[APWW-Meet] WFS LOG
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[APWW-Meet] WFS LOG
Welcome to the APWW-Meet
An announcement list of the Asia Pacific Women Watch network
working for the advancement of the status of women.
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Dear Editor,
Going by the number of women filmmakers who presented their works at the
recent Toronto International Film Festival, it seems that the 'Queens of
the Camera' truly call the shots. Many Indian women in Australia, who
are victims of domestic violence, suffer in silence with no one to turn
to in a new country, reveals 'Indian Women, Down Under and Tortured'.
'Afghanistan's Nowhere Children', used as unwilling soldiers by
militants, endure injury, sexual violence, and witness death at close
quarters. In 'A Journey to the Centre of Kashmir's Heart', the filmmaker
of the documentary, 'Athwaas - The Journey', describes how she, as both
subject and narrator, interviewed women of different communities
affected by the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir. 'How Mitu Fought For Her
Daughters' Lives' is the story of Dr Mitu Khurana, who raised her voice
against female foeticide, when her in-laws pressurised her to abort the
twins she was carrying because they were girls. 'Celebrating Our Bodies,
Ourselves' is a review of the latest South Asia edition of the 1970
classic, 'Our Bodies, Ourselves' that offers easy-to-understand
information on women's health and sexuality. Victims of superstition,
the 'witches' of Kulli village in Ranchi - tormented, assaulted and
hounded by miscreants out to grab their land - are bravely 'Surviving
the Witch Hunt'.=20
Please forward your requests for stories. We would be happy to send them
to you.
With warm regards,
Ain Haider
Associate Editor
Women's Feature Service
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THE WFS LOG September 29, 2008=20
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India: Celebrating Our Bodies, Ourselves
By Radhika Chandiramani
'Our Bodies, Ourselves', first published in 1970, was the result of 12
women regularly meeting around their kitchen tables to discuss their
bodies, health, and sexuality as a result of being fed up of being
paternalised, spoken down to and treated as morons by doctors and by
men. The special edition of the book for South Asia, released recently
and available in India, also offers a wealth of easy-to-understand
accurate information on how our bodies work, what makes them sick, what
to do to feel better, and importantly, how all of this plays out in the
larger context of the politics of health and of sexism. In fact, the
South Asian edition has greater significance for the region, where
matters of sexuality are not openly spoken about, comments a clinical
psychologist, who works on sexuality issues with the NGO, TARSHI, in
this review article.=20
* From Brazilian bikini waxing to hysterectomies, it's all about how we
make decisions about what to keep and what to rid ourselves of.=20
WFS REF NO: INDh924
1,050 words=20
Health\Literature
Photograph Available=20
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India: A Journey to the Centre of Kashmir's Heart
By Ashima Kaul
In a first-person narrative, the filmmaker of the recently-released
documentary 'Athwaas - The Journey', describes how she, as both subject
and narrator, stepped in and out of roles, interviewing women of
different communities who have been impacted by the conflict in Jammu
and Kashmir. Moving from one narrative to another, the film brings in
the element of relationship as a central narrative and also captures the
richness of Kashmir's pluralistic past.
* "I wanted to portray how women, despite the impact of conflict, are
willing to test new waters, make choices and reach out - if it brings a
change in their personal lives or families."
WFS REF NO: INDh922
1,030 words=20
Cinema\Conflict
Photographs Available
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India: How Mitu Fought For Her Daughters' Lives
By Shobha S.V.
One of the few women in India who has raised her voice against female
foeticide, Dr Mitu Khurana was pressurised by her in-laws to abort the
twins she was carrying because they were girls. Khurana states that her
in-laws, in collusion with the hospital authorities, surreptitiously put
her through a sex determination test. Khurana has indicted her in-laws,
husband and the hospital concerned under the PC&PNDT Act, 2003. As she
awaits an appropriate response to her complaint and raises the twins in
her parental home, Khurana's case highlights that son preference in
India remains an intractable problem.
