the recipes would ha ve ta ken pla ce a t the time inevita b ly a ltering the tra d itiona l recipes. The d omina nt role of the women in mod ifying the cuisine, innova ting new d ishes a nd cha ng ing the texture of old d ishes rema ined in fa mily interg enera tiona l memories.

O ne such innova tion wa s the da hi qa liya d escrib ed b y a fa mily memb er a s a thick mea t curry which is la id on a b ed of curd .

Luckily, she still cooks this d ish a nd wa s a b le to tea ch its intrica cies to me.

While no cookb ooks emerg ed out of these colla b ora tions in the now g end er-neutra l kitchen spa ces, the women a nticipa ting the end of the kha nsa ma era b eg a n record ing recipes?? relucta ntly sha red b y the kha nsa ma s??in their persona l d ia ries a nd pa ssed them d own to their ma rried d a ug hters a nd d a ug hters-in-la w. My own mother-in-la w ca lled the roya l cook La d d a n to prepa re his

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specia lities a nd noted d own the recipes. Since she usua lly prepa red the tra d itiona l d ishes, the d ia ry wa s lost. Princess Na g ha t Ab ed i still trea sures her mother Sa kina Beg um?s recipe d ia ry. Sa kina Beg um requested the kha nsa ma s to tea ch the d a ug hter a nd wrote the recipes secretly. I g ot a g limpse of the d ia ry with its d eta iled instructions. The princess intend s to pa ss it d own to her d a ug hter Na rg is who sha res her pa ssion for cooking .

A 2013 show on NDTV Good Times ?Roya l Reserva tion?ca ptures this evolution?s mod ern leg a cy. It fea tures Princess Na g ha t Ab ed i cooking her innova tion ?ma chhli-a nda curry (eg g s in fish curry), with her kha nsa ma , d ressed in his d a rk b lue a chka n a nd ca p.

The d ish, crea ted to a ccommod a te her veg eta ria n friend s b y comb ining fried eg g s with fish curry fla vours exemplifies the colla b ora tion b etween roya l la d ies a nd the kha nsa ma s.

In my work to revive a nd reima g ine Ra mpur?s forg otten d ishes und er the Arts a nd Huma nities Resea rch Council-fund ed project,?Forgotten Food: Culina ry Memory, Loca l Herita ge a nd Lost Agricultura l Va rieties in India ?(2019-2024), Irelied on cooking d ia ries, ora l histories a nd the expertise of old kha nsa ma s. Ra mpur cuisine lost over a hund red d ishes since the 1960?s. Wha t survives tod a y is wha t the women chose to preserve.

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Dr Ta ra na Husa in Kha n is a writer a nd food historia n. Her writings explore the intersections of gender, history, culture a nd ora l history.

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Image: W ik ipedia

Hu r t , Hear t ac h e An d Fear : T he Treacherous Tale O f India?s Part it ion A s Told By Bapsi Sidhwa A mina Yaqin

The celeb ra ted Pa kista ni novelist, Ba psi mood of the Eng lish la ng ua g e novel Sid hwa d ied in Houston, Texa s on 25 a nd the film-ma ker relies on pa rticula r Decemb er 2024. A recipient of ma ny tropes from Hind i cinema to d eliver a wa rd s a nd a ccola d es, she received pa thos with music composed b y A. R the Sita ra -e Imtia z (Pa kista n?s hig hest Ra hma n a nd lyrics b y Ja ved Akhta r. a wa rd ) in 1991. She wrote five novels Music a nd the use of la ng ua g e includ ing The Crow Ea ters, the story of introd uces a n a d d itiona l la yer of empa thy to the na rra tive. As a Punja b i a Pa rsi fa mily which esta b lished her who used to tra vel b etween Amritsa r reputa tion a s a writer of note. The a nd La hore b efore Pa rtition, Mehta ?s novel ha d the honour of a Da vid filmic ima g ina tion wa s inspired b y Hig ha m a wa rd . The Bride, Ice Ca ndy Ma n(pub lished in America a s Cra cking Sid hwa ?s d epiction of Lenny (pla yed b y India ), An America n Bra t a nd a n ed ited Ma ia Sethna in the film) the Pa rsi child b ook City of Sin a nd Splendour: Writings na rra tor.Her a d a pta tion a mplifies Sid hwa ?s use of la ng ua g e a nd form in on La hore followed . Born in Ka ra chi in the novel ca pturing a complex web of 1938, Sid hwa g rew up in La hore a nd pa inful emotions b etween friend s tha t b riefly moved to Bomb a y a s a ma rried continues to a ffect communities on b oth woma n, returning to La hore a fter her sid es of the b ord er. The process of d ivorce, rema rrying a nd eventua lly ma king the film a lso illustra tes the very mig ra ting to Texa s. Her novels ha ve b een tra nsla ted into ma ny la ng ua g es. rea l prob lems tha t b ord er crossing s a nd economic excha ng e pla y in As a writer she ma d e a la sting cultura l prod uctions. This is evid enced impression with her novel Ice Ca ndy in Mehta ?s d ecision to b ypa ss the Ma n first pub lished b y Willia m cha lleng ing log istics of ta king a n Ind ia n Heinema nn in 1988, a pioneering film crew to La hore (the setting of cla ssic of twentieth century feminist Sid hwa ?s story) b y filming in O ld Delhi Pa rtition fiction from Pa kista n. Written (Q ureishi 2017). Build ing on the from the neutra l perspective of a Pa rsi a utob iog ra phica l element of Lenny?s writer, the novel plots pa tria rcha l g end er rela tions a s wa rring cond itions cha ra cterisa tion in the novel is the preva il d uring Ind ia ?s b lood y Pa rtition. I ca meo role g iven to Sid hwa a in the film where she ma kes a b rief a ppea ra nce will a rg ue in this essa y tha t it offers a feminist interpreta tion of g end er b a sed a t the end a s g rown up Lenny fifty yea rs a fter Pa rtition. This ma rked ly violence throug h its stra teg ic d ifferent end ing to tha t of the novel d eployment of na rra tive voice, cha ra cterisa tion a nd form. She mixes her initia lly b othered Sid hwa b ut she ma d e her pea ce with it a s Mehta ?s ?cinema tic prose writing with tra nsla ted poetry, vision?with its ?own intrinsic integ rity a nd folkta les a nd her own verse a t va rious log ic?(2000). The connection with points eng a g ing the rea d er b oth with nosta lg ia a nd empa thy. A d eca d e a fter Mehta rema ined a lifelong one a nd when the RSS ra ised ob jections to pub lica tion Ice Ca ndy Ma n wa s a d a pted for cinema with the title Ea rth Mehta ?s Ind ia n prod uction of Wa ter, a 1947(1998) b y the Ca na d ia n d irector film a b out Hind u wid ows in the 1930s, throug h a tta cks on the set a nd d ea th Deepa Mehta . threa ts, Sid hwa showed her solid a rity b y writing a letter to The Hindusta n Times in Mehta ?s d efence (2000). Sid hwa would The novel is poig na ntly tra nsla ted in the la ter pen Wa ter: a novel b a sed on film, its impa ct relying on contra sting Mehta ?s screenpla y pub lished a t the visua ls, soft lig hting , music a nd the sa me time a s the film?s relea se in the US, Bollywood a ctors Aa mir Kha n a s a ta sk she took on d ue to her Ice-ca nd y-ma n a nd Na nd ita Da s a s a d mira tion of Mehta ?s work a nd their Sha nta . Na rra ted in Hind i a nd Eng lish friend ship (2006). a nd shot in Delhi the film ca ptures the

As hea rt rend ing stories of refug ees a nd mig ra nts a nd the effects of wa r on g end er b a sed violence continue to ma ke news hea d lines in our conflict rid d en world , I ha ve time a nd a g a in turned to women-centred stories of Pa rtition in the novel, the short story, poetry, film, television d ra ma a nd music in the cla ssroom. These a re unique resources to reflect on the pa st a nd think a b out our present a nd the future.

In a quest to tea ch Pa rtition from a feminist sta nd point I ha ve often relied on Ice Ca ndy Ma n where women?s g end ered tra uma is plotted a long sid e

feminist a ctivism recounting women?s experiences of la b our, d isa b ility, mothering a nd physica l violence.

Sid hwa a d opts a reflexive position relying on her privileg ed child na rra tor Lenny to convey how wa r norma lises ma le sexua l violence ena b ling men to ra pe women. They prey on vulnera b ilities b y crea ting a n a tmosphere in which women live in consta nt fea r of b eing ra ped .In one of her interviews, Sid hwa ha s d escrib ed women a s ?living ob jects on whose soft b od ies victors a nd losers a like vent their wra th, ena ct fa nta stic vend etta s, celeb ra te victories?(1990: 380).

Exposing d eep sca rs in the fa b ric of

society the novel d emonstra tes the d ra ma tic loss of id entity a nd mea ning a mong st a g roup of communities of d ifferent fa iths tha t ha d lived in some d eg ree of cohesion b efore they were torn a pa rt. It is the Pa rsi writer?s self-d ecla red neutra lity throug h her Pa rsi cha ra cters, the Sethi fa mily, tha t g ives her the power of a n a uthentic na rra tive.

It is estima ted tha t d uring Pa rtition one million people d ied a nd over twelve million were d ispla ced while 75000 women a re thoug ht to ha ve b een a ffected b y g end er b a sed violence

a cross communities(Kha n 2017). Yet the hig h politics of Pa rtition with its d omina nt na rra tives of the Cong ress, the Muslim Lea g ue, a nd the la st Viceroy of Ind ia ha ve tend ed to overpower the cultura l memory of Pa rtition reprod ucing officia l na rra tives of milita risa tion a nd wa r (Gilma rtin 1998). Thus officia l a ccounts of conflict ca n often ig nore the stories of women b ut they a re core to how we und ersta nd the d yna mics of interna tiona l politics (Enloe 2014).The historia n Ya smin Kha n notes tha t the ha rd est thing to write a b out 1947 horrors is the experience of ra ped women. She notes, ?Armed g a ng s ha d sta rted to use ra pe a s a tool of

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violence in Beng a l a nd Biha r in 1946 b ut this now took on a new ub iquity a nd sa va g ery in Punja b ?(133). Sid hwa ?s novel na rra ted from the self-d ecla red neutra l Pa rsi perspective of its child na rra tor Lenny enca psula tes feeling s of sha me, d ishonour a nd reveng e a s the prota g onist Sha nta (Lenny?s Hind u a ya h) experiences sexua l violence in silence. Lenny witnesses the b rea k-up of La hore?s mixed society a nd its effect on Sha nta , who b ecomes the ob ject of d esire for the increa sing ly hostile Hind u, Muslim a nd Sikh ma le cha ra cters. It?s no coincid ence tha t when Lenny first sees the women who a re b eing kept in the ma keshift ca mp next d oor, she thinks tha t they?re b eing imprisoned there. The very id ea of a ?fa llen woma n?ind ica tes tha t you must ha ve fa llen from somewhere, some g rea t heig ht. For Ind ia n a nd Pa kista ni women a t the time of Pa rtition, tha t heig ht includ ed the representa tive summit of their na tion?s honour. Throug h Lenny, Sid hwa na rra tes the silence of Sha nta , whose experience of a b d uction a nd ra pe lea d s to life a s a prostitute in La hore?s red lig ht d istrict with the Ice-ca nd y-ma n a s her pimp b efore she returns to Amritsa r. Lenny?s a ccount of Sha nta ?s experience in the city is contra sted with the ra pe of Muslim women b y Sikh men in the villa g e of Pir Pind o witnessed b y Ra na a , the cook Ima m Din?s g rea t g ra nd son a nd Lenny?s friend . Sha nta a nd the unna med women a re survivors of multiple tra uma s, b ut their stories a re effectively stifled a nd forb id d en b y the honour cod es of South Asia n culture. Sha nta ?s ta le pa rtly reca lls those rea l life insta nces where women on b oth sid es of the new b ord er b eca me victims of sexua l violence b ut could not return home owing to the sha me they were d eemed to ha ve b roug ht on their fa milies a nd communities. Ma ny who were viola ted chose not to b e repa tria ted to preserve the honour of the fa mily.

Accord ing to Ya smin Kha n ?[o]fficia l

g overnment fig ures spoke of 83,000 women kept b a ck, ta ken a wa y from their fa milies, on b oth sid es of the b ord er?

(135).

Sha nta , ha s b een ? a s the term g oes ? ?recovered ?, like scores of other ?fa llen women?. She is to b e repa tria ted a nd sent home to her fa mily in Amritsa r on the Ind ia n sid e of the b ord er; a lthoug h, a s God mother wa rns her, there?s no g ua ra ntee tha t her fa mily will welcome her b a ck, g iven tha t she ha s b een ra ped a nd forced into prostitution. Yet, a s rea d ers we a re a wa re tha t only pa rt of her story ha s b een told . We?re never informed wha t a ctua lly ha ppened to her d uring the most tra uma tic moments of her life b etween b eing a b d ucted a nd rea ppea ring a s a prostitute a nd Ice-ca nd y-ma n?s wife in the Red Lig ht District of La hore. As in rea lity, so in the novel, the d eepest recesses of Sha nta ?s sha me a re never b roug ht out into the open. (In the text, this is pa rtly expla ined throug h the fa ct tha t the foca liser is the child Lenny, so she ? a nd we ? a re spa red the d eta ils.)

