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Women, Peace and Security Initiatives: India
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88 Day Campaign Regarding Violence Against Women
Affus Woman Welfare Association (AWWA), 10 December 2006-March 2006
The public meetings and rallies will be organised in the source areas and local NGOs are participating in this movement. Donors are invited to come forward to support our movement.

For more information, please click HERE

Protect Women from Violence in Gujarat, India
March 28, 2005
Victims continue to seek justice for the February 2002 attacks against the Muslim minority in Gujarat, India. Violence against women and girls was a key feature of the attacks and authorities have failed to
convict perpetrators and bring victims legal redress.
ACT NOW
http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/ctt.asp?u=636501&l=12362

Pakistan-India Peoples Forum for Peace and Democracy (PIPFPD) 10TH Anniversary
September 03 - 05, 2004
An Indian delegation of peace activists, social workers and artistes will cross the border at Wagah to participate in the 10th anniversary of from September 3 to 5. PIPFPD activists from both countries will participate in the celebrations titled 'Peace and democracy now' and Pakistani PIPFPD activists have started reaching Lahore. A PIPFPD national convention is also scheduled as part of the celebrations. A cultural evening has been planned for Friday while the national convention would start on Saturday. Peace songs and the general secretary's report and discussions on the reports filed by the provincial bodies of the forum are on the convention's agenda.A cultural programme, featuring peace plays, will be held on Saturday afternoon while Indian artists would perform classical dance in the evening. A cultural programme by gypsy children is planned for Sunday, the concluding day. A plenary session, resolutions and recommendations will be part of the concluding ceremony, which will be followed by a press conference. For more information, please contact Pakistan-India People’s Forum for Peace & Democracy (PIPFPD), K-14 Green Park Extension, New Delhi 110 016, India, Phone 616 830 & 619 6640, Chairperson: Admiral (Retd) L. Ramdas, Email:
lramdas@giasbm01.vsnl.net.in

Rural Indian Women Organize Violence Prevention
Women's Funding Network (sponsor)
September 2004
Though women throughout Medak have formed local watchdog groups, as day laborers making less than $1/day, they can't afford to take time off work to lobby effectively for their safety. Thus far, they have only been able to take reactive measures when violence occurs, such as taking victims to the hospital, tracking down the culprits, and turning them in to the authorities. Funding a proactive lobbying campaign will raise awareness, provide protection, and reduce violent attacks. G.Vijaya, a local woman from the "untouchable" caste, will organize the effort to print and mail letters, travel to meet with local officials, and hold awareness meetings for locals, in a push for tougher laws and improved protection. This two-year lobbying campaign, which costs $6,600, will reach community members, local government officials, local police, and the district magistrate. Over 1100 women from 30 villages have banded together to advocate for women's right to safety. To learn more and/or contribute to this project, please click here, or contact Sangeetha Pearl, Communications Officer, Nirnaya, #11 Deepti Apts., S.P. Road, Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh 500 026, India, Tel: 91-40-27804361.

Dalit Women and Girls Receive Health Education
Women's Funding Network (sponsor)
For South Indian women and girls of the Dalit and tribal castes, poverty, and the medical establishment's disregard make health care inaccessible. Without the knowledge to prevent disease through proper nutrition, safe sex precautions, and overall body literacy they are at constant risk for severe illness. Government programs for women in these castes revolve around sterilization and do not provide the education women need to maintain good health. Through this training project, 25 women will become workshop leaders. After completing health training, these new leaders will conduct one-day workshops for 2500 in small communities throughout South India. This three-year project, which costs $44,550, will provide health awareness for marginalized women whose health has not been addressed. Separate seminars will be held for men and boys to encourage local acceptance of the workshops. Becoming body-literate will enable women without health care to take necessary precautions, attend to minor ailments with herbal and alternative remedies, and recognize serious problems, thereby empowering themselves and ensuring their security. To learn more and/or contribute to this project, please click here, or contact Indira Jena, Founder, Nirnaya, #11 Deepti Apts, S.P. Road, Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh 500 026, India. Tel: 91-40-27804361.

