PhD by publication

"PhD by publication is an alternative that can help address the growing need for qualified academic professionals while maintaining the quality standards demanded by the research community."

PhD is the highest academic qualification conferred to the students who excel in research in their corresponding field of study and is also a necessary requirement for various professions. Various academic bodies award thousands of PhD’s each year and this number is growing as many universities have made it compulsory for lecturers to attain a Phd within a specific period after their appointment. According to Universityworldnews.com the ”massification” of PhD enrolment is putting a lot of pressure on the universities and the academic world is experiencing serious issues related to the quality of the doctoral education.

Similarly, making it mandatory to hold a PhD degree is also increasing the stress level on lecturers as it now requires them to earn a degree to be eligible for further employment. Prabhat Kumar, a lecturer enrolled in part-time PhD said, “Most of my colleagues have enrolled in distant PhD or part-time PhD programme and are facing a lot of difficulties as the time frame of getting a PhD via the above modes may take four to eight years and also involves a lot of money.” He further added, “Unlike full time PhD students we do not get any scholarships so it is very hard for us to manage the finances and once I have taken a decision to do a full-time PhD but did not proceed further as the scholarship amount was very less and sometimes given at regular intervals.” In the recent years countries such as India have discontinued PhD through distance further adding to the woes of the doctoral students.

Another full-time scholar Ritika Rastogi added, ”I have enrolled in a full-time program after leaving my previous job as this is necessary to excel my carrier but have realized that I am wasting a lot of my time in doing courses that I have studied during my Masters coursework. Also, availability of mentor is limiting my freedom in choosing a domain for my PhD thesis.” A report by theguardian.com further confirms that PhD scholars also considered as a source of cheap labour as the institutes also use them for multiple jobs while offering a waiver in the fees or a fellowship.

While bureaucracy is rampant in the academic world, there are further higher instances of degrading research quality especially in developing countries such as India and Africa. Report by natureasia.com reveals that making it mandatory for lecturers and academic students to publish before getting promotions or doctoral degree in India has increased the number of fake publications from India. This has much to do with the quality of doctoral education as students are not getting sufficient resources to improve their research aptitude because they have to balance their education and job simultaneously. 

PhD by publication is another alternative for obtaining a PhD and is being awarded by few prominent universities such as the University of Westminster, University of Warwick, Kingston University (London), University of Portsmouth, University of East Anglia. The universities aim this mode of education for professionals in the middle of their carrier pathway and cannot leave their jobs for a doctoral programme. Enrolling in this mode of education requires the applicants to fulfill certain requirements such as being a working professional in a related discipline for a certain number of years, possessing basic academic qualifications such as a bachelor or a master degree and the degree is awarded when the applicants have published required number of papers (which may range from three to eight based on the academic discipline and university awarding the degree) in peer reviewed journals.

While PhD by publication is not a replacement for a regular mode of doctoral education, it may act as a substitute for improving the quality of PhD program in developing countries that cannot allocate funds to support the increasing number of PhD applications. The mode also helps the doctoral students in focussing on the research-related activities and their job without being exploited by institutions that would use doctoral students as cheap labour for institutions. Similarly, doctoral students will achieve more freedom as they need not go through the highly bureaucratic procedures and can allocate more time for self-study leading to more performance oriented outcomes such as top quality research.

There are various steps the countries and educational bodies have to take to ensure that PhD by publication method will b beneficial to both the students and the countries. First. the governing bodies should set first the minimum basic criteria to be eligible for candidates to be eligible for this course correctly.  A preferred criteria would be a master of philosophy degree and minimum three years of work experience in the related discipline. A master of philosophy degree ensures that the candidate has the basic knowledge of the prerequisites of conducting the research.

Similarly, the candidate should clear a national level or equivalent entrance exam that would test the candidates aptitude in the discipline the candidate wishes to get a PhD. The governing bodies should also provide the minimum number of articles and a quality list of journals in which the candidate needs to publish his research article to be eligible for the PhD. The governing bodies should also provide a mechanism of getting access to various equipment and journals to scholars by paying a subsidized amount of fees.

The scholars enrolled in such programs can get a card issues and can use the government or institutional laboratories for conducting the experiments by booking the dates on which they wish to use the equipment. This is like the way people use a library to issue the books but here we are talking about equipment in the laboratory. Finally, every university that has a full time doctoral program should provide this mode of education should as the additional cost incurred in providing such a program is minimal and also this mode ensures equal access to quality education for all the aspirants.

