Thursday, February 16, 2006

Women love self-sacrifice
Suffering and good advice;
If they don't love these sincerely
Then they're not true women really.
Oh, it shocks me so to note
Women pleading for the vote!
Saying publicly it would
Educate and do them good.
Such a selfish reason trips
Oddly from a woman's lips.
But it must not be supposed
I am in the least opposed.
If they want it let them try it.
For I think we'll profit by it.

Even before we start discussing the hot topic, let’s have a small introduction about woman - the most important soul in this universe…

In the great majority of species on the earth the female form exceeds the male in size and strength and often in predatory instinct; and that sex relationships may assume almost any form on earth as the conditions of life vary.

Even in their sexual relations towards offspring, those differences which we, conventionally, are apt to suppose are inherent in the paternal or the maternal sex form, are not inherent--as when one studies the lives of certain toads, where the female deposits her eggs in cavities on the back of the male, where the eggs are preserved and hatched; or, of certain sea animals, in which the male carries the young about with him and rears them in a pouch formed of his own substance; and countless other such.

And above all, this important fact, which had first impressed me when as a child I wandered alone bushes and watched the country sparrows (“Oorkkuruvi” in Tamil) singing their inter-knit love-songs, and small singing birds (so called “Chittukkuruvi”) building their nests together, and caring for and watching over, not only their young, but each other, and which has powerfully influenced all I have thought and felt on sex matters since…

….. The fact that, along the line of bird life and among certain of its species sex has attained its highest and aesthetic, and one might almost say intellectual, development on earth: a point of development to which no human race as a whole has yet reached, and which represents the realization of the highest sexual ideal which haunts humanity.

Another point here is the probability, amounting almost to a certainty, that woman’s physical suffering and weakness in childbirth and certain other directions was the price which woman has been compelled to pay for the passing of the race from the quadrupedal and four-handed state to the erect…

And which was essential if humanity as we know it was to exist (this of course was dealt with by a physiological study of woman's structure); and also, to deal with the highly probable, though unproved and perhaps un-provable, suggestion, that it was largely the necessity which woman was under of bearing her helpless young in her arms while procuring food for them and herself, and of carrying them when escaping from enemies, that led to the entirely erect position being forced on developing humanity.

Now, you want to know about this valuable, “glorious woman” getting tortured in work places?

This is the age of abusing female workers like secretaries, actresses, and woman’s lib groups are badly attacked just for their gender - FEMALE... In the land of Gods and goddesses there are so many abusal and rape cases are reported everyday...

This is for anyone who wants to become involved in the work to end violence. Regardless of your position within an organization, at some point you will encounter someone who is, or has been, abused. It may be a co-worker, an employee, your boss or yourself. It could also be your daughter, mother, friend or neighbour.

Read "Aruna’s Story" by Pinki Virani?

[One bastard] + [a savage twist of one chain with the thirty seconds for his sperm to release ] = one broken woman.

With brain damage so irreversible that it does not even register images. And perfectly healthy pupils but blind for life."

Aruna Shanbaug, who was attacked with a dog chain and brutally raped in the very hospital where she was a nurse, and abandoned by her family thereafter, Brain-dead for sight, speech and movement, yet hopelessly alive to pain, hunger and terror, she now lies, barely alive, in the hospital where she once treated patients back to health..

Virani’s investigations also unearthed the crowning tragedy: while Aruna has been in coma for over twenty-five years, her rapist, a sweeper in the hospital, walked a free man after a mere seven years in prison for robbery and attempt to murder. Vivid and gut-wrenching, this is a book that is haunting me reader long after the final page has been turned.]

Woman abuse is a pervasive and extremely serious problem. We can't afford to ignore it, deny it, or minimize its effects.

Being part of the solution means understanding the issue of woman abuse, knowing how to help someone who is being abused, and being aware of resources within our organizations and our communities.

Bringing this information to you is an important first step in making you and me more supportive and responsive to the needs of abused women.

Abuse: The game of power and Control:

Harassment, discrimination, racism,- woman abuse and sexual harassment are important issues in the workplace today; up until a few years ago they were rarely identified as problems. For some people, the emergence of so many serious new issues feels overwhelming. One reason may be that in many workplaces, these issues have been presented as distinct problems, each requiring a different understanding and different solutions.

Some “great” people refer to this as the "issue of the month" phenomenon.

Although there may be unique aspects to each of these workplace issues, I believe they are fundamentally linked. All of these issues are symptoms of a culture of inequality- a culture which sets up specific groups of people as targets for violence. One way to see the links among the workplace issues of woman abuse, sexual harassment, general harassment, racism and discrimination, is by understanding the dynamics of power and control which underlie them all.

For many women, the workplace reinforces their experiences of inequality based on gender, race and class. Individually, both men and women are potential victims of harassment and discrimination in the workplace. However, it is women, collectively, who are systematically undervalued, underpaid, sexually harassed and discriminated against. To understand this reality, it is useful to gain more insight into the use and misuse of personal power and the power of privilege.

