Prajnya

It's time for us to go.
We will not deactivate our social media accounts as yet but we will not post here.
Our website and online resources will remain accessible for a year or two.
But for the rest, we take your leave now.

Thank you for everything! 🙏🏾

Women and their right to political representation are noticeably missing from the frontlines of the ongoing verbal war on delimitation of electoral constituencies for elections to the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies. In our Gender, Media and Elections (GME) blog, Shikha Mukherjee explores the link between the delimitation exercise and gender representation and calls for more attention to this important issue.

Read here: https://nwmindia.org/gender-lens/gender-media-elections/delimitation-is-also-about-reservation-of-seats-for-women/

If "The Subtle Art of Undermining Women" were a book, it would likely top the best-seller charts. On International Women's Day, it's concerning to note that achieving gender equality is getting harder with each year.

In 2025, we mark the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a landmark document aimed at advancing gender equality. Although it was adopted by 189 countries in 1995 at the fourth World Conference on Women by the UN, the goal of achieving full gender equality still feels far out of reach. In recent months, gender diversity has faced setbacks, with several major corporations scaling back Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, the rise of far-right governments and conservative movements across the globe.

Specific to media, the implementation of commitments in Section J of the Beijing Declaration (to increase women’s participation in media decision-making, promote balanced and non-stereotypical portrayals of women, and ensure women’s access to and use of communication technologies) is under threat. The deliberate suppression of freedom of expression, especially on websites and channels that promote equality, will impact reportage on gender equality. This will surely affect reportage of violations faced by women, reduce the use of gender equity language and make uprooting existing gender stereotypes more difficult.

Other factors like poverty, limited economic opportunities, a shortage of women in leadership roles, workplace discrimination, unpaid caregiving responsibilities, harmful cultural practices like child marriage and female ge***al mutilation, inadequate access to healthcare, violence against women, food insecurity,lack of clean energy and sanitation,weakly enforced laws, and insufficient funding for gender equality programs continue to impact gender equality goals.

The Beijing Declaration focuses on 12 critical areas, including economic opportunity, political participation, peace, and ending violence against women. This anniversary and the 2025 IWD theme, ‘For All Women and Girls: Rights, Equality, and Empowerment,’ should serve as an important reminder to intensify efforts toward gender equality.

This recent statement from GAMAG, of which the NWMI is a member, refers to Section J of the Beijing Platform for Action which is specifically about media -
https://gamag.net/2025/03/03/beijing-30-upholding-commitments-on-media/

Read Inksights on NWMI website here - https://nwmindia.org/gender-lens/inksights/the-subtle-art-of-undermining-women/

"Indian men need to reckon with their fundamental inability to understand consent. Until then, no holy dip in the waters of the Ganga can wash away their sins." Hear, hear!

The trinity that failed women at Maha Kumbh. Holy, unholy, and the algorithm Indian men need to reckon with their fundamental inability to understand consent. Until then, no holy dip in the waters of the Ganga can wash away their sins.

WILPF Joint Statement on the 30th Anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Program of Action WILPF’s Secretary General delivered this joint statement supported by 23 other organisations during the High-Level Panel on the thirtieth anniversary of the ...

https://careinternationaluk.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/media/documents/WomenInWar_FINAL.pdf

Key Findings

Women are leading. 91% of women CARE spoke
to said they are actively leading and participating
in community groups. 79% are finding ways to
improve safety. 71% are actively sharing health
information, and 60% are focusing on education.

Women’s basic needs are going unfilled.
Livelihood is women’s highest priority. 58% of
women CARE spoke to in conflict zones said
they need livelihood assistance. 41% of women
prioritized food as one of the biggest impacts of
conflict.

Sexual violence is a growing threat. More than
257 million women were living in countries that
had significant or massive reports of sexual
violence in conflict in 2021.B

Compromised health services put women and
children at severe risk. One in 4 babies born in
2022 were born within 50 kilometers of a conflict.

One in 2 women who dies during pregnancy or
childbirth is in a conflict area. Maternal mortality
is more than 40 times higher in fragile contexts
than it is in developing countries.v

Formal leadership structures exclude women,
compromising peace and prosperity for
everyone.

Narratives of conflict underrepresent women.
Only 5% of articles about conflict in the last
decade focus on women’s experiences. Less
than 0.3% of articles talk about women in conflict
positively

careinternationaluk.ams3.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com

by Radhika Radhakrishnan on safe public spaces, surveillance and women's choices.
https://awomansplace.dataplusfeminism.mit.edu/en?fbclid=IwY2xjawIffA5leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHUo9a8Q8oqQbU6B_DOJCZASiMPggtV_5Y3TsuB5JK8VznlQ1zPbMx_BsTg_aem_pAmXPAalbvL6IMWB8xSXtw

A woman's place is in a safe city What explains the recent proliferation of CCTVs on the streets of Indian cities, and where does the funding for it come from? Does such state surveillance – the monitoring of people’s behaviour or data by governments – help prevent the violence that cisgender and transgender women experience r...

Streaming live in a few minutes from now: https://youtube.com/live/tmoK39Hsdo0

The Prajnya years have brought new friendships that started as work partnerships. In a gesture of friendship and solidarity, the
All India Disaster Mitigation Institute is hosting a webinar to spotlight our blog symposium, "25" on Friday, January 10, 2024, from 3:30-5 pm IST. Do join us!

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81387180673pwd=DbfSvKEnKnvavzYRIdNmQVXEVRVh84.1