Sources:
https://www.universityworldnews.com/post.php?story=20200609091837168
https://www.theguardian.com/higher-education-network/2018/mar/23/they-called-my-university-a-phd-factory-now-i-understand-why
https://www.natureasia.com/en/nindia/article/10.1038/nindia.2017.115

IS IT JUST FOR ONE EXTRA BEDROOM???

As the dream of most parents I had acquired a degree in
Software Engineering and joined a company based in USA, the
land of braves and opportunity. When I arrived in the USA, it
was as if a dream had come true.


Here at last I was in the place where I want to be. I decided I
would be staying in this country for about Five years in which
time I would have earned enough money to settle down in India.

My father was a government employee and after his retirement,
the only asset he could acquire was a decent one bedroom flat.

Mark Zuckerberg's Big Facebook Mistake

In the last two months, Mark Zuckerberg has had a rude introduction to the capital markets. The founder of Facebook has always seemed fearful of the stock market and tried to avoid the trading hordes as long as possible, but that has turned out to be a huge mistake.

Before taking Facebook public in May, the 28-year-old Zuckerberg had led something of a charmed life. The roadblocks he faced in building the world’s biggest social-networking company were tiny, like an overdramatized civil lawsuit. Now, with Facebook’s stock in free-fall, down more than 40% from its IPO price, Zuckerberg has a big problem.

Zuckerberg did not want to deal with the pressures of being a public company. Like many entrepreneurs these days he viewed the capital markets with suspicion. The view in Silicon Valley, as recently described by Marc Andreessen, co-founder of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, is that laws that Congress passed in response to the first Internet bubble, like Sarbanes-Oxley, make it“incredibly difficult to be public today.” So Zuckerberg made a fateful decision, he decided to keep Facebook a privately-held company for much longer than other success stories like Google or Amazon.

But Zuckerberg still needed money. He needed financing for his plans and to compete with the likes of Google or the next dorm room dreamer to come along. He also needed to attract and retain talent. Issuing stock options, or, in this case, restricted stock units, that don’t turn into cash money for years was not enough. To solve this problem, Zuckerberg turned to venture capitalists, hedge fund managers, even a Russian oligarch. But those investors also expected to cash-out and those pesky securities regulation also limited the number of shareholders Facebook could have and still remain a private company. By May 2012, Zuckerberg had no choice but to launch an IPO

Waiting eight years to conduct an IPO, however, has turned out to be an impossible problem to manage.  The hype associated with the hottest company in Silicon Valley had created massive expectations and lots of shareholders with tons of stock looking for an exit. The bankers at Morgan Stanley applied all the lessons of the last 15 years and priced the IPO at $38, which was very aggressive, in an attempt to avoid leaving any money on the table and the embarrassment that a huge IPO pop would represent. David Ebersman, Facebook’s chief financial officer, increased the size of the offering at the last minute to try to mitigate future selling of shares from early investors and employees.

With such a big valuation at IPO time, Facebook had to show some results. But the numbers that Facebook announced on Thursday in its first quarterly earnings report were underwhelming. Zuckerberg, Ebersman and Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg did not inspire much confidence about their business model in a conference call. The trading hordes drove Facebook’s stock down by 15% in Friday morning trading. “We’re disappointed about how the stock is traded but the important thing for us is to stay focused on the fact that we’re the same company now as we were before,” Ebersman said.

But that is going to be very hard to do. Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif., is not a kibbutz. The employees that joined the company are like all the other creatures in Silicon Valley; they want to get rich. It’s hard to imagine morale at Facebook won’t take a hit that correlates with the loss in value of the shares belonging to the employees. And things don’t look promising for the stock short-term given that the employees, ex-employees, hedge fund managers, venture capitalists and Russian oligarchs that held pre-IPO Facebook stock will be freed from their post-IPO stock lock-ups starting in August. Make no mistake: the early institutional investors are heading for the exits.