The ma tter of foca lisa tion, a nd thechild ?s eye view ca n b e rea d a s pa rt a utoethnog ra phy a s Sid hwa tra nsla tes some of her own life experiences throug h Lenny?s cha ra cteriza tion b y inflecting her memories of Pa rtition a s a seven or eig ht yea r old a nd her experiences of g rowing up with polio from a young a g e. She is home schooled a nd her b od y is often in pa in from the va rious opera tions ca rried out to help improve her muscula r streng th a nd a b ility to wa lk without ca lipers. Her ill hea lth a llows her to witness intima te moments b etween Sha nta a nd her a d mirers a nd her pa rents. Lenny?s vulnera b ility a nd her?innocent eye?a re introd uced to us ea rly on (something

which ma kes the impa ct of her?g uilty tong ue?? when she g ives a wa y Aya h?s hid ing pla ce, la ter in the b ook ? a ll the more striking ). Lenny is the one who comes up with the centra l ima g e for Pa rtition which g ives the b ook its title when she sa ys:?Ind ia is g oing to b e b roken. Ca n one b rea k a country? And wha t ha ppens if they b rea k it where our house is? O r cra ck it further up on Wa rris Roa d ? How will I ever g et to God mother?s then??(92) Throug h the b ook Lenny g rows a nd d evelops, b oth physica lly a s a fema le, a nd emotiona lly a s she ha s to come to terms with the terrib le events g oing on a round her. Her polio a ffected b od y fa d es into the b a ckg round a s the violence of Pa rtition oversha d ows her emotiona l rela tionship with her prima ry ca rer Aya h. When the violence rea ches La hore, Lenny reflects on the cha ng e tha t a ffects the inter-ethnic g roup of friend s tha t g a thers reg ula rly in Q ueens Pa rk a s it b rea ks up: ?It is sud d en.O ne d a y everyb od y is themselves ? a nd the next d a y they a re Hind u, Muslim, Sikh, Christia n. People shrink, d wind ling into symb ols. Aya h is no long er just my a ll-encompa ssing Aya h ? she is a lso a token. A Hind u.?(93) As the violence esca la tes, it is no long er sa fe to meet in Q ueens Pa rk or to wa lk the city so some of the friend s come to see Sha nta a t the Sethi household a nd they hud d le a round the ra d io to hea r the la test news. When the news tha t Gurd a spur is b eing a lloca ted to Ind ia filters in, Ice-ca nd y-ma n is a lrea d y a t the ra ilwa y sta tion rea d y to receive his fleeing rela tives from there. When the tra in a rrives he is confronted with coa ches full of d ea d people a nd ?two g unny-b a g s full of women?s b rea sts!?

(149). From this point on Ice-ca nd y-ma n is a cha ng ed ma n.

When he next visits Sha nta he confesses, ?I lose my senses when I think of the mutila ted b od ies on tha t tra in from

Gurd a spur ? tha t nig ht I went ma d , I tell you! I lob b ed g rena d es throug h the wind ows of Hind us a nd Sikhs I?d known a ll my life! I ha ted their g uts ? I wa nt to kill someone for ea ch of the b rea sts they cut off the Muslim women ? The penises!?(156). Here we ca n see how wa r sha pes g end er a nd ma kes pa tria rcha l g end er rela tions the norm ra ther tha n the exception. Sid hwa ?s interconnected rea d ing of ma sculinity a nd femininity throug h Sha nta a nd Ice-ca nd y-ma n offers a simila r insig ht to Cynthia Cockb urn?s a na lysis of ?Gend er rela tions a s ca usa l in Milita riza tion a nd Wa r?(2010) und erlining a ?pa tria rcha l g end er reg ime?tha t a ssocia tes ma sculinity with ?a uthority, coercion a nd violence?. Ice-ca nd y-ma n emb od ies a ll three cha ra cteristics using his a uthority to coerce Lenny into b etra ying Sha nta to rea ch his end g oa l of violence. The novel is a lso prescient in pred icting the norma lisa tion of the ra pe of women a s a wa y of exploiting a nd oppressing their sexua lities. We see this in the numerous reports of ra pes in post-Pa rtition. Pa kista n, Ind ia a nd Ba ng la d esh (2021) a nd the continued victimisa tion of women.

O ne of the wa ys in which Sid hwa interwea ves her feminist perspective with Lenny?s voice in the na rra tive is throug h her use of epig ra phs a nd her inclusion of verse, folk ta les such a s the tra g ic Sohni Ma hiwa l a nd snippets of song from the popula r cha nteuse, Noor Jeha n. Urd u poetry is a prominent presence in the novel provid ing a llusion, meta phor a nd symb olism to Lenny?s story. Sid hwa ?s opening epig ra ph is from the poet philosopher Muha mma d Iqb a l?s poem ?Shikwa ?(The Compla int) (1909). ?Sha ll I hea r the la ment of the nightinga le, submissively lending my ea r?

Am I the rose to suffer its cry in silence yea r a fter yea r?

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The fire of verse gives me coura ge a nd bids me no more to be fa int.

With dust in my mouth, I a m a bject: to God I ma ke my compla int.

Sometimes You fa vour our riva ls then sometimes with us You a re free, I a m sorry to sa y it so boldly. You a re no less fickle tha n we. (1).

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Iqb a l?s verse, written in the ea rly twentieth century, resona tes with the Sufi tra d ition of protest poetry a nd its a ppropria tion a nd tra nsla tion b y Sid hwa und erlines her relia nce on symb ol a nd meta phor in the novel, a ccentua ting a nosta lg ic voice. Her story offers a sta rk contra st to the milita rised ma sculinity tha t cha ra cterises la rg e pa rts of ?Shikwa ?. She und erlines the pa tria rcha l a spects of wa r, violence a g a inst women b y men a nd solid a rities a mong st women. Iqb a l?s poetic voice wa s torn b etween his pa ssion for a n id ea l Isla mic community a nd the id ea of free will. ?Shikwa ?wa s a fea rless expression of uncerta inties tha t ca use fa ith to fa lter a nd d oub t to come in.

Sid hwa chooses to b orrow from ?Shikwa ? to a rticula te a feminist voice tha t is the conscience of a milita rised Isla mic na tion in the 1980s. It lend s its force to Lenny?s testimonia l a ccount whose innocent eye ob serves a nd record s history a s she sees it. In her fina l cha pter Sid hwa turns to Iqb a l a g a in a nd the epig ra ph is from ?Sa qina ma ?

(The ta le of the cup b ea rer). Iqb a l?s poem is a b out Muslim self-rea lisa tion a nd uses the form of the sixteenth century Perso-Ara b ic g enre of poetry to communica te his philosophy of khud i, the self. He sees this a s a n essentia l component respond ing to a new period of Muslim sub jug a tion reflecting a necessa ry strug g le over id entity with the end of O ttoma n a nd Mug ha l ruling

d yna sties. Using this g ra nd na rra tive a s a b a ckd rop, Sid hwa popula tes the cha pter with the self-rea lisa tion of Ice-ca nd y-ma n. With a b roken a rm he pa trols Wa rris Roa d a nd occa siona lly recites verses from the nineteenth century poet Za uq a nd couplets b y Gha lib . We a re told he ha s b ecome a mystica l ?moonstruck fa kir who ha s renounced the world for his b eloved ? (!76). Ha unted b y the verses of Fa iz, Za uq a nd Gha lib he fling s flowers over the wa lls of the Wa rris Roa d house inha b ited b y Lenny a nd her fa mily.

Nea rb y the Recovered Women?s ca mp is a lso covered in peta ls. Eventua lly he too g oes a cross the b ord er to Ind ia presuma b ly to follow Sha nta to Amritsa r.

From a milita rized seeker of reveng e to a lovelorn ma n, he emb od ies the b rea k-up of the community a nd the b irth of the na tion. His mora lity is numb ed b y wha t he witnesses a nd in turn he emb od ies the ug liness tha t he sees a round him in his a cts of sexua l violence. The novel b ookend s Urd u verses from Iqb a l inflecting them with a g end ered consciousness of the politics of Pa rtition a nd a hid d en pa in tha t repea ts itself over a nd over a g a in, d ulling the sha rp ed g ed memories of wa r with the nosta lg ia of unrequited love a nd sepa ra tion.

Sid hwa ?s novel is a sta rk remind er of the vicious cycles of history a nd the g end ered tra uma b orne b y women a nd men d uring conflict. To me, she sta nd s out a s a pioneering Pa kista ni woma n writer in Eng lish who wa sn?t a fra id to write a b out her community. She b roug ht a unique a ng le to the story of Pa rtition a s a Pa rsi unflinching ly critiquing the pa tria rcha l na rra tive of a milita rised na tiona lism.Ice Ca ndy Ma n enca psula tes non-elite voices b oth women a nd child ren (Sha nta a nd Ra na a ) a long sid e the voices of

privileg e. It is a cla ssic text of South Asia n feminist fiction tha t spea ks not just of women a s victims of wa r b ut a lso a s a g ents who ma d e a ctivist contrib utions to resist the sta tus quo. Here perha ps the storytelling is kind er to privileg ed Pa rsi women with a ccess such a s Lenny?s mother, God mother, Electric Aunt a nd Lenny herself who a re a b le to ma ke tra nsforma tive cha ng es in their lives. Among st a ll this is the ma le fig ure of Ice-ca nd y-ma n whose cha ra cterisa tion ma nifests the rela tiona lity of g end ered violence a nd the crisis of ma sculinity tha t b irths the na tion.

Sid hwa ma kes a feminist cla im to na rra tivizing wa r b y choosing to tell the story of a n ord ina ry woma n, Sha nta who loses everything . She b ecomes a symb ol of her relig ion a nd is d ehuma nised b y mob violence a nd the hyperma sculinity of Ice-ca nd y-ma n. We know little of wha t g oes on in Sha nta ?s mind a s she is interpreted throug h Lenny especia lly in the la tter ha lf of the novel where her silences a re prominent. Her d ig nity a nd her a b ility to wa lk the city a s a ca rer for Lenny is ta ken a wa y from her, instea d she is tra fficked into b ecoming a sex worker.

Ice-ca nd y-ma n?s role reversa l a nd remorse a t the end ca nnot compensa te for the menta l a nd physica l a ng uish he ha s put her throug h in his d esire for reveng e. The post-Pa rtition view is g loomy a nd d isa ster rid d en id entifying women a nd child ren on the g round a s the b ig g est ca sua lties of a sud d en wa r. Sid hwa ?s na rra tive is not there to hea l the g end ered tra uma of Pa rtition b ut to a mplify it in ord er to remind rea d ers of how milita rised ma sculinities g enera te g end er b a sed violence d ispla cing socia l rela tions b etween a nd a cross g end ers crea ting d eep structura l ruptures within society.

Works Cited Cynthia Cockb urn, ?Gend er Rela tions a s Ca usa l in Milita riza tion a nd Wa r?,Interna tiona l Feminist Journa l of Politics, 2010, 12:2, 139-157.

Cynthia Enloe,Ba na na s, Bea ches a nd Ba ses: Ma king Feminist Sense of Interna tiona l Politics, University of Ca lifornia Press, 2014.

Da vid Gilma rtin, ?Pa rtition, Pa kista n a nd South Asia n History: in sea rch of a na rra tive?, TheJourna l of Asia n Studies1998, 57, 4: 1068-1095.

Ya smin Kha n,The Grea t Pa rtition: the ma king of India a nd Pa kista n, Ya le University Press, 2017.

Bila l Q ureshi, ?The Discomforting Leg a cy of Deepa Mehta ?sEa rth?, 2017, 70, 4 .https://filmqua rterly.org /2017/06/12/the-d iscomforting -leg a cy-of-d eepa -mehta s-ea rth/(Accessed 02/01/2025) Ba psi Sid hwa ,Ice Ca ndy Ma n[1988], Peng uin Books, 1989.

Wa ter: A novel. Milkweed Ed itions, 2006. nInterview with Feroza Jussa wa la , in Feroza Jussa wa la a nd Reed Wa y Da senb rock (ed s)Interviews with Writers of the Post-Colonia l World, University Press of Mississippi, 1992, pp.

198-221. n?They a re punishing Deepa for d efla ting their eg os?, 19 Ma y 2000. Letter sent to The Hind usta n Times pub lished on the World Socia list Web Site. https://www.wsws.org /en/a rticles/2000/05/d m2-m19.html Rud a b eh Sha hid , Ka veri Sa rka r a nd Azeem Kha n, ?Und ersta nd ing ?ra pe culture? in Ba ng la d esh, Ind ia a nd Pa kista n?, Atla ntic Council, Ja nua ry 26, 2021 .https://www.a tla nticcouncil.org /b log s/southa sia source/und ersta nd ing -ra pe-culture-in-b a ng la d esh-ind ia -pa kista n/(Accessed 03/01/2025)

Amina Ya qin is a Professor of World a nd Postcolonia l litera tures a t the University of Exeter.