Financial support for Urban Girl's School
Women's Funding Network (sponsor)
In the Addagutta slum, where residents live below the poverty line without drinking water or streetlights, mothers work on construction jobs or as domestic help, and only 34% of girls attend school, the desire to improve circumstances is intense. However, slowly, impoverished mothers have begun to support Vikasini and enrollment has grown from 15 to 41 in its first year. An additional teacher, administrative help, books, sports equipment, and one computer are needed. Local donations cannot meet the school's needs. The cost of obtaining an additional teacher, administrative help, books, sports equipment, and one computer is $8,800 (without resorting to child labor). Girls are taught to comprehend discrimination, self-confidence is increased through sports, English, computer usage, information technology and math. Reading will be encouraged through the addition of a library in the future. With the funding of this project, these girls will start seeing options other than cleaning houses with their mothers, as education will open the door to a new world of possibility. To learn more about this project and/or contribute, please click here, or contact Sangeetha Pearl, Communications Officer Nirnaya, # 11 Deepti Apts., S.P. Road, Secunderabad, Andhra Pradesh 500 026, India. Tel: 91-40-27804361.

Women Students Prevent Incest and Help Victims
Ashoka Innovators for the Public (sponsor)
Studies conducted by RAHI amongst women college students in India have shown that incest/child sexual abuse is prevalent and impacts their lives. Due to silence on this issue, there is little information, training or services. Young women want access to information and healing resources and feel the need to be engaged in social action for prevention and intervention. Our project, aimed at women college students of Delhi, addresses these needs and is the only project of its kind in the country. Through this project, theatre, films, exhibitions, lectures, communication material production and distribution, campus campaigns, developing training manuals, courses, disclosure workshops, team-building, peer leader training, self-help groups and one-on-one counseling sessions will be organized for victims. The project, which costs approximately $40,000, will enable students to be empowered and consequently work with peers as educators and helpers – providing counseling services for victims; early intervention programs, etc so that victims break cycle of abuse and make healthy life choices. To learn more and/or contribute to this project, please click here, or contact Anuja Gupta, Executive Director, 49 A, Kalkaji, 2nd Floor, New Delhi, Delhi 110019, India. Tel: 91-11-26238466.

Sewing Cooperative for Isolated Muslim Women
Women's Funding Network (sponsor)
In the Muslim-dominated slum of Hyderabad, young women have a difficult time generating income due to the “purdah” system which prevents them from leaving the slum. In order to become self-sufficient, these women, between 16 and 22 years of age, will receive training in sewing and embroidery, then form a cooperative to pool their resources, and market their products effectively. $1,650 is the total cost of this project; $1500 will purchase 3 sewing machines and 1 computer with Internet capability for the sewing cooperative, and the remainder of the money will be used for overhead costs, etc. The women will be trained to use the machines and will use the computer to market their sewing to a widespread audience. Through this project, young women with few job opportunities have the chance to become self-sufficient by receiving sewing and embroidery training. The cooperative further ensures the success of their skills. With an income earning activity, they can be self-sufficient and play an integral role in their community. To learn more and/or contribute to this project, please click here, or contact Indira Jena, Managing Trustee, Flat # 11 Deepti Apts.S.P. Road, Secunderabad, 500 026, A.P., India. Tel: 91-40-27805089.

Celebrating Resistance
2-4 September 2004
10 AM - 7:30 PM
Indian Social Institute, New Delhi.
Speakers include Lakshmi Murthy from Saheli on the women's movements and censorship, Nandinee Bandhopadhyaya on struggles for the rights of the sex workers and the women's movement, Haseena from Awaz e Niswan, Mumbai, on the reform in laws for muslim women and censorship. Readings from proscribed poetry and prose. Sufi singing from Bikaner. Film screenings. For more information, please contact delhi_fest2@yahoo.com

Creative Media Workshop on Gender, Media and Human Rights
Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group (CRG)
22 – 25 January, 2005
The workshop is intended for gender and media activists, peace activists, journalists, creative
non-fiction writers, creative communicators and young academics. The participants will deliberate on ways and means to develop gender sensitive media activities, provide an alternative approach to media representations of violence that neither sensationalise nor trivialise women's negotiations in conflict situations and will align several forms of work on peace, gender justice and rights. Each of the participants will be expected to present at the workshop a 1,000-word article, a short documentary, script, an audio track, a photo exhibit or any other appropriate form of creative communication and interact with the resource persons and other participants for working towards effective networking. Applications are invited on plane paper along with a) the applicant's bio-data, b) a write-up within 500 words on the relevance of the workshop to the candidate's work and how she or he can contribute to it and c) a letter of recommendation commenting specifically on the candidate's work.
Selected candidate candidates will have to pay a registration fee of Rs 1,000. They will be provided a resource kit and full hospitality during the workshop. CRG, however, is unable to provide travel grants. Complete applications (hard copy or e-mail) must reach by 15 September, 2004 at Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group, FE 390 Salt Lake, Kolkata 700 016; e-mail: mcrg@mcrg.ac.in.