The lesson of the Facebook fiasco for Silicon Valley is clear. Start-up entrepreneurs cannot evade the discipline of the capital markets any more than can the prime ministers of Spain and Italy.  The markets have a way of focusing the mind. Zuckerberg & Co., might have not been so late to embrace mobile or might have had more urgency to develop a monetizing strategy had Facebook faced the trading hordes earlier. As New York hedge fund manager Dan Loeb recently demonstrated with his intervention at Yahoo!, Wall Street and Silicon Valley need each other. Zuckerberg thought shielding himself from guys like Loeb would help him build a better company, but that is not what tech entrepreneurs will take away from his example.

The Shoppers Stop :Sarojini Nagar

Sarojini Nagar market is a shoppers delight. A place where you find hidden magic jewels, well, quite literally. You get major high end brands, here, for as cheap as you can bargain. So, don’t be surprised, when you find a Marks and Spencers dress for 200 Rs. Chances are, that it’s real Marks and Spencers!.

Sarojini Nagar, also known as SN, is one of the most sought after shopping destinations from where you can get the most fashionable and trendy clothes at the cheapest prices. Located in the posh south locality of Delhi, it is one of the liveliest and trendy markets in India.

The best thing about this place is that you can buy the most fashionable stuff at unbeatable prices. If you have a nose for shopping and if you are good at bargaining, this is the place to be!
Apart from a large number of branded and local showrooms, this market is full of street side shops selling clothes and accessories such as footwear, belts, jewellery and handbags.

The clothes here are basically export rejects and brand surpluses. You can hunt for international and expensive brands and walk away with original Gap, Tommy Hilfiger and UCB, at very low prices, who’s to know anyway!

But how come, such expensive brands, for so cheap? I tried to ask the dealers at Sarojini, but most of them chose to stay mum.Vijay , a shop keeper says, ‘’ Hame bacha khucha kapda barhi dukaano se milta hai''. (We get the leftover clothes from the big shops) It is no secret that the market gets export surplus from various high end brands factories.The things being sold here are are also stuff that got left behind when it was being exported or came in too late.But,Can it get cheaper than that? Well, Yes! Actually, it can. Because, despite the dealers trying to hide it hard, I had finally found the places from where these clothes are sourced to Sarojini.!R P Singh, a shop keeper at the market, there since 1952 shares the secret with us." The clothes that we get are from factories in Silampura, Mangolpuri, Okhla,  Noida, and Tank road. These places sell clothes, for really cheap. But, our shopkeepers, profit has been decreasing, these days.’’So, now you know, how you end up with those really cheap branded clothes!  

Talking about shopping, well Sarojini is all about bargaining. Don’t be fooled by the high prices that the shopkeeper’s quote (while buying they pay on weight bases so the more you can bargain the better). Always try to reach the market as early as possible (bonni factor- shopkeeper’s superstition can prove to be your gain) and start bargaining at 50% of whatever the shopkeeper quotes. Also don’t forget to smile while you are at it (flaunt your best smile ladies, no shame…your wallet will thank you later) and if the shopkeeper is a little adamant, say fine I might find it somewhere else and start walking away, 8 out of 10 times, you will be called back and will leave with that thing in your shopping bag at the price you wanted to pay!!

And before, visiting Sarojini Nagar make sure you carry a big and spacious shopping bag as the plastic bags they give are very easy to tear and well it becomes a little difficult to carry so many bags after a while. To make your bargaining even easier, carry a lot of change (also comes handy when you are trying to pull “This is how much  I have” trick :D )

This place is a  hub for the trend setters of colleges, from students with a tight budget, to bored housewives, tourists from other Indian states and even from abroad – they all converge here. For me Sarojini Nagar market is a must on any shopaholic’s itinerary!

DECEMBER TO DECEMBER: REVIEWING A YEAR OF WOMEN’S MOVEMENT

2013 will be a year to mark for women and girls in India. It was the year when the women’s movement was taken to its highest though not all part of it was successful. Never was there such a widespread awareness on women’s rights and liberties. This was a phase in the movement that involved men in raising voice against violence against women. A sea of people took to the streets on the winter mornings and evenings of December last year. There is something to do with Decembers and gender positioning in our country.

Was it just a year ago that the length and breadth of India was absolutely shaken with the ghastly episode of the Delhi gang rape case? The SC has failed us yet again with the verdict on Section 377. December to December we are yet to impress upon the state and the courts, that gender is no parameter to judge an individual, that right to equality is a fractured concept in our country which needs to be fixed, that women and men are not the two boxes to which a society should be limited, that women should be freed from centuries of subjugation and patriarchal imperialism. It is the basic question everywhere. How does a society progress when half of its population is ridiculed, disrespected, abused and killed?