She is a lso the Director of Resea rch, Societies a nd Cultures Institute, Director of EDI, English a nd Crea tive Writing, Co-Investiga tor, Empa thy Na rra tive a nd Cultura l Va lues Before her tenure a t Exeter, she served a s a Rea der in Urdu a nd Postcolonia l Studies a t SO AS, University of London. Her resea rch spa ns multiple disciplines, focusing on contempora ry Muslim life a nd the cultura l politics of Pa kista n.

Additiona lly, she co-edits the interna tiona l journa l Critica l Pa kista n Studies, published by Ca mbridge University Press.

Pak i st an i Wo men No n -Fi c t i o n Wr i t er s

Re-imagining Culture, Politics And Gender Dynamics 106

M ehr F H usain

Non-fiction in Pa kista n ha s g enera lly mea nt d ry a na lysis throug h a politica l or stra teg ic lens. Most of the d iscourse ha s centred a round history, pa rticula rly the Bhutto era a nd Zia period a nd ha s b een d omina ted b y men. This is not to sa y Pa kista n?s history ha s not b een a d d ressed or written a b out. The role of women in Pa kista n?s non fiction is immense a nd the country owes them.

Za ib unnisa Ha mid ulla h wa s the spa rk tha t crea ted Pa kista ni litera ture a nd she wa s a lso Pa kista n?s first fema le ed itor. It wa s Ha mid ulla h who opened up commenta ry for women b eyond the rea lm of a rt a nd roma nce, insisting tha t women ha ve the rig ht to comment a nd write on a nything a nd everything .

Ayesha Ja la l b eca me a sta ple, necessa ry piece of rea d ing for a nyone remotely interested in Pa kista n?s history a nd she rema ins the only fema le Pa kista ni historia n referenced a nd quoted extensively to d a te.

Writers such a s Q ura t Ul Ain Hyd er, Kha d ija Ma stoor a nd Ba psi Sid hwa took historica l events a nd na rra tivised them into works of fiction such a s Aa g Ka Da rya a nd Ice Ca nd y Ma n. This d oes not d ecima te the va lue of their work b ut in fa ct, they need to b e cred ited for d ecolonising the mind s of rea d ers a nd ma king the Pa kista ni people a ctua lly rea lise the weig ht of history, ma king the politica l persona l.

With the a d vent of the cra ft reviva lists consisting of women, new forms of non fiction b eg a n to emerg e d ocumenting cultura l herita g e. Nota b le works ca me in the form of photo b ooks b y Noor Jeha n Bilg ra mi a nd Sherry Rehma n who meticulously noted how rura l a rtisa ns from Sind h a nd Ka shmir used a ncient cra fts a nd techniques tha t respected na ture to crea te items of clothing tha t stood the test of time a nd spa nned g enera tions.

Then ca me the era of persona l na rra tives a s non fiction, the two most fa mous one b eing ?Da ug hter of

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Ayesh a Jal al bec ame a st apl e, n ec essar y pi ec e o f r ead i n g f o r an yo n e r emo t el y i n t er est ed i n Pak i st an ?s h i st o r y an d sh e r emai n s t h e o n l y f emal e Pak i st an i h i st o r i an r ef er en c ed an d q u o t ed ext en si vel y t o d at e.

the Ea st: An Autob iog ra phy?b y Bena zir Bhutto a nd ?My Feud a l Lord ? b y Tehmina Durra ni.

As the first fema le Prime Minister of Pa kista n a nd the Muslim world , Bhutto?s memoir ma pped out her life a nd g a ve a n insig ht into who she wa s b eyond the world of politics.

Revea ling her fa mily life a nd sha ring persona l insig hts such a s her love for peppermint fla voured ice crea m, Bhutto b eca me a d a ug hter, a sister, wife a nd mother, huma nising her existence b eyond the g littering world of power where she ca rved

va rious pub lica tions. Her most nota b le work is with Ka mla Bha sin titled ?Some Q uestions on Feminism & Its Releva nce in South Asia ?. Sa id a lso set up Pa kista n?s first feminist pub lishing house, Applied Socio-Economic Resea rch (ASR).

Pub lishing a s a ca reer pa th wa s something more fema les would follow, picking up the pub lishing ma ntle post Ind o-Pa k b rea kd own of rela tions tha t a ffected Pa kista ni a uthors the most.

Afiya Sheherb a no Zia ?s a uthorship took Pa kista n a nd b roke it d own in a schola rly ma nner exa mining g end er in va rious contexts. Her work set the sta nd a rd for feminist schola rship, opened up spa ce for thoug ht a nd crea ted a venues for the Pa kista ni feminist movement to expa nd a nd g row.Zia a lso b ra vely took on other fema le non-fiction writers work a nd critica lly a rg ued tha t it wa s impera tive to ensure tha t a ny work b y fema le Muslim writers should not b e used to criticise secula r feminists a nd their work in Muslim countries, ma rking a n importa nt d istinction b etween secula rism a nd the use of relig ion when b eing a pplied to women?s stud ies.

Wi t h t h e ad ven t o f t h e c r af t r evi val i st s c o n si st i n g o f wo men , n ew f o r ms o f no n f ict io n beg an t o emer g e d o c u men t i n g c u l t u r al h er i t ag e. out her role.

Durra ni?s wa sa persona l a ccount of her turb ulent life with the la nd lord a nd politicia n Musta fa Kha r, Durra ni b ra vely told her story b a ring the truth of a world tha t ha d b een fictiona lised in novels a nd d epicted on television a s d ra ma s. She provid ed the necessa ry a uthenticity of a world tha t ha d rema ined spoken a b out, privy to the privileg ed .

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Post Zia , there wa s a lso the rise of feminist litera ture, the two most nota b le a uthors b eing Afiya Shehrb a no Zia a nd Nig ha t Sa id Kha n, g lob a lly recog nised a s g ia nts of Pa kista n?s feminist movements.

Sa id a uthored ma ny pub lica tions a nd contrib uted ma ny cha pters to

In fa ct, in 1995, it wa s throug h ASR tha t Sa id a nd Zia pub lished a joint tome titled "Unveiling the issues : Pa kista ni women's perspectives on socia l, politica l a nd id eolog ica l issues."

In 2005, Fa tima Bhutto, a lrea d y a pub lished poet, d ocumented the d eva sta ting ea rthqua ke in Aza d Ka shmir a nd KPK (b a ck then referred to a s NWFP) with her b ook titled ?8:50 Am O ctob er 8, 2005?.

Applying her journa lism, Bhutto wa s a b le to d ocument the d eva sta tion throug h powerful storytelling , huma nising the victims a nd ca pturing the d ig nified spirit of child ren who while fa cing overwhelming loss, rema ined hopeful.

She la ter went on to write a b out her fa mily, seeking justice for her

murd ered fa ther Murta za Bhutto in ?Song s of Blood And Sword ?. Bhutto ventured into fiction b efore putting out a nother work of non fiction in 2019 titled ?New King s of the World : Dispa tches from Bollywood , Dizi a nd K-Pop?in which she d ocumented the rise of Asia n pop culture onto the g lob a l sta g e.

A shift wa s b eg inning to ta ke pla ce with more fema le journa lists d elving into non fiction especia lly in Eng lish focusing on women a nd their pla ce in society. Aca d emics continued to exa mine g end er throug h a theoretica l lens, b ut increa sing ly there wa s a tempta tion to d ocument, d iscover a nd exa mine wha t b eing a fema le in Pa kista n mea nt. From knowled g e crea tion, the focus wa s on the rea lisa tion a nd more importa ntly, on the impa ct of the fema le presence.

This wa s most evid ent with the journa list Sa na m Ma her?s b ook in 2019, ?The Sensa tiona l Life O f Q a nd eel Ba loch?.

This wa s a fa scina ting ca se a s Q a nd eel?s murd er a t the ha nd s of her b rother wa s ha iled a s a n ?honour killing ?- when in fa ct, Q a nd eel?s entire work on socia l med ia fea tured only her.

It wa s quite the opposite of wha t wa s d efined a s a n honour killing a s she ha d tired of her life a nd wa nted to ma rry a ma n a nd g a in custod y of her son from her ex-husb a nd .

other Pa kista ni women fa ce, no ma tter wha t they d o or where they come from.

Recently, a most stella r exa mple of investig a tive work ha s b een Sa b a Imtia z a nd Toob a Ma sood -Kha n?s ?Society Girl?. With impressive a rchiva l work a nd extensive resea rch Imtia z a nd Ma sood -Kha n d elved into a nother pa rt of Pa kista ni culture a nd re-exa mine a pa rt of history ma ny were ha ppy to sweep und er the rug .

As more a nd more fema les enter the fora y of non-fiction in the Eng lish la ng ua g e, there is a g rowing d esire to unea rth elements of history a nd to expla in the present in wha t ha s emerg ed a s a ?Pa kista ni?tra d ition of non fiction. Ta king fa ct a nd informa tion a nd presenting it throug h rig orous exa mina tion process d oes not necessa rily mea n

On t h e c o n t r ar y, i t i s i mpo r t an t t o n o t e t h at wo r k pu t f o r war d by t h e c u r r en t c r o p o f n o n -f i c t i o n wr i t er s i s ac t u al l y an amal g amat i o n o f f emi n i st st r u g g l es an d awar en ess, pu sh f o r c r eat i ve spac e an d a c l ai mi n g o f spac e i n an i n d u st r y t h at h ad been d o mi n at ed by men .

An exa mple of investig a tive journa lism b eing a pplied in the form of a long form non-fiction piece of work, Ma her too joined the ra nks of Bhutto with her d ocumenta tion, piecing tog ether a story tha t took Q a nd eel off the screen a nd huma nised her a Pa kista ni woma n who suffered the fa te tha t millions of

it ha s no a ca d emic or schola rly va lue.

O n the contra ry, it is importa nt to note tha t work put forwa rd b y the current crop of non-fiction writers is a ctua lly a n a ma lg a ma tion of feminist strug g les a nd a wa reness, push for crea tive spa ce a nd a cla iming of spa ce in a n ind ustry tha t ha d b een d omina ted b y men.

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Crea tivity is a lso hea vily utilised to explore concepts of id entity, g end er, pa tria rchy, misog yny, a b use a nd more. Aisha Sa rwa ri?s ?Hea rt Ta ntrums?is one exa mple of this where a g a in, mining her own life, she questions the systems of oppression tha t a re wield ed a g a inst women on a d a ily b a sis. Ha ving foug ht off the sha ckles herself, Sa rwa ri?s explosive b ook took a n ug ly truth a nd la id it b a re, empowering others to see themselves in her rea lity.

While the written word ca rries its own g ra vita s, other writers of fiction, screenpla y writers, scriptwriters a lso must b e mentioned for the written word d oes not work or evolve in isola tion. The volley b etween a ll these va rious a rea s of the med ia ena b les more women to come forth a nd explore new forms of non-fiction. As more a nd more women enter the fora y, especia lly in tod a y?s d ig ita l storytelling forma t in the form of reports, vid eos, film, d ocumenta ries a nd more, there is a streng thening of the fema le voice a s a force to b e reckoned with.

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Mehr F Husa in is the a uthor of the non fiction book ?Pa kista n: A Fa shiona ble History?a nd founder of Zuka Books.

H ighlight s | 20 17

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The Need for Gender Equality In Times of Crisis M elanie Bublyk

In times of huma nita ria n crises, g end er issues ha ve often g one unnoticed a nd ig nored . Armed conflicts a nd na tura l d isa sters ha ve profound ly d ifferent impa cts on women, g irls, b oys a nd men.

Displa cement ca n exa cerb a te a lrea d y existing g end er inequa lities. Applying g end er equa lity prog ra mming in times of crises is a n importa nt step towa rd s g end er equa lity, which is not only a huma n rig hts impera tive, b ut a step towa rd s a chieving susta ina b le d evelopment. Using a g end er lens, a id s in g rea ter und ersta nd ing of how huma nita ria n crises emerg e a nd entrench.

susta ina b le d evelopment (UN, 2013). The d ecla ra tion stresses the protection of the rig hts of a ll mig ra nts, reg a rd less of their mig ra tion sta tus a nd the vulnera b ilities of women a nd child ren is pa rticula rly d ra wn to a ttention in the d ecla ra tion (Kojima , 2015). Implementa tion of g end er equa lity prog ra mming d uring times of crisis such a s a rmed conflict, na tura l d isa sters is not only a huma n rig hts impera tive, b ut striving for g end er equa lity is a critica l step towa rd s a chieving susta ina b le d evelopment (IASC, 2006).

