PaRCha - JNU - AISA material - 2013 ID-33854
.
Respect Women's Autonomy! Respect Her Right Over Her Own Body and Mind, and Her Right to.
Say NO!.
An Agenda for Gender Sensitisation.
Seen the latest Tata Sky ad?.
A young man builds up towards asking his male friend if he can take the latter's sister out to dinner..
There is a tense silence as the sister (sitting demure and silent with downcast eyes) and the young.
man wait for the brother's rage to explode. Then the brother says gruffly, "Yes, but bring her back.
before 10 pm.".
The `humour' in the ad draws from the possibility of the brother's violent rage..
.
What is it that makes us, as a society, consider it perfectly normal for a brother to control the.
movements and choices of his sister?.
`Rakshabandhan' is a popular festival to celebrate the bond (of protection) between brother and.
sister. But the Tata Sky ad reminds us that `Raksha' (protection) is more than a bond of affection -.
it is in fact a bondage. That pretty rakhi is actually a fetter. In the past few months there have been.
any number of instances from different states of brothers chopping off the heads of their sisters.
(because the latter had a sexual relationship of which the brother disapproved). The Tata Sky ad.
doesn't seem that funny anymore when you recall how the Yadav brothers killed Nitish Katara for.
daring to love their sister..
.
Think of the Government's move to raise the age of consent from 16 to 18 - in the context of these.
violent brothers. If the age of consent were to be 18, and consensual relationships of young people.
between 16-18 to be automatically branded as rape/sexual violence, with third parties allowed to.
file statutory rape complaints, every possessive brother will use the law to get the sister's male.
classmate/friend/boyfriend arrested for rape! The more so if the boyfriend in question is from a.
dalit/oppressed caste background while the girl is not!.
.
What kind of `sensitisation' does GSCASH (and other institutions outside JNU) need to do?.
In the name of `gender sensitisation', Gillette runs an ad asking men to be `soldiers' to protect.
women. It's another matter that actual `soldiers' often rape women, and men who believe they.
have to `protect' women end up policing her own freedom, like the protective brother in the ad!.
`Raksha' by men becomes a real `bandhan' (bondage) for women..
.
Sensitisation isn't about teaching some abstract concepts of gender justice. Sensitisation is actually.
a project of `unlearning' what society teaches us about gender. Perhaps the most important lesson.
of sensitisation has to be the one of autonomy..
.
· Brothers have to learn the difficult lesson that they have neither right nor duty to be their.
sisters' guardians. That their sisters have every right to have friends, wear clothes, go where.
they wish, without seeking `permission' from their brother!.
..
PaRCha - JNU - AISA material - 2013 ID-33854
.
Respect Women's Autonomy! Respect Her Right Over Her Own Body and Mind, and Her Right to.
Say NO!.
An Agenda for Gender Sensitisation.
Seen the latest Tata Sky ad?.
A young man builds up towards asking his male friend if he can take the latter's sister out to dinner..
There is a tense silence as the sister (sitting demure and silent with downcast eyes) and the young.
man wait for the brother's rage to explode. Then the brother says gruffly, "Yes, but bring her back.
before 10 pm.".
The `humour' in the ad draws from the possibility of the brother's violent rage..
.
What is it that makes us, as a society, consider it perfectly normal for a brother to control the.
movements and choices of his sister?.
`Rakshabandhan' is a popular festival to celebrate the bond (of protection) between brother and.
sister. But the Tata Sky ad reminds us that `Raksha' (protection) is more than a bond of affection -.
it is in fact a bondage. That pretty rakhi is actually a fetter. In the past few months there have been.
any number of instances from different states of brothers chopping off the heads of their sisters.
(because the latter had a sexual relationship of which the brother disapproved). The Tata Sky ad.
doesn't seem that funny anymore when you recall how the Yadav brothers killed Nitish Katara for.
daring to love their sister..
.
Think of the Government's move to raise the age of consent from 16 to 18 - in the context of these.
violent brothers. If the age of consent were to be 18, and consensual relationships of young people.
between 16-18 to be automatically branded as rape/sexual violence, with third parties allowed to.
file statutory rape complaints, every possessive brother will use the law to get the sister's male.
classmate/friend/boyfriend arrested for rape! The more so if the boyfriend in question is from a.
dalit/oppressed caste background while the girl is not!.
.
What kind of `sensitisation' does GSCASH (and other institutions outside JNU) need to do?.
In the name of `gender sensitisation', Gillette runs an ad asking men to be `soldiers' to protect.
women. It's another matter that actual `soldiers' often rape women, and men who believe they.
have to `protect' women end up policing her own freedom, like the protective brother in the ad!.
`Raksha' by men becomes a real `bandhan' (bondage) for women..
.
Sensitisation isn't about teaching some abstract concepts of gender justice. Sensitisation is actually.
a project of `unlearning' what society teaches us about gender. Perhaps the most important lesson.
of sensitisation has to be the one of autonomy..
.
· Brothers have to learn the difficult lesson that they have neither right nor duty to be their.
sisters' guardians. That their sisters have every right to have friends, wear clothes, go where.
they wish, without seeking `permission' from their brother!.
..