Since December 16th 2012, every writer, journalist, activist and social media enthusiast has referred the incident many a times as a criterion to substantiate that gender equality is a national issue. Those days were very happening, every hour was a moment of grief, anger, disappointment and retaliation. People from all fraternities and walks of life had their say on the issue. Majority expressed their solidarity while some blamed the victim and passed sexist comments, not only Indian leaders but also an American politician. Remember Trent Franks’ unscientific comment on very few chances of pregnancies caused due to rapes? It’s been a year and Smriti Irani is still fighting a case against a misogynistic politician. From all, the most baseless inference was derived by the Khap panchayats. They came up with suggestions of lower the minimum age of marriage for girls. Their claim that marriage is a security couldn’t be more ironical. The most important stakeholders here, the police and their shocking insensitive attitude towards rape victims drew international attention towards the state of affairs in India.

The incident sent us all in to introspect at the very individual level. Various suggestions were made on how women could be protected. The sales of pepper sprays went up and exclusive women cabs service was a popular initiative drawing appreciation from all quarters, not to forget those pink coloured autos meant only for ladies. Lot was written and said about the origins of patriarchy. The analysis of how and when also brought the focus on importance of a girl child. Amartya Sen, an efficient economist pointed out the demographic gap between men and women. He went about calculating the number of missing women, which he called ‘The invisible half’. The number of girl child foetuses killed in the womb, the number of women who died due to dowry harassment, domestic violence, rapes and non-institutional deliveries. Amid such a sorry state of affairs, one village in Rajasthan floated up like a lotus in dirty water. The villagers planted 111 saplings each time a girl was born!

Activists and students addressed the discrimination meted to girls within households and the difference in bringing up a girl and boy. The one act play written by Deepa Ranganathan titled ‘Aath Baj gaye’ is a typical conversation between a liberal modern working women and her parents. It shows the conventional attitude of parents wanting to control their daughter with all sorts of prescription like how to dress and what time to come back home. The item songs in movies and advertisement industry were majorly on the dock, held for objectifying women and spreading a very superficial dimension about the beauty of a woman. The message was not strong enough as they haven’t stopped making adds where a women submits to a man due to the fragrance of a perfume. They haven’t stopped making adds which make young adolescent girls feel insecure about their skin colour and figure. Bollywood has set up strict market standards of beauty that it is very difficult to unlearn. The item songs carry provocative lyrics, metaphors most cheap to describe a woman. Who would preach to boys and men that women aren’t just an accumulation of body parts?

Due to the fact that rapes committed by minors were frequently coming into light, importance of teaching young boys to respect girls and women was well stressed upon. After all the discussion on what should be the minimum age of a minor, the SC court has recently maintain its status quo on not trying minors as adults. Most importantly, the best introspection was that parents, students, professionals and the state had realized how our education system is not helping in instilling values and imparting the right lessons needed. For the first time, open discussions on the need for sex education to be introduced in school curriculum were conducted on both social media and television. The first step to change came when people stood up against victim blaming and condemned judging a women by her choices. The right to choose was best endorsed by every progressive citizen. Big and small campaigns on social media started off such as MARD, STOP THE SHAME, I FEEL I REACT etc. A set of hashtags on twitter trended for quite long like the #NoMoreRape, #StopTheShame etc.

This was one section of the country, but as we know there are many Indias. A politician who was born in the 20th century with 19th century mindset filed a PIL in the court seeking to ban on pornography. He went about referring to some never done studies that porn was responsible for all crimes against women. A revolution succeeds only when there is a gradual progress not by acting radically. Voices were strong on this issue. Many disagreed to the argument that porn would encourage men to rape. We ask for security and leaders hailing from bharat sort to cultural and religious bigotry. Several psychologists and sociologists have tried deriving reasons for why men rape? Not to forget the shocking survey by the UN, around Asia-Pacific which confirmed that one in every four men raped at least one woman in their life time. The reasons they admitted were various: to exercise control, to teach a lesson for turning down sexual advancements, for recreation or simply because they could not conquer their instincts