Women a re often susceptib le to ma rg ina lisa tion, poverty a nd During times of suffering , with huma nita ria n existing W omen are oft en crises there should inequa lities a nd b e no exception pa tterns of suscept ible t o in a chieving d iscrimina tion g end er equa lity marginalisat ion, povert y tend ing to be b ut the rea lity is exa cerb a ted and suffering, wit h tha t pa ying d uring times of a ttention to exist ing inequalit ies and times of crisis g end er issues is (DCAF, 2005, p. often ig nored a nd 14).

Crisis pat t erns of viewed as situa tions ra d ica lly irreleva nt (IASC, discriminat ion t ending a ffect socia l a nd 2006).

To cultura l structures, t o be exacerbat ed during cha ng ing women?s reitera te, ma n-ma d e a nd t imes of t imes of crisis a nd men?s sta tus na tura l d isa sters a nd thus these ha ve profound ly environments tend d ifferent impa cts to exa cerb a te on g irls, b oys, women, a nd men. g end er b a sed d iscrimina tion a nd Pre-existing g end er inequa lities rig hts viola tions (IASC, 2006, p. ca n b e exa cerb a ted d uring 6). During huma nita ria n crises huma nita ria n crises a nd therefore women a nd g irls a re at lea d s to increa sed d iscrimina tion, heig htened risk of g end er-b a sed g rea ter exclusion a nd violence, a b d uction, exploita tion, d isproportiona te risks (UNICEF, poverty a nd illness. Violence 2012). The link b etween the role within fa milies ca n b e on the of huma nita ria n org a nisa tions increa se, d ue to b rea kd owns in a nd huma n rig hts a pproa ches is socia l va lues a s a result of a n importa nt one, a s they a re d ispla cement. The loss of the und erpinned by protecting fa mily unit a nd community ca n people from rig hts viola tions a nd pla ce women a nd g irls a t a re committed to ensuring tha t increa sed risk of violence (DCAF, d ig nity is upheld a nd tha t sa fe 2005). Hind ering women a nd g irls? spa ces exist (IASC, 2006). A a b ility to pa rticipa te in Hig h-level Dia log ue on community-b a sed a d a ption a nd Interna tiona l Mig ra tion a nd mitig a tion stra teg ies is the result Development wa s convened b y of a la ck of rob ust the UN in 2013 a nd the d ecision-ma king power for women d ecla ra tion recog nizes tha t a nd g irls, which exa cerb a tes huma n mob ility is a key fa ctor for vulnera b ilities a nd insecurities 112

d uring conflict, extreme wea ther, d roug hts a nd flood s (Nusseib eh, 2015). Tha nkfully however, issues of g end er-rela ted persecution a nd violence a g a inst women ha ve b een put onto the interna tiona l a g end a , la rg ely tha nks to d ilig ent lob b ying b y feminist NGO s a nd tra nsna tiona l networks (Freed ma n, 2010, p.

589).

Gender Discrimina tion a nd Refugee Convention Prob lema tic to huma nita ria n crises is tha t g end er b a sed d iscrimina tion is not recog nised und er the Refug ee Convention a nd in refug ee d etermina tion systems. It could b e a rg ued tha t the Refug ee Convention wa s written from a pa tria rcha l point of view (Ed : or without the presence of fema le voice), a nd therefore ha s exa cerb a ted d iscrimina tory pra ctices, d irected a t women a nd g irls, a nd tha t a ny refug ee sta tus d etermina tions a re d omina ted b y pa tria rcha l norms which further ma rg ina lises women a nd g irls (DCAF, 2005). Promotion of equa lity in livelihood s ca n b e lost if huma nita ria n interventions ig nore g end er equa lity in pla nning a nd prog ra mming a nd this ca n lea d to further ha rm (IASC, 2006). The rea lity is tha t d uring times of crisis, the need s a nd vulnera b ilities of women, g irls, men a nd b oys a re profound ly d ifferent a nd g end er a na lysis helps to id entify these d iffering need s (UNWomen, 2015, p. 4).

Gend er roles ca n cha ng e over a g e a nd time, power d yna mics cha ng e, women a nd g irls b ring d ifferent issues to the ta b le, women, g irls, b oys a nd men respond d ifferently in crisis (IASC, 2006).

During the pla nning a nd prog ra mming process, it is impera tive tha t women, g irls, men a nd b oys a ll ha ve equa l opportunity to pa rticipa te in the d ecision ma king process a s d ecisions ma d e will ultima tely a ffect their household s a nd

communities. Aola in a rg ues tha t huma nita ria n emerg encies a re ha rd to pred ict a nd even ha rd er to pla n for, therefore a rig orous feminist a na lysis ca n tend to ha ve a limited pra ctica l a pplica tion on the g round (Aola in, 2011). Deep socia l a nd economic inequa lities, includ ing g end er inequa lity, a re structura lly releva nt to und ersta nd ing how huma nita ria n emerg encies emerg e a nd entrench. Some exa mples of ha rmful outcomes includ e hea lth services tha t focus prima rily on the need s of women a nd g irls, ca n result in fewer men seeking med ica l a ssista nce throug h la ck of und ersta nd ing a nd d issemina tion, women a nd g irls

W hen a child is rescued and brought t o t he Rescue C ent re, Sebast ian ensures t hat t he child comfort ably fit s int o t he St M arian family.

who collect wa ter in a rea s tha t a re unsa fe d ue to poorly lit a rea s a nd isola tion ca n b e at increa sed risk of sexua l a ssa ult a nd ra pe (UNICEF, 2012).

O n Feminist Ana lysis Crises & Emergencies

on

Looking a t vulnera b ilities a s a fra me of a na lysis, ca n und erestima te the repetitiveness of huma n vulnera b ility a nd d epend a nce in hig hly g end ered wa ys for b oth men a nd women (Aola in, 2011). Sexua l violence ma y b e a d elib era te a ttempt to a tta ck the hea rt of a society,

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d emora lising a nd d ishonouring the victims in the process (DCAF, 2005). The current refug ee crisis in Europe a lso hig hlig hts how feminist a na lysis is vita l, when a woma n?s situa tion is so d espera te tha t she is forced to eng a g e in ?surviva l sex? to secure a ma le protector for her journey, tha t?s a feminist issue. Hea vily preg na nt women with ma lnourished child ren forced to wa lk long journeys, ea rly ma rria g es b eca use it seems the b est cha nce of surviva l, b eing d eta ined whilst preg na nt a nd sub jected to a b use a nd d eg ra d a tion, una ccompa nied child ren b eca use mothers feel they ha ve no other choice (Pa nkhurst, 2016). Women who hea d their household s a lone,

W hen a child is rescued and brought t o t he Rescue C ent re, Sebast ian ensures t hat t he child comfort ably fit s int o t he St M arian family.

fa milies torn a pa rt throug h the d eva sta tion of wa r, long ing to g o b a ck to their communities once the wa r is over, tha t sa id wha tever their circumsta nces they still ha d no choice b ut to a d just to a n unfa milia r a nd often unnerving new environment. Three in five Syria n refug ee women were worried for their own or their child ren?s security (UNHCR, 2014, p. 12). These a re a ll issues tha t require g end er equa lity prog ra mming a nd impera tive tha t the use of a feminist lens a nd g end er specific issues a re consid ered .

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The Importa nce of Gender Aggrega ted Da ta Key to ensuring tha t g end er equa lity prog ra mming is implemented in a systema tic a pplica tion on the g round is to ensure a ppropria te d a ta collection such a s g end er d isa g g reg a ted d a ta . Ab sent from positive huma nita ria n outcomes ha s b een the a b sence of the collection of efficient a nd vig orous empirica l evid ence tha t hig hlig hts the inherent va lue of g end er equa lity prog ra mming (UNWomen, 2015). Where g end er ma rkers were used in the pa st four yea rs, fewer tha n two percent of prog ra ms cod ed ha d a d d ressed inequa lities tha t women a nd g irls fa ce. (Binetti, 2015). The la ck of a ccura te g end er d isa g g reg a ted d a ta in some ca ses ha s led to a n overrepresenta tion of women, in a n a ttempt to d ra w g rea ter a ttention to their situa tion (Freed ma n, 2010). A g end er ma rker is a cod ing tool tha t a ssesses whether or not a huma nita ria n project is d esig ned to meet the need s of women, men, g irls a nd b oys equa lly, or a d va nce g end er equa lity in a nother wa y (Binetti, 2015).

During crises, it is importa nt to consid er the key d ifferentia tors b etween women, g irls, b oys a nd men. Girls for exa mple, fa ce heig htened d isa d va nta g es compa red to their ma le peers in fa mily roles, d ivisions of la b or, a nd a ccess to resources b eca use they a re fema le a nd young . Girls ca n b e impa cted in times of crises in d eva sta ting wa ys b ut they ca n a lso tra nsform their communities a nd fa milies in positive wa ys (WRC, 2014).

Inclusion VS Segrega tion Importa nt to consid er when using a g end er lens in huma nita ria n crises is tha t it ca n tend to g o one wa y a nd this ca n d ull the critica l or tra nsforma tive power of g end er a na lyses a nd a pproa ches (Freed ma n, 2010, p.

593). Women a re more tha n just victims in times of crisis a nd ca n in fa ct b e a g ents of cha ng e, who a re often a n und er-utilized resource in reb uild ing their societies a fter the crisis strikes (Binetti, 2015). Too much focus on women a nd g irls a s specia l or sepa ra te g roup, ca n result in further ma rg ina lisa tion of women a nd g irls b y ta rg eting them a s a sepa ra te g roup a nd thus essentia lising their d ifferences a nd overlooking the rela tiona l a spects of g end er tha t a ffect b oth women a nd men (Freed ma n, 2010, p.

593).

Effective prog ra mming , should be und erpinned b y the a spira tion of meeting the need s of those a ffected b y crisis a nd pa ving the wa y for susta ina b le outcomes long a fter Interna tiona l org a niza tions ha ve conclud ed

a nd opera tions is in fa ct a n importa nt a spect of protection a nd responsib ilities. In the spirit of the releva nt b od ies of la w includ ing huma n rig hts, huma nita ria n a nd refug ee la w, we must resist d iscrimina tion of a ny kind (IASC, 2006). First a nd foremost, protection is ultima tely the responsib ility of the sta te, however huma n rig hts a nd huma nita ria n a ctors a lso ha ve a responsib ility to ensure tha t the rig hts of women a nd g irls a re protected in a ccord a nce with the releva nt b od ies of la w.

Gend er equa lity prog ra mming works to g ive women g rea ter voice, b oth a s provid ers a nd b eneficia ries of huma nita ria n a ction (UNWomen, 2015). IASC expla ins tha t g end er equa lity prog ra mming ?s ma in g oa l is to ensure tha t the huma n rig hts of women, g irls, b oys a nd men a re equa lly promoted a nd protected a nd tha t g end er equa lity is a chieved (IASC, 2006).

W hen a child is rescued and brought t o t he Rescue C ent re, Sebast ian ensures t hat t he child comfort ably fit s int o t he St M arian family.

Implementa tion of g end er equa lity prog ra mming as a sta nd a rd pa rt of huma nita ria n a nd huma n rig hts thinking involves ensuring tha t one or more g end er experts a re d eployed in the emerg ency situa tion, the esta b lishment of g end er networks, the collection of g end er d isa g g reg a ted d a ta a s a routine pa rt of reporting , a g end er a ction pla n (IASC, 2006). Stud ies ha ve shown tha t g end er equa lity prog ra mming contrib utes to improving a ccess to a nd use of services, increa sing the effectiveness of huma nita ria n outcomes a nd red ucing g end er inequa lities (UNWomen, 2015).

Gend er equa lity prog ra mming should extend to Western na tions tha t ta ke refug ees insomuch a s tha t women tha t ha ve soug ht a sylum in Western sta tes ha ve expressed tha t their specifica lly g end ered experiences were not ta ken into a ccount b y d ecision ma kers a nd jud g es (Freed ma n, 2010). O ther exa mples of g end er equa lity prog ra mming includ e, lea d ership a nd mentorship prog ra ms tha t will b enefit b oth g irls a nd communities, holistic

their work. Communities should b e left b etter off a nd continue to enjoy the b enefits of interventions (Binetti, 2015).

Gender Progra mming Voice

&

Equa lity Women?s

Importa ntly, a chieving g end er equa lity is a huma n rig hts impera tive a nd ta king a g end er perspective in policies, prog ra ms

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a pproa ches, ta rg eting the most ma rg ina lised g irls to ensure tha t prog ra ms a re equita b le a nd ma ke the most impa ct (WRC, 2014). Desig ning prog ra ms b a sed on women?s a nd men?s knowled g e, skills a nd livelihood s ensures equa l a ccess for a ll (IASC, 2006).