* "She has not got justice till date. The doctors and the hospital
concerned should be punished."
WFS REF NO: INDh923
1,100 words=20
Sex Determination\Law
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Canada: Queens of the Camera
By V. Radhika
Deepa Mehta, Mira Nair, Jane Campion and Lynne Ramsay have all shown
that women make great films, that cut across cultural boundaries, that
create box-office records. Going by the number of women filmmakers who
presented their works at the recent Toronto International Film Festival
(TIFF), it seems that many more are now staking their claim to fame from
behind the camera. This year, out of 249 full-length features screened,
45 had women calling the shots and five of these opened to gala
screenings. Australian Meagan Doneman's documentary 'Yes Madam, Sir',
Indian Nandita Das's post-Gujarat riots narrative 'Firaaq', Canadian
Ingrid Veninger's coming-of-age 'Only', Iranian Samira Makhmalbaf's
'Two-legged Horse' and Mexican Yulene Olaizola's 'Shakespeare and Victor
Hugo's Intimacies' were just some of the wide variety on view.=20
* 'Most films about riots are full of the violence that they set out to
critique. I wanted to explore the fierce and delicate emotions during
such times. I definitely have a feminine gaze on issues and it is
important for me...'
WFS REF NO: CANh922
1,200 words=20
Films\Women
Photographs Available
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Australia: Indian Women, Down Under and Tortured
By Neena Bhandari As many as 443,000 Australian women, that is six per
cent of the female population, have experienced violence from their
partner or former partner. For immigrant Indian women, who are victims
of domestic - mental, physical and sexual - violence, the experience is
exacerbated with no one to turn to in a new country and an alien
environment. Many endure the abusive relationship for the fear of losing
their spouse visa and the custody of their children.
* "I was imprisoned in my own home... I had no one of my own in
Australia. He would tap the phones..."
WFS REF NO: ASTh923
1,250 words=20
Domestic Violence\Immigrants=20
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India: Surviving the Witch Hunt
By Manisha Prakash
The 'witches' of Kulli village in Bero block, Ranchi, have been
tormented and assaulted. Their only 'crime' being their hard work, good
harvests or childlessness. Victims of a superstition, termed as `daliya
fariyana', that makes gullible villagers approach a witch doctor to
discover the person behind, say, a failed crop or a family problem,
these innocent women are then boycotted and hounded by miscreants out to
grab their land. Yet, while her neighbour, invalid Charkhi is confined
to her home, feisty Birsi has resolved to bring her attackers to book.
* "These men are jealous of me and are eyeing my land. Their egos are
bruised because a woman can do so much while they being men are
achieving little."
WFS REF NO: INDh925c
900 words=20
Human Rights\Witchcraft
Photographs Available
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Global: Afghanistan's Nowhere Children
By Fatima Chowdhury
As conflict rages between anti-government elements, including the
Taliban, and national and international security forces such as the
US-led coalition and NATO-led International Security Assistance Forces,
it is the children of Afghanistan who are the worst hit. Used as
unwilling soldiers by the militants, they endure injury, detention,
sexual violence and witness death at close quarters.
* In May 2008, the Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed
Conflict decided to put Afghanistan on its agenda.
WFS REF NO: QQQh924
1,160 words=20
Conflict\Children=20
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FOR THE COMPLETE TEXT OF THE STORIES PLEASE CONTACT
WOMEN'S FEATURE SERVICE AT: wfsdelhi@vsnl.com or wfsdelhi@yahoo.com=20
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Views reflected in these features do not necessarily reflect those of
Women's Feature Service.
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The Women's Feature Service office is located at:
G-69, Second floor; Nizammudin West, New Delhi: 110013; India.
Phone: +91-11-2435 9886, +91-11-2435 2546; Fax: +91-11-2435 4606
Email: wfsdelhi@vsnl.com; Website: www.wfsnews.org
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