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Desi News Corp - Desi News - March 2009 - Index

Hello ji!
The world observes International Women’s Day
on March 8. Yet, even in these enlightened
times, violence kills more women internationally
than malaria and cancer put together, says Zahra
Dhanani, legal director of Metropolitan Action Committee
on Violence Against Women and Children (METRAC).
“Violence against women is one of the most serious
human rights concerns. Last year, in Ontario alone, there
were 28 reported cases of women killed in incidents of
domestic violence. Less than 30 per cent of women suffering
abuse report it; less than 10 per cent report sexual
abuse, and only two per cent of those who report sexual
assault cases go in for a hearing.”
We need laws to change, we need social and public
awareness to change, says Dhanani.
Is there also need for an understanding of the different
places we come from, each with our own cultural
mapping? I recall going to a family court with a
friend who was separating from her husband. There
was no language barrier, she is fluent in English. I was
there just to hold her hand. And I was shocked when,
at the end of that morning, a female employee came
out of one of those cubicles and gave my friend a big,
cheerful smile. “Congratulations!” she said. For her, it
was the successful completion of a process, but my
friend’s world had just fallen apart.
Dhanani says a woman in a family court is at one of
the worst times in her life. “She is facing some of the
starkest realities, it’s brutal. But officials don’t always
get it. Congratulating a woman when a marriage is ending
is thoughtless and lacks empathy. We have to find a
more holistic response to why the family is breaking
down and how in turn to deal with these breakdowns.”
Helena Guergis, federal minister for Status of Women,
announced Strong Leadership, Strong Women, Strong World
= Equality as the theme for International Women’s Day
and International Women’s Week (March 2-8).
“The theme reflects our government’s firm belief
that increasing women’s participation and access to
leadership roles and opportunities will help women and
girls thrive and reach their full potential,” she said. “A
prosperous Canada needs the contributions of all Canadians
– women and men, girls and boys alike.”
Hope springs eternal. On that note, Holi greetings
from Desi News.
Editor
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New look, same values
I’ve been a faithful reader of
Desi News since its inception.
You say on the cover that’s it’s
your 13th well-read year. Well, I
think you should say, ‘13th lucky
year!’ Congratulations on going
glossy and full-colour from
cover to cover. May you grow
from strength to strength and
continue to cover issues of vital
importance to the community in
the same unbiased, non-judgemental
manner.
– VINITHA MURTHY, VIA E-MAIL
Politically incorrect or racist?
India evokes strong reactions
Astrid Castro loves the colours and the
food, was treated very well in India, and
yet she saw the discrimination that exists
there (An inconvenient truth, February).
That’s as balanced a picture of India as
one can get on a short visit.
– KAMRAN HUSSAIN, VIA E-MAIL
Every Slumdog has his day!
So Slumdog swept the Oscars. Jai ho and
all that! But re Slumdog Days (February):
While we all know extreme deprivation exists
in the subcontinent, we don’t like to
see it brought to the notice of others. But
we need to remember that with increasing
travel and 24/7 news channels, no corner
of the world is hidden form view. Anyone
who travels to India just has to step off
the plane to be assailed by the site of slums
and stray dogs and of people relieving
themselves on the streets. Without ever
going to India, they can still be aware of
this underbelly, as Amitabh Bachchan called
it. Anyone watching coverage of the attacks
in Mumbai would have noticed the
scale of deprivation. Danny Boyle’s India
is there for everyone to see.
– SHAIL S HARMA, VIA E-MAIL
Markham, Richmond Hill, East
York, Thornhill, Concord, North
York, Oakville, Mississauga,
Malton, Etobicoke, Brampton,
Woodbridge, Hamilton, Stoney
Creek, Burlington, Windsor,
Oshawa, Whitby.
Hard-wired for racism?
An inconvenient truth (February)
held up a mirror to the
community. Whether it’s discrimination
in the form of inhumane
treatment meted out to
the so-called lower castes or discrimination
which comes disguised
in the form of jokes against other
communities, discrimination
seems to be our default mode.
– KARTHIK RAJAN, VIA E-MAIL
Corrigendum
The above photograph of
Prof. Ramesh Prabhu with his
students at COMMITS, Bangalore,
that appeared in our February
issue was taken by Divya Lobo.
The photo credit was inadvertantly
missed. - EDITOR
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March 2009 Desi News 9