Considerations Without consid era tion of g end er equa lity prog ra mming in times of huma nita ria n crises, women a nd g irls will continue to fa ce viola tions of their rig hts a nd rema in ma rg ina lised . For exa mple, Rohing ya women a nd g irls fleeing from intensified ma ss violence a nd increa sed risk of sexua l violence

Ima g e b yJea n-Louis SERVAISfromPixa b a y

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ta rg eting Muslim communities in Ra khine sta te ha ve b ecome victims of huma n tra fficking for forced ma rria g e in a thriving ind ustry. They ca n b e tricked b y tra ffickers into b elieving tha t life will b e b etter in Ma la ysia or Ind onesia b eca use they a re Muslim countries, only to end up b eing held in ca ptivity.

Prostitution a nd forced ma rria g e b ecomes a living rea lity for these women a nd g irls (Kojima , 2015).

O r Reema , a Syria n refug ee woma n living in Leb a non whom is sub jected to frequent verb a l ha ra ssment from men in the neig hb ourhood (UNHCR, 2014).

Everyone working in this field must ensure women a nd g irls a re g iven opportunities a nd ensure their

voices a re hea rd . Simply trying to shelter, cloth a nd feed these women a nd their child ren is simply not enoug h.

This pa per ha s exa mined the importa nce of using g end er equa lity prog ra mming in times of crises. Releva nt b od ies of la w a rticula te tha t we must resist a ll forms of d iscrimina tion. Huma n rig hts a nd huma nita ria ns ha ve a d uty of ca re to ensure the protection of the rig hts of women a nd g irls.

The Refug ee Convention wa s written und er the a uspices of pa tria rchy, therefore ig noring the situa tions, interests a nd need s of women a nd g irls.

Gend er equa lity prog ra mming in times of crises helps to ensure tha t need s of women, g irls, b oys a nd men a re consid ered a nd tha t a chieving g end er equa lity is a chieved .

This a rticle wa s orig ina lly written for Curtin Center for Huma n Rig hts Ed uca tion ? Perth Western Austra lia

Mela nie Bublyk,Ana nke?s Huma n Rights Advisor, wa s chosen a s a n Empower Women Globa l Cha mpion for Women?s Economic Empowerment 2015/2016 a nd ha s a lso worked a s a n Empower Women Mentor 2016-2017. In a ddition to working with Seeds Thea tre Group in Pa pua New Guinea , she is dedica ted to a dva ncing Women?s Rights. Previously working a s the Editor-a t- La rge, a t Ana nke, Mela nie holds a Ba chelor of Arts in Community Development, a nd a Ma sters degree in Huma n Rights with Curtin Universities Centre for Huma n Rights Educa tion in Perth, Western Austra lia a nd received two letters of commenda tion for the sa me.

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Towards A Global Convergence O f Women In Law N ida U sman C haudhary

Nine yea rs a g o, when the first Women in La w Dia log ue series wa s held in La hore, Pa kista n, its purpose wa s to initia te the conversa tion on the cha lleng es a nd opportunities for fema le la wyers in pub lic.

Wha t we a ll felt in our priva te spheres a nd spoke in whispers to ea ch other, it wa s importa nt to b ring those concerns a nd cha lleng es out so it could b ecome pa rt of ma instrea m d iscourse. Pa rt of the intention a lso wa s to push b a ck a g a inst the na rra tive tha t pointed fing ers a t women for not b eing committed leg a l a ssocia tes a nd using tha t a g a inst them for either not hiring them a t a ll or not g iving them equa l opportunities to g row in the profession, hiring them for menia l ta sks instea d .

At tha t time, there wa s very little d iscourse on this a spect a nd ha rd ly a ny litera ture or d a ta , especia lly fromtheGlob a lSouth a nd our own country(Pa kista n)a nd there wa s a lso very little org a niza tion a mong women who were not a b le to network a nd socia lise a s ea sily a s their ma le counterpa rts. Anectod a l evid ence a nd stories from women?s lived experiences in the profession b eca me the org ins of our inquiry into the systemic, structura l, leg a l, constitutiona l, socia l a nd invisib le b a rriers hind ering women?s representa tion a nd a d va ncement in la w. The ca use of la ck of women?s visib ility in lea d ership roles surely, could not only a nd soley b e b a cuse of women?s la ck of interest a nd commitment!

O ur convictions a b out this stemmed from how we experienced the d iscoura g ment a nd d iscrimina tion a nd the weig ht of our socia l norms a nd g end ered expecta tions d a ily, in our lives. It wa s only when we spoke to ea ch other tha t we were a b le to id entify the common themes in our experiences tha t threw lig ht on the systemic a nd other b a rrires; b ut in d omina nt d iscourse a t tha t time, it wa s a lwa ys us, the women who were not d oing enoug h to succeed in the profession.

Something ha d to g ive a nd a fter the three pa rt d ia log ue series in 2016, a d ire need to continue this a s a susta ined a nd consistent initia tive wa s felt. This la id the found a tion for the Women in La w Initia tive Pa kista n.

O ne of the first thing s we d id wa s to levera g e technolog y to b ring tog ether fema le leg a l professiona ls on one pla tform a nd to crea te a spa ce where they could seek support a nd opportunities a nd celeb ra te their wins without ha ving to lea ve their homes. It wa s empowering for us a ll to b e connected in this wa y. Sitting

in La hore, we were a b le to connect with our collea g ues in Q uetta , Ka ra chi, Muza ffa ra b a d , Pesha wa r, Isla ma b a d , Gilg it a nd Multa n; a nd in turn to b e a b le to connect ea ch other to the opportunities in these cities whether they were spea king eng a g ements or resea rch opportunities, or whether they enta iled referring clients to ea ch other.

The pla tform g a ve women la wyers the opportunity to connect a nd foster connections b eyond the Women in La w b a nner a s well. Ma ny of them found pa rtners from within the g roup to set up their own ventures, committees or work for other ca uses they felt strong ly for. When required , we could collectively a d voca te for our own ca use, for representa tion in the justice sector a s one voice. We took firm sta nces a g a inst d omina nt na rra tives such a s seniority to b e consid ered in jud icia l a ppointments when it wa s not even a constitutiona l requirement, a rg uing tha t it increa ses the technica l b a rriers for women a nd ma rg ina lised communities hold ing them b a ck from a d va ncement in la w. We cha lleg ed the sta tus quo in the justice sector a nd leg a l profession on ma ny counts, id entified la ck of representa tion of women in a ll ma le sitting s, meeting s a nd b od ies g overing a nd reg ula ting the leg a l profession.

perpetua tion of the inequa lity in the 119 justice sector. Inequa lities keep reprod ucing themselves b eca use the system ena b les them to b e reprod uced . The numb ers were ha rrowing with women ma king up only 2% of the b a r representa tives in b a r councils from a ll a cross Pa kista n, 12% a s a d voca tes, only 4% a s a d voca te supreme court a nd only 15% a s prosecutors in 2020-21 b a seline report.[1]By 2023, only 17% women comprised Pa kista n?s jud icia ry a nd 99% of these were jud g es in the sub ord ina te courts. This shows tha t only a b out 1% women from these 17% were pa rt of the hig her jud icia ry with some Hig h Courts in the country ha ving zero representa tion of women a s jud g es.[2]The first fema le jud g e to b e a ppointed in the Supreme Court of Pa kista n wa s only in 2022, a fter 74 yea rs of its ind epend ence.[3]In fa ct, Pa kista n wa s the la st country in the South Asia n reg ion to a ppoint a woma n to the Supreme Court a s a jud g e.[4]

O ur find ing s resona ted with our counterpa rts in South Africa . When our work g ot pub lished a nd sta rted crea ting a n impa ct in the country, we ha d not rea lised a t tha t time tha t it wa s a lso crea ting b rid g es for us to connect to our counterpa rts in other pa rts of the world .

Before this, our focus wa s ma inly inwa rd s a nd interna l b ut the correspond ence with counterpa rts in Africa , i.e. with Institute for To b e a n a uthentic voice seeking fa ir Africa n Women in La w (IAWL), opened the representa tion in justice sector, we a lso world to us a s we worked on rea lised tha t the filling the conversa tion a nd d a ta a nd Th e n u mber s wer e h ar r o wi n g wi t h the efforts we were resea rch ma king insid e g a p throug h wo men mak i n g u p o n l y 2% o f t h e bar Pa kista n were our stud ies, r epr esen t at i ves i n bar c o u n c i l s a ctua lly simila r to b oth strug g les in other qua ntita tive f r o m al l ac r o ss Pak i st an , 12% as reg ions a s well a nd ad vo c at es, o n l y 4% as ad vo c at e includ ing not just qua lita tive in Africa , b ut a lso su pr eme c o u r t an d o n l y 15% as tha t in Vienna . Throug h d ocumented pr o sec u t o r s i n 2020-21 basel i n e our lia ison with the g end er r epo r t .[ 1 ] B y 2023, o n l y 1 7% wo men IAWL, we were d ispa rity in introuced to the the c o mpr i sed Pak i st an ?s j u d i c i ar y an d Women in La w profession 99% o f t h ese wer e j u d g es i n t h e Initia tive in Vienna a nd a lso which b eca me the the systemic su bo r d i n at e c o u r t s. Th i s sh o ws b a sis for our a nd other t h at o n l y abo u t 1% wo men f r o m t h ese long -term b a rriers tha t eng a g ement with b ecome the 17% wer e par t o f t h e h i g h er j u d i c i ar y our counterpa rts b a sis for the wi t h so me Hi g h Co u r t s i n t h e in Ea stern Europe a s well. We ha ve c o u n t r y h avi n g z er o a lso b een a b le to r epr esen t at i o n o f wo men as j u d g es. support a nd b e pa rt of the

Gend er Equa lity in La w Ca mpa ig n (GELC) led b y Africa n Women in La w a nd a ll of this eng a g ement ha s ma d e us rea lise tha t there is a need for a g lob a l converg ence of women in la w a t a much la rg er sca le a nd to crea te spa ce in the interna tiona l d iscourse a nd in the interna tiona l forums for our common ca use.

Increa sed reg iona l intercha ng e a nd d ia log ue is a lso crucia l for putting g end er justice a t the hea rt of a ll leg a l reforms a nd to crea te spa ces where we ca n lea rn from ea ch other?s experiences a nd stra teg ies.

I see a lot of potentia l for women leg a l professiona ls a nd a ca d emics from MENA reg ion a s well a s the South Asia , Ea st Asia reg ion. With more south-south b ut a lso more g lob a l integ rea tion, networking a nd excha ng e of id ea s we ca n: i.Foster collective a ction a nd stra teg ies for pushing for la w reforms tha t a d d ress the historica l injustice tha t ha s kept women from rea ching the upper echleons of justice sector a nd d ecision ma king roles,

ii.Increa se more opportunities for resea rch toeg ther a t reg iona l a nd g lob a l levels, iii.Crea te a wa reness a round g end er d ispa rity in justice sector a nd the impa ct this is likely to ha ve on g end er justice a s a whole, iv.Celeb ra te ea ch other to inspire future g enera tions, a nd v.Fig ht the era sure of women a nd their historica l contrib utions to la w.

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I know tha t these conversa tions a b out fa ir representa tion a nd visib ility a re now ha ppening in d ifferent reg ions in their contexts b ut I feel there is a need now to b ring these efforts tog ether towa rd s a g lob a l converg ence of women in la w in a more consistent, a ccessib le a nd comprehensive ma nner so tha t we a re no long er wokring in silos a nd a re a b le to connect with ea ch other a nd lea rn from ea ch other a nd a d voca te for our collective ca use a nd sha red g oa ls a s a

g lob a l voice. Accessib ility rea lly is key, especia lly for people from g lob a l south.

O pportunities to eng a g e a re limited , a s a re resources a nd other log istica l support, includ ing visa s a nd tra vel rela ted limita tions d ue to politica l or other cha lleng es. With more tech b a sed solutions, some of these issues ca n b e minimised b ut in-person intera ctions a nd excha ng e ha s its own va lue which must b e encoura g ed a nd lib era lised . This ca n serve a s one of the key a d voca cy points a t which we ca n b eg in our conversa tion.

At the Inclusive Justice conference held in June 2024 b y Fed era l Jud icia l Aca d emy in Isla ma b a d , I ha d the opportunity to meet with pa rticipa nts from Nepa l, Ma ld ives, Phillipines a nd Tha ila nd . They sha red their cha lleng es a nd a chievements for inclusive justice in their own respective countries which wa s a g rea t opportunity to lea rn a b out how these countries a d d ressed some of the b a rriers we a lso fa ce here. Thus, such excha ng e of knowled g e should b e more common a nd consistent. There should b e more opportunities to eng a g e with fema le leg a l professiona ls in the justice sector from d ifferent reg ions b eca use in our strug g les a nd our successes, we a re one. It is towa rd s this end tha t we a t Women in La w Initia tive Pa kista n would now b e working . We invite a ll our counterpa rts a nd collea g ues to join us in this end ea vour towa rd s a g lob a l converg ence of Women in La w.

[1]Nid a Usma n Cha ud ha ry, ?Sta te of Women?s Representa tion in La w?, Ba seline Report 2020-21, Ava ila b le a t:https://g d pa kista n.org /wp-content/uploa d s/2021/07/Ba seline-Report-La wyher.pk_.pd f.