Woman abuse crosses all cultural and social lines. Whether women are wealthy or poor, able-bodied or disabled, rural- or urban-based, North Indian or south Indian, Higher or lower in caste - they experience abuse in many similar ways. Yet while many experiences of victimization and survival are shared, there are many differences.

Being aware of and respecting these differences is an essential part of our life.

This includes giving your ears to the pains of your fellow human being called “working woman” (will you ever say “working men”? Why the hell this discrimination?) who may be respectable lecturer in a college or a sweeper in a nearby warehouse - irrespective of whether she is your arch-rival, worst-enemy, or anything or any sort.

What is the solution?

Too often when we speak about the ways abuse affects women and has an impact on the workplace, we are speaking only of the mainstream: the educated urban women. But when we list resources, we are usually listing resources for a helpless woman abused in a village or town by a Landlord or coworker or by a priest.. What kind of a effect are we expecting when we specifically say a woman is abused by a priest? More sympathy for her? Or is it that we are comforting the rational mind against religious practitioners? Its all bullshit.. The abuse is an abuse, irrespective of whether we emphasize upon it or not…

We repeatedly draw a skewed section of the population to our events because our publicity goes only to the mainstream. Our public service announcements and brochures land on the desks of the more privileged: People with some measure of power….!

To reach out and support all women in our workplaces we have to make a special effort.. Through an extensive outreach process and carefully structured focus groups, we have to listen to the victim and involve a wide cross section of women in the discussions and planning of workplace initiatives. The commitment to involving as many diverse groups as possible, and the respect and value given to these groups' suggestions, provide a model for all of us in addressing these issues.

Should we involve men?

Violence against women is not just a "women's issue," it is an issue that affects all of us. If we are ever going to have workplaces with zero tolerance of violence, it is essential that both men and women are involved in and committed to the work.

In our personal lives, in our communities and in our workplaces, a major challenge is finding ways to ensure men's involvement in ending violence against women. With a few exceptions, the work to make woman abuse a workplace issue has been done primarily by women. Men who have played a leadership role tell me that they often find themselves marginalized and the issue trivialized by their colleagues.

Breaking through the barriers to involve men requires education, understanding, flexibility and creativity. Workplace initiatives against violence need the support of everyone at all levels of an organization, especially senior management which is often male-dominated.

Where to start?

As individuals, many people are deeply concerned about the issue of woman abuse. They have experienced its impact on their workplace and would like to see the workplace be more supportive, but they don't know what they can do within their organization.

Build a Group:

1. Don't work alone. Find other friends and colleagues who are concerned about the issue of violence against women and want to make changes.
2. Spend time getting to know each other, educating yourselves about the issue and finding the commonalities in your understanding, both intellectual and emotional.

Define the Problem

1. Collect general information and specific examples on woman abuse and its impact on the workplace.
2. Decide what needs to happen in your workplace to support abused women.
3. Set your priorities for action based on your resources. Be realistic about what you can accomplish with these resources. A small project, successfully completed, is more useful than a large one which flounders because of lack of support.

Plan Your Strategies

1. Set goals and objectives for your work with which everyone in the group can agree. develop a simple workplan that identifies who is responsible for each piece of work.
2. Collect the supporting resources you need to counter the flak.
   

Carry Out Your Plans

Ensure that key individuals in your workplace know about your plans. Important groups to keep informed are management, supervisors, union reps and human resource personnel. In some workplaces, these groups have been supportive of woman abuse initiatives from the beginning; in others, they are reluctant to get involved and a large part of the work in getting started involves educating these morons about the issue and its impact on the workplace.

Be creative about how you promote and advertise your activities. An awareness session entitled 'Sexual Harassament to women and Its Impact on the Workplace' may scare away more people than it attracts. Find your own words to suit your workplace culture, make the issue non-threatening and draw everyone into the discussion.

Check Your Progress
Ask a few key questions every few months to assess your progress – as you should do any process management activity:

1. What's working well?
2. What should we do differently?
3. How are we making a difference?

And above anything, celebrate your successes - large or small!!!

In the field of violence against women, it is very easy to become overwhelmed by the amount of work and change still required. Taking time to recognize and celebrate your group's accomplishments is an essential part of maintaining the commitment.

Keeping It Going:

Once you have started a workplace initiative on woman abuse, the challenge is to keep it going. There is no "quick fix" for this problem. It requires a long process of attitudinal change and organizational development to build a work environment that is supportive of and empowering to all employees.

The perpetrators should be given to the hands of law and it should take care of these "beings"... And there should be no distinction given on the basis of gender, religion, age or anything else..

Nothing happens even after the law has done it part? Shoot the bastards..!!

You have the information now..!! You are privileged to have the information and the real value of it is in using it for good purposes.

The minute you turnaround and decide to use your privilege - and use it for good - you won't be indespair..!

Looking forward to hear from all of you..!

Lovingly,
Satheesh
" If you want to see God even after seeing a woman, your name is evil"

http://www.womenofsubstance.org/choice.htm

Posted by Chaos And Order - "Satheesh" :: 7:09 PM :: 4 comments

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