Public Meeting: "Marginalization, Sexuality and Human Rights"
Voices Against 377
3 p.m. on 24th August 2004
Indian Social Institute, New Delhi, India
A coalition of women's groups, child rights groups, human rights groups and groups working for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people would like to invite you to a public meeting that seeks to generate and deepen dialogues relating to sexuality, including marginalized sexualities, with struggles and movements that represent the interests of other marginalized and oppressed groups. The public meeting will address the violations faced by those who are marginalized on the basis of their sexuality as well as how different struggles waged by other oppressed groups like dalits, women, workers, and children relate to the struggle for sexual rights. A few hours spent together to listen, share, argue, respond, debate, and question openly will generate a rich exchange of ideas as well as identify ways in which bridges can be built between movements. Contact them at voicesagainst377@hotmail.com, or call 9810299223/ 9818869081.

Fund-raising for Legal Battle in Sati Cases
Jaipur network of women's organisations
August 5, 2004
There are currently 22 cases relating to glorification of Sati of 1987 (the immolation of Roop Kanwar of Deorala) in Rajasthan. The Sati is a custom in India in which the widow is burnt on her dead husband's pyre. On the 31st of January, 16 years after the incident, the Special Sati court judge acquitted all the accused in four out of twenty two cases that were under trial for Sati glorification matters. Currently, the Jaipur network of women’s organizations needs about twenty five thousand rupees for the court work for these 22 cases (bringing out the complete case files, photocopying, paying for the computer work and the filing of the cases). They also need one person to continuously monitor the cases at the lower court where 16 cases are still being argued, and they would like to pay a small honorarium and travel money for that person. Hence, they are appealing to the public for at least Rs. 25,000 (Rs. 50, 000 would be ideal) for the next six months. All contributions by cheques and drafts should be sent in the name of the Academy for Socio Legal Studies, Jaipur. They can be sent to c/o Kavita Srivastava, 76, Shanti Niketan Colony, Kisan Marg, Jaipur-302015. (Tel. 0141/ 2706483, 9828363611 ). The Academy pledges to send contributors the accounts for the contributions from time to time. To read the actual appeal letter, please click here.

Violence Prevention of Women in Rural Areas
Sponsored by Women’s Funding Network
Though women throughout Medak have formed local watchdog groups, as day laborers making less than $1/day, they can't afford to take time off work to lobby effectively for their safety. Thus far, they have only been able to take reactive measures when violence occurs, such as taking victims to the hospital, tracking down the culprits, and turning them in to the authorities. Funding a proactive lobbying campaign will raise awareness, provide protection, and reduce violent attacks. G.Vijaya, a local woman from the "untouchable" caste, will organize the effort to print and mail letters, travel to meet with local officials, and hold awareness meetings for locals, in a push for tougher laws and improved protection. This two-year lobbying campaign will reach community members, local government officials, local police, and the district magistrate. Over 1100 women from 30 villages in rural India have banded together to advocate for women's right to safety. GlobalGiving.com has set up an Online Donation Center where you can also view more information/ documentation for this project.

Recovery for Victims of Sexual Abuse
Ashoka Innovators for the Public
Ashoka Innovators for the Public is running and funding a recovery center for victims of sexual abuse. This is the only project of its kind in India that specializes in treating adult women survivors of incest and childhood sexual abuse.The project benefits urban middle class women survivors of incest and childhood sexual abuse. The project activities are: Intervention through crisis management, individual counseling, support groups, workshops and community-based psycho-educational forums. The project's primary goals are too offer a variety of treatment interventions to women survivors, to expand its existing range of support services, and to extend these services to a larger community. There is a funding need of 22,000 that GlobalGiving.com is helping AIP to raise. For more information and an online donation counter, click here.

Change Agents for a New Future for India
Across India, The Hunger Project is seizing the historic opportunity of the election of one million grassroots women as elected representatives in local government. As women take office, they shift the agenda towards meeting basic needs of health, education, nutrition and family income. Click Here for more information on the Hunger Project.