[2]Nid a Usma n Cha ud ha ry, ?Sta te of Representa tion of Women in Jud icia ry 2023?, Pg 24. Ava ila b le a t:https://www.a ca d emia .ed u/115391601/Sta te_of_Representa tion_of_Women_in_Jud icia ry_2023.

[3]Pa kista n?s First fema le Supreme Court Jud g e Sworn In?, BBC, 24 Ja nua ry 2022.

Ava ila b le a t:https://www.b b c.com/news/world -a sia -60110891.

[4]Ib id .

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Nida Usma n Cha udha ry holds LL.B Hons a nd LL.M (La w & Development) from University of London. She is the founder of Women in La w Initia tive Pa kista n a nd is a n interna tiona lly puiblished a nd a wa rd winning professiona l with over 15 yea rs of experience. She is ba sed in La hore, Pa kista n a nd ca n be rea ched a tnida @lea rnpa k.com.pk.

W eaving A ccount abilit y Int o O ur Feminist W ork 122

K irt hi Jayak umar

When I first ca me a cross theBeijing Decla ra tion a nd Pla tform for Actionin 2002, 7 yea rs a fter it ma d e a revolutiona ry wa ve in the world , I ha d sta rs in my eyes. I wa s a ma zed a t wha t wa s und erstood a s the ?a ud a city? ofHilla ry Clinton a s she d ecla red in her historic sta tement, ?Women?s rig hts a re huma n rig hts, once a nd for a ll.? It felt like a n epipha ny to see this na med in the interna tiona l a rena , for the first time, in so ma ny word s. It felt like a powerful a ffirma tion of the full huma nity of a woma n ? of course, not without a d ull, sinking rea liza tion tha t unequa l a nd unjust socio-cultura l d yna mics ma d e such a n a ffirma tion necessa ry a t a ll.

With time, however, I would lea rn tha t the sta tement ? thoug h semina l on the fa ce of it ? d id not d o much for women a nd g irls who looked like me, or who ca me from pa rts of the world tha t were like mine. I would lea rn tha t this sta tement would stra itja cket the id ea of ?woma n? into one ca teg ory of woma n, a nd exclud e a nyone tha t d id n?t fit into this ca teg ory in terms of ra ce, ca ste, na tiona lity, a b ility, sexua lity, ethnicity, ind ig eneity, a nd much more. I would lea rn tha t this sta tement would lea ve out a key piece in the feminist movement tha t a ctions a n ong oing commitment to equity: Intersectiona lity.

This sta tement d id not a rrive overnig ht. O ver the spa n of two d eca d es preced ing the Beijing Decla ra tion a nd Pla tform for Action, there a re historica l record s of how women of colour were silenced , sid elined , or ta lked over. Fra ncois Verg es, in her b ook A Decolonia l Feminism, expla ins how, in theWorld Conference on Women in Copenha g en, in 1980, North Africa n a nd Sub -Sa ha ra n feminists pushed b a ck a g a inst the use of the terms ?sa ve customs? a nd ?b a ckwa rd cultures,? used b y western feminists to d enounce fema le-g enita l mutila tion. She a lso expla ins tha t in the World Conference on Women in Na irob i, in 1985, women of colour opposed the occupa tion of Pa lestine a nd a sked for a collective d enouncement of the oppression.

These meeting s surfa ced the need to prioritize intersectiona lity a nd a ccounta b ility even within spa ces of feminist coopera tion when women mob ilized .

Some of these issues continue to end ure in the run up to the thirty-yea r ma rk since the Beijing Decla ra tion a nd Pla tform for Action, a lb eit in d ifferent wa ys. They a re, in sum, a ca ll for us to reflect, introspect, a nd commit to d oing b etter for our future.

Arg ua b ly, with technolog ica l a d va ncements, more a nd more feminists a re a b le to mob ilize a ctively a nd eng a g e with ea ch other in profound ly impa ctful wa ys.

And yet, we see tha t more often tha n not, these spa ces continue to replica te power structures a nd systemic violence tha t prod uces inequities tha t a re more hea vily b orne b y those tha t a re rend ered vulnera b le owing to their unique lived experiences a s a result of multiple intersecting id entities.

For insta nce,ca ste-b a sed d iscrimina tion in South Asia n countries represents a rea l power d yna mic a mong women, ma king ed uca tion, employment, hea lthca re, a nd other infra structure ina ccessib le to women a nd g irls from oppressed ca ste b a ckg round s.

Ca ste-privileg ed women a re a b le to g et a hea d with g rea ter a ccessib ility ? a nd the era sure of women from oppressed ca ste-b a ckg round s ha s mea nt tha t these rea lities rema in ig nored .

Simila rly, women a nd g irls from minority relig ions a nd ind ig enous communities a re more vulnera b le to sexua l a nd g end er-b a sed violence a cross the Asia Pa cific. However, the systemic d iscrimina tion ta rg eting people from minority relig ious a nd ind ig enous b a ckg round s ha s mea nt tha t severa l of these women a nd g irls slip throug h the cra cks without g etting a ny support they need to live lives free of violence.

Q ueer ind ig enous women in the Pa cific Isla nd s simulta neously experience d iscrimina tion b a sed on ind ig eneity, g end er, a nd sexua l orienta tion, which rend ers them more vulnera b le to ha rm from clima te cha ng e. And yet, the g lob a l rhetoric on clima te cha ng e not only pa ys limited a ttention to g end er d yna mics, b ut a lmost entirely era ses the implica tions a nd unique experiences tha t ind ig eneity prod uces to this g end ered experience.

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The writing is on the wa ll a nd it is time we a cknowled g e a nd a ction it: Movement intersectiona lity is vita l.

A key component for its implementa tion is a commitment to a ccounta b ility. While most a ctors consid er sta tes a nd g overnments responsib le for the implementa tion of interna tiona l policy instruments ? includ ing the Beijing +30 outcome d ocument when it is rea d y ? it is importa nt to note tha t a ccounta b ility b eg ins from within the movement.

Feminists with b oth positiona l a nd rela tiona l privileg e must hold themselves a ccounta b le to the collective, red istrib ute their socia l ca pita l, centre those tha t ha ve historica lly experienced oppression a nd ma rg ina liza tion, a nd shift a wa y from a ppropria tion, occupa tion, a nd extra ction. This ca lls for a d eep commitment to reflexivity, a nd a n ong oing d esire to rema in a ccounta b le to the feminist movement. If we ha ve ma d e g rea t strid es in these three d eca d es, it is entirely a ttrib uta b le to the g ia nts on whose should ers we wa lk ? a nd if we must ma ke g rea t strid es in the time to come, it is our responsib ility to step up b y rema ining a ccounta b le to ourselves a nd to our collective.

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Kirthi Ja ya kuma r is a la wyer, feminist resea rcher, a nd WPS pra ctitioner. She founded a nd runs The Gender Security Project, which works on the WPS Agenda a nd Feminist Foreign Policy through resea rch, reporta ge, a nd documenta tion. She obta ined her MA in Pea ce a nd Conflict Studies a t CTPSR, Coventry University, a nd previously a t UPEACE, Costa Rica . She is a member of the Working Group for the Every Woma n Trea ty a nd pa rt of the Advisory Working Group for the Beijing+25 process.

H ighlight s | 20 22

Dreaming A Day When No Woman Dies Fetching Water!

T he writ er chose t o remain anonymous so t hat according t o her ?t his global issue is highlight ed more t han her name.?

Trigger wa rning: The piece conta ins gra phic informa tion tha t might upset some rea ders.

Due to this, I sta rted collecting wa ter with my g ra nd mother b ut only for a week. My mother resumed her d uties with me in tow rig ht a fter seven d a ys of g iving b irth. I rememb er the d a y clea rly, Wa ter is consid ered the most how she ca rried two ea rthen pots sig nifica nt necessity a nd b lessing on her hea d a nd one a round her of life. Huma n b eing s ca n?t survive wa ist. We wa lked to collect wa ter without wa terfor more tha n three from a ha nd pump loca ted a t a d a ys.Ca n you ima g ine the sa me d ista nce of four kilometers. She wa ter or source of surviva l wa s too wea k to wa lk, a nd her b ecoming the ca use of d ea th leg s tremb led . Yet she ma na g ed even in the 21st century? to rea ch home.

Yes, you rea d it rig ht. Are you However, a s soon a s she pla ced wond ering how? I g rew up a nd the wa ter pots on the g round wa s ra ised in one of the ma ny a nd sta rted moving towa rd the remote villa g es in Sind h, na med kitchen, she b eg a n to b leed a nd Bord er Fa rm. It is one of the colla psed . Luckily, my fa ther wa s sma llest, loca ted one to two a t home a nd insta ntly took her to hours from the city the hospita l. O nce of Umerkot, which is roug hly 1660 W hile I was growing a g a in, it wa s her g ood luck to end kilometers from the up in the ha nd s of metropolita n port up, I used t o t hink g ood d octors who city of Ka ra chi. immed ia tely Like most rura l t hat t hings would stopped the a nd b leed ing a nd und erd eveloped sa ved her life. a rea s of the Sind h change in t he fut ure province, we d o Ima g ine, for a not ha ve a ccess and t hat people in moment, wha t to clea n wa ter for mig ht ha ve d rinking or other ha ppened if she rural Sindh would household use. ha d n?t b een ta ken Pa kista n?s rura l also have access t o immed ia tely to the hospita l. The worst a rea s ha ve ha ve multiple clean wat er at home. could ha ppened if she cha lleng es, ha d fa llen into the includ ing ha nd s of pa tria rcha l b elief inexperienced d octors. systems a nd child la b or. As a result, it is a lwa ys women?s a nd While I wa s g rowing up, I used to child ren?s responsib ility fulfil home think tha t thing s would cha ng e in chores especia lly collecting the future a nd tha t people in wa ter. Accord ing to recent rura l Sind h would a lso ha ve sta tistics, a b out 72 percent of a ccess to clea n wa ter a t home. household wa ter is ca rried b y However, thing s ha ve only women, while child ren ca rry 14 worsened over time. Accord ing to percent. I used to collect wa ter recent reports, eig ht of 10 for eig ht kilometers d a ily with my people still d on?t ha ve a ccess to mother, even if I wa s sick. b a sic wa ter fa cilities in rura l Sind h.

The women in my villa g e often collected wa ter, even when Ma ny women ha ve lost their lives. preg na nt a nd immed ia tely a fter This suffering is not just limited to d elivery. I never thoug ht a b out it rura l a rea s in Sind h b ut you ca n or consid ered this a prob lem until witness it in ma ny pa rts of the I a lmost lost my mother. Let me tell world . But a s fa r a s our reg ion is you in d eta il how. I wa s nea rly concerned , sa d ly, no proper seven yea rs old when my mother sta tistics or d a ta is a va ila b le. g a ve b irth to my young er sister Recently, one of my neig hb ors throug h a scissor opera tion. d ied on the spot when she went 126

to collect wa ter rig ht a fter the third d a y of g iving b irth to a b a b y g irl.

The question is, when will people in Sind h b e a b le to a ccess clea n wa ter a t home, if not now?

O n this interna tiona l of a g irl child , I hope people in Sind h ca n a ccess clea n wa ter a t home so tha t no more women a nd child ren d ie while fetching wa ter.

The story ha s been lightly edited for cla rity

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H ighlight s | 20 16

THE POT ON HERHEAD Edit h M acharia

She hurries up the rid g e, with her fifteen-yea r-old pot b a la nced preca riously on her hea d . The pot wa s a wed d ing g ift from her ?ma ma ?. The old er women sa id she would need it to feed her fa mily; they were rig ht, a s the b rown pot ha d b een her compa nion ever since.

It is 9a m; it?s her fourth trip to the g rea t river now quickly d rying up. She likes to fetch her wa ter b efore the scorching sun is up. Being a mother of three b oys a nd a d a ug hter, her young est, g etting enoug h wa ter to meet their need s a nd those of her husb a nd ?s is a d ra ining uphill ta sk.

In her community, women a re ta sked with g oing to the river a nd fetching wa ter; it?s not a chore for men! Ea rly on, her sons a ccompa nied her to the river, b ut now they ha ve b een circumcised , they a re consid ered men a nd a re no long er a llowed d o ?a woma n?s job ?. Her d a ug hter is too young to a ccompa ny her to the river, so she ma kes the five trips to the river three kilometers a wa y a lone every d a y.

This is the sa me story for ma ny other women in rura l Africa .

We a re of the knowled g e tha t a ll people, includ ing women, a re a g ents of cha ng e in their homes, pla ces of work a nd community. Women pla y a critica l role a s influencers of d ecisions ma d e with reg a rd to clima te cha ng e.

Women pla n a hea d , they think in time horizons tha t spa n the lives of their child ren a nd those of their g ra nd child ren. This ma kes them instrumenta l in d ea ling with the mena ces of clima te cha ng e.