While this was happening in our domestic circles, some very active movements abroad caught attention. It was the same December when the popular women rights activist Eve Ensler visited India. She was equally aghast at the gravity of the crime. Eve was herself a victim of repeated abuse since she was eight. She had embarked upon a revolutionary mission to de-sexualize the word ‘vagina’. She scripted ‘The Vagina Monologue’ which was derived from interviewing hundreds of women young and old on what they feel about their vaginas. A country like India where fathers and brothers feel that their respect lies in their daughters’ and sisters’ vagina, bringing about ideological change is almost impossible. She called for a march in various cities round the world on the Valentines day called ‘One Million Rising’. The march was to assert rights on our bodies, on our vaginas, to fight against sexual violence. Have you heard of this question which went around widely, “Who needs Feminism?” This one was the most inclusive campaign which broadened the idea of equality between men and women. The pictures which showed both boys and girls holding placards went viral on the internet. The right perspective of what feminism really means was well discussed through various writings and debates online.

All sorts of promises started coming from the government and political parties. All parties now have ‘women security’ as a top priority in their manifestos. When Justice Verma committee called for an open source law making process for the first time ever in our country, the definition and scope of voyeurism and eve-teasing were re-looked at. A debate on CNN lead to conclude that a crime starts with a background building up towards it starting with stalking, eve-teasing, wooing, soliciting, harassing and finally rape. Stalking is definitely a serious offence. We thought we won at least one battle with the SC verdict on prohibiting over the counter sale of chemical in order to curb acid attacks. Unfortunately, it did not prove much of a deterrent with cases still being reported, for example the recent incident in Ludhiana where a woman was attacked on her wedding day.  The government did bring the Nirbhaya law to prevail but the incidence of rapes our still on the rise.

What is the purpose for legislation without a conviction to implement them? If there was serious commitment, the Domestic Violence Act would have been allotted the required share in the budget. If there was real will against gender bias, the women’s bill would have been passed with a majority vote. The percentage of women legislators in state assemblies and parliaments is another matter of concern. It is apparently the total lack of conviction to safeguard the right of every woman to stay uninjured that marital rape hasn’t been made punishable by law. The legislators in our country aren’t willing, the courts aren’t conferring rights either, the police are most insensitive, where do the women of this country go? It was rightly said by Taslima Nasreen, “this is no nation for women”. What do you expect from leaders who share a stage with godmen who rape women?

The part that the movement hasn’t covered much is sexual harassment at workplace. We wake up only after the house catches fire. Two cases have proved that women are repeatedly victims of intimidation and exploitation irrespective of the field they work in. One of it dragged our attention towards the women against women phenomenon against which feminists should actively campaign. It means only hypocrisy to brand oneself as a feminist without addressing this mainly. Making sure that female employees get unconditional support from firstly female colleagues and employers is a requisite. On this, I am totally against the mahila bank initiative by the government recently in Mumbai. Making workplace harassment free through providing all women environment does not send the right message across. The purpose to achieve equality is defeated when we project that we are comfortable with our own kind.

It might take another 100 years for people to get over the conventional beliefs on gender. The movement is hence a perpetual process. The fight is a long one and more battles are yet to be fought. The movement is alive in every street where a women fights her everyday stalker, in every house where boys and girls are brought up equally, in every school where sex education is imparted to both boys and girls, in every gathering where you are not judging a woman for her choices, in every court where justice is delivered at the earliest, in every field where women are welcomed to participate and treated at par with their male counterparts, in every society where a rape victim is accepted and allowed to lead a normal life with all dignity.

A Marriage of Inconvenience

According to the nation-wide census held in 2011, there are 940 females for every 1000 males in India. While the figures at a national level are disturbing, the State of Rajasthan accounts for an even lower sex ratio of 926 females for every 1000 males. The difference between 926 and 1000 seems small at first. However, Rajasthan has a population of 68,621,012 out of which 35,620,086 persons are male and 33,000,926 are female. With the natural human sex ratio being approximately 1:1, it is found that 2,619,160 females are ‘missing’ from the population of Rajasthan.

In 2012 Rajasthan had 308 cases filed under the Pre-Conception, Pre-Natal and Diagnostics Techniques (PCPNDT) Act 1994 against sex-selection abortion, which was the highest in the country. However, according to unofficial estimates, 2,500 baby girls fall prey to female foeticide or infanticide every single day in Rajasthan. Though the grand old patriarchs of clans practicing femicide continue to pride themselves over producing only sons, their systematic, mass-scale and merciless murders of their daughters are not only gross violations of a human being’s basic human right to life but they also present a predicament to the position of their precious sons in society. In a culture where marriage is seen as a universal and inevitable eventuality, the genocide of females leaves a significant number of men without partners; and so, the buying and selling of women as ‘brides’ prospers.