Women’s Labour Calendar
2004
Aalochana, a women's resource, documentation and research centre based in Pune, Maharashtra, India, published a 14 page black and white photo wall calendar on Women's Labour in Marathi and English. The calendar is based on photos taken by Vidya Kulkarni a women's right activist and photographer from Maharashtra. The calendar’s aim is to create visual resource material for training and concentisation. It is with this in mind that it include as well an introductory essay on Women and Work by Wandana Sonalkar, the feminist economist and founder member of Aalochana. The photos focus on different aspects of women work in the informal sector. The price is Rs.100 /US$3 (postage extra). For booking contact Aalochana at ‘Kedar” Kanchangalli, Erandavana, Pune 411004, Maharashtra, India, or by email: alochana@vsnl.com, or by phone: 91- 020-5444122 & 5440907.

Rural Women Light Candles To Mark Anniversary of Latur Earthquake
September 30, 2003
The Sakhi Federation and Swayam Shikshan Prayog (Self-Empoerment for Women) organized an emotional ceremony marking the tenth anniversary of the earthquake that struck on September 30, 1993 in Latur city. The earthquake hit eastern Marathwada killing over 7900 persons and 15,000 livestock. 4588 women, from nearly 800 villages of the Marathwada region and the states of Gujarat and Karnataka, joined hands in lighting candles in remembrance, and demanded for greater roles in community development, disaster preparedness programme and long term development activities, such as, cutting down alcohol abuse and promoting better health care, water and sanitation facilities and education. The event was inaugurated on September 29th in Latur with an exhibition by Sakhi Federations of village women’s groups, the government health department and disaster management authorities, among others. It was preceded by a press conference held in Mumbai by women from Marathwada and areas of Gujarat hit by the 2001 earthquake. Click here to read the press release. For more information visit Swayam Shikshan Prayog.

Week of Action Against Small Arms
June, 2003
The South Asian Small Arms Network (SASA Network) organized a series of activities during the Week of Action Against Small Arms. Among other activities, a candlelight vigil for the victims of gun violence was held in Mumbai by schoolchildren to create awareness among them. Click here for a press release. For more information visit The South Asian Small Arms Network.

Peace Bus to Bangladesh
May 14, 2003
The Women's Initiative for Peace in South Asia (WIPSA) organized a peace mission to Bangladesh. A delegation of 35 Indian women gathered for a peace mission to Bangladesh aiming at building people-to-people contact. It was a journey for peace and friendship from India to Bangladesh, aiming at creating a consistent dialogue. The purpose was to discuss all kinds of violence, particularly, the trafficking of women from Bangladesh to India and simmering terrorism. A WIPSA statement said, "People-to-people contact is the surest way to build the pressure of public opinion for peace which no government can afford to ignore. Women, though not part of the decision process when it comes to war or foreign relations, are an integral part for the decision for peace." For more information contact the Women's Initiative for Peace in South Asia <wipsaindia@eth.net>.

MultiTrack Diplomacy Initiative
November 2002
Representatives from the variuos Missions in New Delhi, members of the Indian Foreign Service, parliamentarians and academics, came together on November 2002 to work towards the changing nature and role of diplomacy processes. The purpose is to stimulate dialogue, to locate the role of gender in diplomacy, to build bridges among diverse actors, and to engage diplomats to effectively collaborate with peace-building processes. The intention is to focus on issues such as, Gender and Terrorism, Media and Peace-Building, Non Traditional Security, and Public Diplomacy. Click here to read the latest newsletter. For more information visit Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace.

India-Pakistan Women’s Peace Dialogue
March 2000
Peace activists jointly with former parliamentarian Nirmala Deshpande participated in the women’s peace delegation that visited Pakistan in March 2000. The visit of the Indian delegation was organised by the Women’s Initiative for Peace in South Asia (WIPSA). The pupose of the gathering was to work towards nuclear disarmament in South Asia and the world, initiate a dialogue on Kashmir and bring down the inflated defence budgets of the two countries. As a result, human rights and women’s groups on both sides of the border passed a joint statement that called for a change in the educational curricula, particularly in schools of both countries, free access to each other’s print media, relaxation in granting of visas, and greater responsibility on the part of the media when reporting on the issues of contention between the two countries. To order the Pakistan statement please contact Women's Initiative for Peace in South Asia <wipsaindia@eth.net>. For more information visit Women in Security, Conflict Management and Peace.