Evescape

Of the many factors dotting the path to women empowerment in the state, significant to note is the severe lack of women in decision making positions, gender gap in paid work force, pay disparity, and issues concerning safety. ----------------------------- As per 2011 census, the percentage of female population of Goa is 49.32, with a sex ratio of 973, and the female literacy rate at 84.68. Furthermore, with highest GDP per capita among all states, named as the best-placed state in terms of infrastructure, rated as having the best quality of life by India’s National Commission on Population, and the third-highest ranking state in human development index, it may suit well for the government to project a rosy picture on the status of women in the state. Even as the Uniform Civil Code, women’s movement led by non-government organizations, individuals and non formal groups having deep insight into women’s concerns have accounted for initiatives aimed at empowering women, the efforts of succ...

 

..and the system failed her Even as abuses against domestic workers, taking place in private homes and hidden from the public eye go unreported, the recent case reported in Fatorda, of physical abuse of a woman domestic worker in forceful confinement -- failed to garner media and public attention.  However, the case brought to light the likely prevalence of such women trapped in situations of forced labor or trafficked into forced domestic work in conditions akin to slavery in Goa. The Case: On January 26, Linda Shirwaiker informed about a woman, aged around 50, working as domestic help for a family in Gogol Housing Board, who had been confined, and regularly assaulted by her employers. She went on to say that the woman had been subjected to physical assault and psychological torture for many years now. In a few hours, we went to the victim's house and found her alone, sitting outside the main door. After ensuring her employers were not around, we got her into a conversation. As sh...

  MATTERS of CONCERN Crimes Against Women  & Role of the Society Institutions supposedly expected to support, stand by and rally behind the victims of crime against women somehow seem to be providing only lip service or even missing from the scene when they are needed the most. When one talks to victims one realizes that bodies such as the One Stop Centers (North and South), Goa State Commission for Women, Victim Assistance Units,  Childrens Commission of Goa, etc;  grossly fail to reach out to the vulnerable and the victims, laments   SANGEETA NAIK. Cases of atrocities on women which come to limelight time and again and more importantly the reaction of the public to these cases makes one wonder. Is the modernity that we claim to have imbibed as an advanced civilization a mere eyewash? Just beneath this thin crust of modernity and civilizedness, are we still a group with a collective irrational, crude and cruel medieval mindset? With the exception of a few a...

  SPOTLIGHT Composting Movement Alka Damle can rightly be termed as a social reformer. A former Maths teacher living in Mormugao, she is known for creating awareness among the general public for over a decade now. Leading by example, she has been personally composting her own domestic waste, besides running active campaigns, thus trying to educate others on the importance of segregation and handling domestic waste. She speaks to EVESCAPE about a recently launched waste composting initiative and the role citizens need to play. Excerpts... The Initiative We all know that 70 percent of the  garbage dumped across the state, can be recycled by the citizens themselves who generate the same. We all can easily give back to the mother earth what we get from her by composting our waste. This very thought made a well  known experienced young environmentalist, Abhinav Apte from Ponda, Goa to take up this challenge. For this he came up with an idea of having a group ‘comepost ville’ ....

CRAFT for a CAUSE Even as the pandemic continues to create havoc and devastate lives, the statistics of toll on lives is troubling. While governments are gearing up to gather data and target policy to keep all citizens equally safe, sheltered and secure, experts believe that the social and economic impacts of COVID-19 fall harder on women than on men. For many women, the pandemic means she has no work, no wages, and the family has been reduced to heartbreaking dependence on charity.  Even as emerging stories of salary cuts, furloughs, unpaid leave and retrenchment are heart wrenching, the good part is that there are organisations and individuals who are putting efforts to address these issues in a bid to empower that segment of the population that is currently undervalued and underutilized. They have devised programs and initiatives to improve the lives of women and are attempting to build stronger communities. One such initiative named Stitch in Time -- a project to provide livel...