From BISMIL@delphi.comFri Sep 15 10:31:07 1995 Date: Wed, 13 Sep 1995 00:41:05 -0400 (EDT) From: BISMIL@delphi.com Reply to: beijing-conf@tristram.edc.org To: beijing-conf@tristram.edc.org Subject: Report of AIPSG presentation at Beijing AIPSG WORKSHOP ON HUMAN RIGHTS AND INDIAN WOMEN RECEIVES ENTHUSIASTIC RESPONSE AT NGO FORUM. Beijing, September 3, 1995 The Association of Indian Progressive Study Groups (AIPSG) organized a workshop titled "Human Rights and Indian Women" on September 2, 1995 at the Non-Governmental Organization's (NGO) Forum at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Huairou, China, to explain its work on the subject of Human Rights and the struggle of Indian women. The event was co-sponsored by the Canadian Women's Forum. The 50-seat capacity meeting room was filled past capacity before the workshop began, with twice as many people crowding the room in the course of the workshop, and many sitting on the floor, and standing at the entrances. The enthusiasm of the participants was such that the discussion continued outside the room for several hours after the Workshop actually ended. Welcoming the participants, Sandhya Mishra of the AIPSG remarked that the significance of the Fourth World Conference on Women(WCW) and the NGO Forum at this historical juncture is that everything concerning the rights of the people is ripe for renovation and modernization in every country. She hailed the tremendous initiative shown by women coming to this world forum which shows the resolve of women to be in the forefront of the struggle to solve the problems facing society. The views presented by the AIPSG, in the paper "Empowerment of Indian Women as a Collective" dealt with the complexity of the problems facing the Indian people in general and Indian women in particular because of the existing political, economic and social structure borrowed from Europe and the West. It explained the doubly difficult tasks facing the Indian people, and people all over Asia, who will have to not only renovate their own outdated institutions to serve their current needs but also have to fight the Eurocentrist pressure to adopt "western standards and definitions". "It will be much better if the "West" tackled the problem of renovating its own institutions and modernized its own definitions to serve the needs of the people in the "West" as the Canadian Women's Forum is doing" said the paper. "Who in India will benefit if the institutions and definitions based on sanctity of private property in Europe are strengthened in India? Will it facilitate the realization of rights for Indian people or will it help strengthen the stranglehold of the "West" on India?" was one of the questions posed. The AIPSG paper went on to explain how the present Indian government and the Indian state does not even acknowledge that an end to the marginalization of Indian women is the order of the day. For example, the official representatives of the Indian state at the WCW advise Indian women how they should not only appeal to the authorities in India to redress their plights but also should appeal to the World Bank and the advanced countries to give more development loans to India to benefit Indian women! At a time when women are taking the initiative to transform this society, which does not serve their needs, such a call is meant to perpetuate the status-quo, ghettoize and marginalize women further and take the initiative to change the situation out of their hands. This is the same advice that has been given to women for decades and the reality of today should convince anyone how out-of-touch suh an attitude is concluded the paper. The AIPSG explained in detail that the modern conception of rights begins with the recognition that rights belong to human beings by virtue of being human. Human beings belong to society and thus, RIGHTS EMERGE AS CLAIMS ON SOCIETY. Modern society must fulfill the claims of its members for the highest possible standard of living and facilitate their fullest participation. The current world- wide discourse is to convince people that society has no responsibility towards the citizens and that the division of the polity on the basis of a hierarchy of rights and the consequent marginalization are normal. Under these pretexts social cutbacks have been launched, sectarian violence has been organized, the direction of economy has been altered and state terrorism against opponents has been justified. Women who typically face the main responsibility for the upbringing and care of children have been among the most vulnerable and victimized by this trend. What would be called women's rights - rights that belong to women by this unique position of reproduction and rearing of the next generation- have been curtailed. The struggle of women for human rights and women's rights is the struggle for a society that will enshrine these rights. The affirmation of Indian women is intimately connected with the struggle for such a society. The AIPSG presented its view that Indian society today marginalizes everyone through a system of privilege distribution based on religion, language, caste, sex and so on. The Westminister-style parliamentary set-up in India does not recognize any rights as being inviolable. This system is now facing an acute crisis as the Indian peopel have stepped up their fights for rights. Assassinations, black laws, state terrorism, arbitrariness and so on have become routine responses to these struggles of the people. As the participants engaged in discussion on these issues, the workshop was abl to pose some focussed questions. How can the women of India rely on a state to eliminate violence against them when this state has raised the use of force as the mainstay of its policy all over India?, Where will these developments lead to? Where will the policy of liberalization and privatization take India? In the course of the discussion that followed, some questions that were posed by the workshop were: "How can the women of India rely on a state to eliminate violence against them when this state has raised use of force as the mainstay of its policy all over India?", "Where will these developments take India?", "Where will the policy of liberalization and privatization take India?" "Where will India end up on this path?" In response, it was said that all Indians have to pose these questions collectively and seek solutions collectively. It is in the realization of this project for renovation of India that the Indian women will affirm themselves. The participants highly appreciated the elaboration on these questions posed by the workshop, as well as the very fact that such a wide variety of issues were raised at all. There was vigorous discussion on the problems of Eurocentrism in theory and practice and the necessity for renewal of societies. The participants from South Asia exchanged views on the question posed by the AIPSG on the theme "Whither India?" Overall, there was a general appreciation of the AIPSG's opinion that the key to affirmation of women lies in their leadership in the struggle for the solution of the major problems of their societies. _____________________________________________________________ Association of Indian Progressive Study Groups Earl Hall, Columbia University New York, NY 10027 email: ipsg@maestro.com, phone/fax: 201-384-7331