In Africa , women a re responsib le for 60 to 80 percent of food prod uction, b ut the now-unpred icta b le sea sons, flood s a nd d roug hts ma ke it twice a s ha rd for them to fulfill these roles. The world is currently clima te-constra ined a nd people a ll a round ha ve to d ea l with effects of crop fa ilures, wa ter shorta g es a nd a ir pollution.

Clima te cha ng e ma kes fa rming twice a s ha rd for women, too. Sca rcity in terms of food prod uction d ue to flood ing , d roug ht, fa mine, etc., puts

women who ha ve mouths to feed und er tremend ous pressure to provid e.

To cook food , fifty percent of women a round the world still b urn wood , d ung , coa l a nd other tra d itiona l fuels for cooking .

Accord ing to the World Hea lth O rg a niza tion (WHO ), a round three b illion people still rely on solid fuels for cooking a nd to wa rm their homes. This results in a ir pollution in unventila ted homes a nd in the prod uction of b la ck ca rb on. This ma kes a ir pollution a ma jor cha lleng e in Africa where a b out 600,000 d ea ths occur d ue to this invisib le killer.

Air polluta nts includ e b la ck ca rb on a nd g reenhouse g a ses, one of which is ca rb on d ioxid e, a ma jor component of coa l a nd cha rcoa l used for cooking .

Cha rcoa l prod uces b la ck ca rb on a nd ca rb on monoxid e. Bla ck ca rb on refers to the sooty pa rticles prod uced when b urning solid fuels, a nd it is a terrib le polluta nt lea d ing to hea lth issues such a s a sthma , low b irth weig ht, hea rt prob lems a nd lung ca ncer. This lea ves women a nd child ren quite vulnera b le, a s they a re the ones who spend most of their time ind oors.

Not d ea ling with clima te cha ng e, therefore, lea ves women a nd child ren vulnera b le to d isea se. Sig nifica ntly red ucing the use of cha rcoa l a nd firewood a s fuel will help red uce a ir pollution a nd a vert the hea lth consequences tha t come with ca rb on pollution.

There need s to b e a ma ssive policy cha ng e a s we focus on a chieving a g end a 2030 so tha t the world works on red ucing the numb er of people (women) relying on solid fuels to ca rry out their d a ily chores. The use of polluting fuels is a ma jor ob sta cle in susta ina b le d evelopment.

Women (a nd child ren) who spend a lot of time g a thering firewood ca n use the time to ca rry out other income-g enera ting a ctivities tha t would b e a b oost to economic g rowth. Child ren ca n then spend a consid era b le a mount of time a t school for lea rning ra ther tha n working . Thus,

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the a llevia tion of clima te cha ng e complements the a chievement of the susta ina b le d evelopment g oa l on ed uca tion.

Women a re a lso vulnera b le out in the field s while collecting firewood a s they ma y b e exposed to violence, kid na pping a nd , in some extreme ca ses, even to ra pe. Dea ling with the fuel prob lem will not only prevent clima te d eteriora tion b ut ca n a lso impa ct the incid ence of a trocities committed a g a inst women.

Currently, the vulnera b ility of women to clima te cha ng e is well d ocumented , b ut their involvement in the formula tion of stra teg ies a nd policies on the a d a pta tion to clima te cha ng e prog ra ms is stra ng ely la cking or insufficient. The world ha s yet to fully recog nize the importa nce of women?s d irect involvement in such ta lks a nd in

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policy-ma king .

During the CO P21 2015 Pa ris conference, only 40 percent of the 160 pa rticipa nts in the CO P21 ma d e g end er references in their Intend ed Na tiona l Determined Contrib utions (INDCs), a nd most of them d id not includ e the d eveloped countries who a re the ma jor g lob a l d ecision-ma kers.

This tells us tha t even thoug h g end er equity is pa rt of our susta ina b le d evelopment g oa ls, the world ?s na tions a re not ta king it to hea rt, a nd women a re still not includ ed in d ecision-ma king .

Women ha ve continued to rema in the minority in clima te neg otia tions b oth a t na tiona l a nd interna tiona l levels. At the g lob a l scientific b od y on clima te cha ng e, a nd the interg overnmenta l pa nel on Clima te Cha ng e (IPCC), the percenta g e of women represented in

these esta b lishments rema ins minor, a nd this is something tha t need s to cha ng e. This need wa s hig hlig hted a s ea rly a s d uring the CO P7 in Ma rra kech in 2001, b ut is yet to b e implemented . In Ma rra kech, the d eleg a tion rea lized tha t g end er b a la nce ha s a n influence on d ecision-ma king , a nd the level of intellig ence in a g roup increa sed with the numb er of women in a g roup; therefore, for the world to stop clima te, cha ng e women must b e includ ed in policy-ma king .

The spira ling effects of clima te cha ng e must come to a ha lt, a nd this ca n only b e a ccomplished if we recog nize the fa ct tha t women a re the ones a t the center of the cha ng ing clima te, d eforesta tion, pollution a nd the loss of b iod iversity which, in turn, a ffect their qua lity of life a nd threa ten the surviva l of their fa milies, us, their fa milies.

It is then, impera tive tha t women b e includ ed in d ecid ing on wha t need s to b e d one to curb clima te cha ng e.

W omen have cont inued t o remain t he minorit y in climat e negot iat ions bot h at nat ional and int ernat ional levels. A t t he global scient ific body on climat e change, and t he int ergovernment al panel on C limat e C hange (IPC C ), t he percent age of women represent ed in t hese est ablishment s remains minor, and t his is somet hing t hat needs t o change.

After a ll, it is women who need to wa lk kilometer upon kilometer to fetch wa ter for their fa milies? should n?t they, then, b e g iven a sea t a t the hea d of the ta b le to ma ke d ecisions a nd help ma ke everyone?s qua lity of life, b etter?

A former Ana nke Intern, Edith is a Va lue-driven Progra m O pera tions Lea d a nd Regiona l Initia tives Coordina tor (ba sed in Addis Aba ba , Ethiopia ), with a proven tra ck record of orchestra ting successful execution of projects a nd effective ma na gement of opera tions within specific regions.

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W O R D S

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Ever yt ime I become par t of t he Ananke f amil y f or a f ew days in t he year , I f eel inspir ed and encour aged t o car r y on in ever y way - t o car r y on bel ieving in t he power of women and mor e gener al l y, ot her peopl e f or whom t he decol onial st r uggl e is equal l y impor t ant as it is t o me.

The conver sat ions I have st ay wit h me f or year s. This is because t he Ananke t eam do not shy away f r om t he dif f icul t subj ect s and cur at e panel s t hought f ul l y and meaningf ul l y. I have made a f air amount of onl ine appear ances but Ananke f est ival has been t he onl y one wher e it f eel s t ot al l y easy. The conver sat ions f l ow endl essl y. I al ways mar vel af t er war ds at t he exper ience. It f eel s l ike a r el ief t o have engaged wit h int el l ect ual s, aut hor s, act ivist s and t hinker s t o 'undo' in a way t he bur den of l iving in a societ y wher e col onial t hought st il l dominat es and is cent r ed. I r eal l y do bel ieve t his is an impor t ant gat her ing and I am ver y pl eased t o be penning t hese wor ds t o cel ebr at e Ananke's anniver sar y!Viva l a r evol ución!

Sascha A Akht ar

Sa scha A. Akhta r is a n ACE supported writer, tra nsla tor a nd ed uca tor. O ver a spa n of 20 yea rs she ha s pub lished six poetry collections a nd a collection of short fictions set in Pa kista n entitled O f Necessity & Wa nting (2020, The 87 Press). Akhta r ha s the d istinction of b eing one of a ha nd ful of Pa kista ni women writing in Eng lish to b e pub lished in the experimenta l strea m of U.K. poetries. A Poetry School Lond on tutor, her work is wid ely a ntholog ised a nd ha s b een tra nsla ted into Armenia n, Portug uese, Ga licia n, Russia n, Dutch a nd Polish. Her tra nsla tions of the work of writer Hija b Imtia z(1908-1999), the first fema le pilot in the Sub continent ha s b een pub lished b y O xford University Press, Ind ia .

HOPE OPE H 134

A rchna Sharma

It?s b een a b lea k yea r, a nd d eca d e, for ma ny: those experiencing the horrors of wa r, those living und er severe economic constra ints, those una b le to a ccess hea lthca re or ed uca tion, the list could g o on. When Sa b in messa g ed me a b out contrib uting to Ana nke?s 10th Anniversa ry ed ition in these d istressing times, I wa s na tura lly d ra wn to a sk: wha t va lue litera ture? I reca lled a holid a y to Ca mb od ia . Und er Pol Pot a nd the Khmer Roug e in just four yea rs, up to 3 million people, a lmost 25% of the popula tion, were killed . I wa s horrified b y the history, b ut wha t mig ht seem stra ng e wa s wha t resona ted with me once I wa s home: hope. Tha t is not to sa y tha t we a re compla cent, tha t we d on?t protest, tha t we d on?t use a ll mea ns leg a lly a va ila b le to us to ma ke the ca se for justice everywhere. Ra ther tha t Ca mb od ia ?s recent tra uma d emonstra ted we ca n overcome a nd rise a b ove our b lood y histories a nd d icta torships. And litera ture is key, if not to reconcilia tion, then certa inly to ena b le us to lea d a n exa mined life, to explore a nd potentia lly reinterpret the pa st, or scrutinize a nd cha lleng e our current world with va ried lenses.

Litera ture d oes ena b le us to b lock out the ?now?, immerse ourselves in other world s, other lives. For ma ny people witnessing current events, there is a consta nt a nd d eep-sea ted unea se, more pronounced , perha ps, for those in the Glob a l South, or of it, a t how ea sily huma ns kill a nd ma im ?the other?. Da ily events empha size tha t, reg a rd less of our ?a d va nced ? technolog ica l ?civiliza tion?, our core na ture ha s not evolved over these millennia . But wha t I b elieve to b e to b e true too, is tha t our collective huma n litera ture, throug h the a g es, hold s the power of tra nsforma tion in a wa y little else d oes.

I wa s insta ntly d ra wn into Chima ma nd a Ng ozi Ad ichie?s Ha lf of a Yellow Sun,which d elves into the Nig eria n Civil Wa r. Her cha ra cters huma nize the conflict, showing us how love, loss, a nd resilience persist even a mid st the horrors of wa r. We und ersta nd not only historica l context b ut a re a lso

remind ed of our ca pa city to end ure a nd hope. Litera ture is truly a profound force, helping us ma ke sense of cha os, und ersta nd the b rea d th a nd d epth of huma n emotions a nd a ctions, a nd g uid ing us to uncover the eterna l truths tha t b ind a ll of us on our ?Pa le Blue Dot?.

Despite the d a rkness enveloping much of our world , the written word possesses the ca pa city to illumina te our pa th forwa rd .

Litera ture a lso remind s us tha t our strug g les a re not new. Arund ha ti Roy?sThe God of Sma ll Things, shows the end uring consequences of colonia lism, ca ste oppression, a nd economic inequa lity. She b ring s to life the quiet tra g ed ies a nd moments of resista nce throug h her cha ra cters, g iving us not only a critique of systemic injustice b ut a lso a testa ment to huma n tena city.

Hope in litera ture is often seen throug h cha ra cters who confront overwhelming od d s yet find wa ys to persevere. In Isa b el Allend e?sThe House of the Spirits, set a g a inst the b a ckd rop of politica l turmoil in Chile, Cla ra a nd Alb a d emonstra te tha t persona l a g ency a nd collective memory ca n countera ct repression.

Poetry, especia lly, concentra tes complex emotions into simple, powerful truths. Wa rsa n Shire, a Soma li-British poet, ca ptures the pa in of d ispla cement a nd the long ing for home with hea rtrend ing precision in her poem ?Home?: ?no one lea ves home unless / home is the mouth of a sha rk.? These lines echo d eeply with the experiences of ma ny refug ees a nd ma rg ina lized communities, offering a sha red la ng ua g e of g rief. And yet, d espite experiencing the d eepest d espa ir, in Pa lestinia n Professor Refa a t Ala reer?s ha unting a nd prescient, ?If I Must Die? he sa ys, ?If I must d ie / let it b ring hope / let it b e a ta le.? We ca nnot b ut b e g a lva nized a nd uplifted b y his word s.

And of course, litera ture ca n inspire a ction. Ma la la Yousa fza i?s memoirI Am Ma la la is ultima tely a story of a ctivism. Ma la la not only shed s lig ht on the strug g les fa ced b y g irls

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seeking ed uca tion b ut a lso inspires rea d ers to b elieve in the tra nsforma tive power of coura g e a nd a d voca cy.

Accessing litera ture crea tes a community. As we rea d , we a re no long er a lone b ut ra ther conversing with the a uthor a nd with countless other rea d ers a cross time a nd spa ce. This communa l a spect of litera ture is pa rticula rly importa nt d uring politica l crises, which often isola te ind ivid ua ls a nd fra cture societies. In Tsitsi Da ng a remb g a ?s Nervous Conditions, her prota g onist, Ta mb u, invites rea d ers to empa thize with the strug g les of young women na vig a ting a world sha ped b y oppression. We connect with Ta mb u, reg a rd less of our own b a ckg round s, a nd find our common huma nity.

