Usually news articles and recent studies are posted in our “Recent News” section, but I felt this was an especially important article to emphasize. The article discusses how despite growing economic opportunities, women in India continue to face harrasment and abuse.

“…a powerful male backlash has accompanied the women’s revolution, an upwelling of resentment that has expressed itself in sexual violence and harassment. ”

The article provides even more shocking statistics:

• Violence against women is the fastest-growing crime in India
• Every 26 minutes a woman is molested
• Every 34 minutes a rape takes place
• Every 43 minutes a woman is kidnapped*

During a period of economic growth and social change for women, why do such problems still continue to increase?

 Shobhaa De, a popular social commentator, states “The latest statistics are terrifying. And it clearly points to male rage. Underneath our incredible social change, the Indian male is experiencing nothing short of a psychological frenzy.”

What do you feel is the main cause of gender inequality in South Asian communities?

*Source: Home Ministry’s National Crime Records Bureau

MSNBC published an inspiring report about two acid victims in Pakistan who have become beauticians to keep their independence.

“I’m independent now, I stand on my own two feet,” she says. “I have a job, I work, I earn. In fact, I’m living on my own … which isn’t an easy thing to do for a woman in Pakistan, for a lone woman to survive.”

~Urooj Akbar, survivor and beautician

These women show us how far strength can take you. I applaud not only these two women, but all you survivors out there who continue to be strong and accomplish all your dreams.

The NY Times recently published a very interesting study on children who are exposed to domestic violence and the impact they have on their peers.

http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/31/externalities-in-the-classroom-how-children-exposed-to-domestic-violence-affect-everyones-kids/#more-2894

The conclusions of the study proved to be quite disheartening:

• Kids exposed to domestic violence definitely do have lower reading and math scores and greater disciplinary problems.
• Effects of this dysfunction are not limited to the direct victims of this violence: kids exposed to kids exposed to domestic violence also have lower test scores and more disciplinary infractions.

*Article submitted by Pooja Trehan