Perha ps the power of litera ture lies in its perma nence. Governments cha ng e, reg imes rise a nd fa ll, a nd crises eventua lly resolve, b ut litera ture end ures. In Woma n a t Point Zero, Na wa l El Sa a d a wi g ives voice to Fird a us, a woma n whose story of resista nce a nd d efia nce a g a inst systemic a b use rema ins a s urg ent tod a y a s when it wa s first written. Even, a nd possib ly more so, in our fa st-pa ced , d ig ita l ena b led , short-form content prolifera tion universe, b ooks rema in a stea d fa st repository of wisd om.

I hope in some sma ll wa y, Neem Tree Press, throug h its a ma zing a uthors, ha s contrib uted hope to our rea d ers. I?d pa rticula rly like to hig hlig ht Ahla m Bsha ra t, who wa s our very first a uthor tha t we pub lished a nd who ha s continued to write prolifica lly to encoura g e much need ed ima g ina tion a nd hope to the child ren of Pa lestine.

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And of course there is the thera peutic power of writing itself, even for those who will never b e pub lished . In Toni Morrison?s word s: ?This is precisely the time when a rtists g o to work. There is no time for d espa ir, no pla ce for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fea r.

We spea k, we write, we d o la ng ua g e. Tha t is how civiliza tions hea l.?

Archna Sha rma is the founder of Neem Tree Press

E p i

l

o g u e

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N av een K i sh o r e 137

a ha ze of r ed blind

A Libretto for a wisp like single ? being presence shadow thought gesture able to float on toes made movement made dance made light made blur made absence.

Or an ode to a grieving angel

cau gh t i n t h e gl ar e of sp otl i gh ts a bl i n d m oon st ep s on t o th e stage som et h i n g r esem bl i n g th e gh ost of H am l et?s f ath er sh u f f l es p ast f ai n t f oot st ep s w h i sp er w al k r ed can d l e l et sl eep ech o

an an x i ou s d oor

m i d n i gh t sp i l l s a gl ass of p u r p l e w i n e a grieving angel drags her wings beh i n d h er t h e l i gh t ch an ges f r om cr i m son to steel bl u e sp eech l ess ey es l ocked i n bat tl e w i t h ey es over h ead

sh ow er of r ed

sn akes sl i t h er t h e bol d er am on gst th em su ck s h i s l i p

t h e sl u m p ed f i gu r e al r ead y a m em or y agai n st th e d ar ken i n g bl u e blackout t h e t r ees l ose t h ei r col ou r bu r n t st u m p s as i f som et h i n g er r an t

sm oke

above a bar r en stage w ai t l i st en r em em ber enter M acbeth ly i n g u p on a st on e sl ab n aked i n t h e col d

bl i n d

r i vet ed by h i s ow n n i gh tm ar e sh af t of col d l i gh t bu r st s t h r ou gh d oor s

f u r i ou s

as i t cl i m bs u p th e w al l r agi n g

w i t h an ger

t r ap d oor s r i se f r om th e stage f l oor p l u n ge

w or l d

i n t o f og backlit u t t er d ar k n ess t h e w om an st ar es i n t o a t w i l i gh t w i th em p ty sockets d r ai n t h e col ou r f r om t h e tex t

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n o l on ger f l u tter

f l ags

of d ef eat sw i f t ly as i t al l began i t en d s bl eed i n g w h i te a p ast t h at con ti n u es to h au n t d ef eat ed t h e f i gu r e tr em bl es h eav y w i th m em or y w h i sp er s f r om an ex h au sted th r oat enter Lear si l h ou et t ed agai n st a d ar ken i n g h or i zon m u l t i p l e m ou r n er s m ou r n th ei r ow n d eath s sh ad ow p u p p ets r el en t l ess

keen i n g

cr i sscr oss cr ev i ces sw al l ow ever y th i n g i n th ei r w ake t h e m ou n tai n h esi t at es

bef or e th e ear th qu ake

bef or e i t t ear s i ts h ear t ou t an actor prepares f eet an ch or ed

agai n st th e f u r i es

ey es bal l ed u p i n to f i sts agai n st t h e w i n d t h e r ai n th e sn ow th e i ce h ead n eck sh ou l d er s an d back t au t t h e act or

p r ep ar es

st ead y f l am e a h i n t of f l i cker l i ke a m u r m u r su p p r essed

t h e gol d en l i gh t l i n ger s l i st en i n g t o t h e f ootf al l of l eaves pause am on g t h e w or d s st r ew n acr oss t h e stage t h e st i r r i n gs of r evol t an en t i r e al p h abet r i si n g t h ese f i st s gen t ly op en i n g

f i n ger s

each t h ou gh t i n t h e act of er asi n g i tsel f t h e m oon ch ar r ed w ood cau gh t i n t h e l i gh t of a can d l e?s f l am e her throat so white f r om t h e ed ge of th e stage st r et ch ed t h e v ast an d em p ty h eath a p al p abl e em p ti n ess br oken by m em or y h er gaze as bar r en as t h e l an d lit by a ch i l ly bl eak n ess f eet w ei gh ed d ow n

by af ter th ou gh t

t h e l i gh t r el u ct an t ly r i ses as i f f r om t h e st ep - w el l of h er an gu i sh a scream t h e h ou r

w h en n oth i n g bu t d esi r e m oves a qu i ver i n th e ai r w al k i n g bar ef oot over t h e gr ave h er br eath a p assi n g sh u d d er t r am p l i n g t h e l i gh t aluminum thunderclap bey on d t h e sw ay i n g gau ze t h e i l l u si on of an en ti r e ci ty i n f l am es u n d er t h e gu i se of d ay l i gh t t h e r et r eati n g sh ad ow s d evou r ar m ed

w i th a f i sh n et

sh e l ay i n am bu sh w ai t i n g to catch th e f i r st l i gh t ad van ci n g w h i p l ash l i ke i ce ex p l od i n g d r ow n s an en t i r e w i n ter scen e w h i t t l ed sp i kes h over over h ead so many guillotines t h e su n d r op s or an ge agai n st a sk y w ash ed by a ban k of bl u e l i gh ts

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m im ic

r ai n

w al k s sl ow ly i n t o a l ar ge d oor w ay sm ok y w h i te l i gh t en gu l f ed

i n sn ow

bl en d s t h e sal m on p i n k w i t h gol d en am ber sp ar k s f ly i n t h e w i n d f i r es y et t o be l i t h ol d t h ei r br eath t h e d aw n h esi t at es t h er e w h er e t h e sh ad ow s gath er a n i gh t bat h i n g i n a si lver m i r r or r ow of r ed can d l es w ai t i n t h e w i n gs to be lit t h e d ar k h al t s i n i ts tr ack s abr u p t beam s of l i gh t scor ch t h e ear th t h e w i n d t r an sf i xed t aken aback sol i t ar y f i gu r e si l en ced Lear cl ou d of f eat h er s t h e an gel

at th e ben d

st ep s ou t of h er w i n gs i n a p l ay abou t p ar ad i se a sl ow an d i m p er cep ti bl e f al l t h e l i gh t begi n n i n g to l ose i tsel f qu i ver s an d w ai ts t h e sh ad ow s bob u p an d d ow n drift seaw ar d s d azzl e d ar k n ess st ep i n t o a f or est of l i gh t s w i r es cabl es stan d s a sea of thousand- watt lamps t h e st or m d r esses i n or an ge l i gh t si lver f l ash es d eep r u m bl i n g bl u es t h u n d er u n ceasi n g cy cl e t h e bl ack en ci r cl es th e wh ite en ci r cl es th e bl ack

en ci r cl es w h i te

gi d d i n ess i n sl ow m oti on m i scu ed t h e m or n i n g l i gh t cau gh t i n th e act r em ov i n g th e h u r r i ed ly d i scar d ed n i gh t st u m p s of w ax at t h e f oot of th e cr oss bu r n t

143

of f er i n gs aw ai t t h e m i r acl e t h e sh ad ow si t s

h u n ch ed

over em ber s sh i ver i n g the fire long burnt out n ot h i n g m or e d ev ast at i n g t h en an em p t y stage aw ai t i n g f ootf al l s t h e st age bat h ed i n r ed t h e br i d e p i ck s h er w ay am on g t h e d ead col l ect i n g bu r n t can d l e stu m p s su r r ou n d ed by bl i n d i n g l i gh t sh e sh u t s h er ey es p r oceed s t o i n t er r ogate h er sel f light changes a p on d a m i r r or a m i r r or ed p on d h ow l h ow l h ow l h er d eath r oot s above t h ei r h ead s t h r ee w i se w om en ch al k h i s cou r se u p si d e d ow n om en bl u e an d p u r p l e cl ou d s sep ar at e t h e st age f l oor f r om th e sk i es f l oat i n g on i t s back t h e y el l ow car d boar d m oon

gazes

145

fading in the dawn l i gh t t h e ai r

ar ou n d th em

t h e actor s so t h at th ey m ay

drift

in an d d r i f t

ou t

of t h e d ar k t h e cot t on sn ow st i ck s t o th e d r i f tw ood on h an d - p ai n ted beach es as y ou i m agi n e th e ebb an d f l ow of t h e cor r u gated sea grieving sh e t ook h er gr i ef t o t h e cen tr e of th e stage t h en l et i t sl i d e on t o t h e f l oor boar d s an d h er e i t l ay t h i s over w h el m ed gr i ef an d t h er e w h er e th e su n l ay d ow n r oots f or th e n i gh t st ood a w om an d ar i n g i t to set som ew h er e at th e bottom or ju st bel ow l ay t h e l i gh t w ai t i n g f or t h e n i gh t t o m ake a m i stake at t h e ed ge of th e stage

soaked

i n beam s of w h i te

t h ey r ef u sed to com e t h e t ear s d esp i t e al l t h e i n str u cti on s i n h i s book of acti n g ey es m i st over sm oke so bl u e i t s ed ges t i n ged i n l i l ac soon t h e l am p s w i l l be l i t col d w i n d st i f l es t h e son g of th e f l u te f r om a f or got t en p oem as t h e d r i zzl e t u r n s t o f r ost sh ad ow s

h ol d th e gr ou n d

u n d er si ege br u sh t h e au t u m n l eaves br u sh t h e w or l d sp r ead op en sp i l l i n g

i t s i n si d es

over a sh ar p - ed ged sw or d rivers of blood a h aze of r ed bl i n d sp i r al s d ow n w ar d s i n t o t h e ear t h on e bi g sw i r l wind

l i gh t

r u st l i n g l eaves w h i sp er s t h e h u sh

gath er s

d ar ken t h e st age f or ev i l

to en ter

enter evil gat h er m urm urs sl eep h as been m u r d er ed y et agai n sp eech p i l es u p w or d s cr am

i n to sp ace as ti n y

as l ar ge as m em or y t h e su n scatter s i t s em i ssar i es soon t h e actor w i l l f i n d u tter an ce h i s abi l i t y t o sep ar ate sou n d f r om ech o m ean i n g r i si n g l i ke t h e p h oen i x f r om betw een th e l i n es words st r et ch t h em tau t l et t h em becom e

voi ce

st u bbor n w or d s st r i cken w i th r em or se f ear i n g t h e d eat h of l an gu age u n f etter ed r oom f l ood ed w i th l i gh t f r om a can d l e si n k i n g

i n to i ts w ax

Na veen Kishore is a thea ter lighting designer, photogra pher, poet, publisher a nd founder of Sea gull Books which wa s esta blished in1982. Under Kishore?s direction, Sea gull ha s published English tra nsla tions of more tha n 500 books by ma jor Africa n, Europea n, Asia n, a nd La tin America n writers. In 2005, Kishore la unched Sea gull Books London to rea ch a wider interna tiona l rea dership. Six yea rs la ter, in 2011, he expa nded the orga niza tion further, esta blishing the Sea gull School of Publishing with the a im of tra ining the next genera tion of publishers, editors, a nd book designers in India . For his contribution to publishing, Kishore ha s been ma de a Cheva lier de l'ordre des Arts et des Lettres (2014) by the government of Fra nce a nd received the Goethe Meda l from the Federa l Republic of Germa ny (2013). In 2021, he wa s recognized by Words Without Borders with the O tta wa y Awa rd for the Promotion of Interna tiona l Litera ture. He a lso beca me the first recipient of Cesa re De Michelis Prize, a wa rded by independent Venetia n publisher Ma rsilio Editori? in conjunction with the Ca ?

Fosca ri University of Venice for outsta nding publishing projects.

Kishore's works of poetry Knotted Grief a nd Mother Muse Q uintet ha ve been published by Spea king Tiger with the former being tra nsla ted a nd published in severa l countries.

(Informa tion source: Words Without Borders, World Litera ture Toda y)

When little g irls a sk too ma ny questions their tong ues d rop off!

Bapsi Sidhwa

An an k emag .c o m