Bride trafficking is forced sale, purchase and resale of girls and women in the name of marriage. Girls and women are kidnapped or lured into bride trafficking and sold, raped and/or married off without their consent only to end up as a slaves and bonded labourers at the mercy of the men and their families, who have ‘bought’ them.

Bride trafficking is also commonly called bride buying – a strange term because despite their sale, these ‘brides’ are no commodities. They are real, living females who are victims of trafficking. They are just as human as any of us. How can anyone truly buy another living being?

According to Global Voices approximately 90% of the 200,000 humans trafficked in India every year are victims of inter-state trafficking and are sold within the country. The states of Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan are major destinations of trafficked ‘brides’. It is hardly surprising that these states also account for the most skewed sex ratios in the country. Although the buying and selling of brides was a well documented historic practice in undivided India, lives of today’s trafficked girls and women are cloaked in secrecy because neither do they have a voice, nor do they have the social-mobility or resources to acquire one and raise it.

According to a 6 year long analysis conducted by Empower People, 23% of girls from West Bengal are trafficked. Bihar is next at 17% followed by Assam (13%), Andhra Pradesh (11%), Orissa (8%) and Kerala (6%).

Trafficked brides are known as Paro (outsider), Molki (one who as been bought) or Jugaad (adjustment). Majority of trafficked brides belong to scheduled castes, scheduled tribes or lower economic classes. Some of them are kidnapped, some tricked and some sold into flesh trade by their own parents or other trusted family members/neighbors.

Another way of selling women has recently come to light due to the ‘Baby Falak case’. Pimps and traffickers pose as grooms, marry women with less or no dowries and then sell them off to other men. Isolated from their natal communities, in an alien land with no rights of their own, these cross-state trafficked brides are easy for their ‘grooms’ and in-laws to control and exploit.

Sold into a deeply oppressive patriarchal society where defiance of the caste and gender hierarchy is met only with bloodshed and death, these trafficked brides are seen as a ‘dishonour’ to the family because their origins, (i.e., castes) are not known. According to ‘Tied in a Knot — cross-region marriages in Haryana and Rajasthan, Implications for Gender Rights and Gender Relations,’ a study funded by the Royal Norwegian Embassy, trafficked brides are isolated and humiliated both publicly and privately due to their castes and duskier complexions. Children born to these mothers are not accepted in the community and are taunted by peers. In what seems like an unending cycle, boys born out of such unions are likely to buy brides just as their fathers did before them. The fate of girl children, if any, remains unknown.

Although a trafficked bride is technically married to only one man in the family, the man’s brothers or other male relatives see her as a property to be shared. The Eastern Post reports that 70% of trafficked brides are gang-raped repeatedly on a regular basis by their husbands and other male members of the family. Sexual promiscuity among boys and men goes unchecked and is almost celebrated in such social environments where using protection is not the norm. Hence, trafficked brides who are sexually abused by their husbands or other men are at a higher risk of contracting HIV, as are any children born to them.

Trafficked brides are used as agricultural and domestic slaves by day and sex slaves by night. Their sole purposes seem to be that of managing the household, working in the fields and bearing a male heir for the family. If they fail in any of these tasks and their ‘owners’ are dissatisfied with them, they are resold; if they cannot be resold, they are kicked out of the house and forced into prostitution.

According to The Eastern Post 56% of trafficked brides have been sold twice, 21% have been sold thrice and 6% of them have been sold four or more times. However, according to Global Voices, the re-selling rate on an average is as high as 4 to 10 times for every trafficked bride and 83% of girls have been sold more than twice. Also, in 89% of the cases, the trafficked bride is the second, third, fourth etc. wife of her buyer. It is clear from these statistics that purchasing women in the name of marriage is not a traditional practice of lower-class communities (although they are starting to practice it.)

Bride trafficking is more prevalent in rich, land-owning communities. As seen in the census of 2011, the top 20% of the population have the worst sex ratio. Wealthy families see baby girls (and the dowries that go with them) as a threat to their wealth. This is why girl children are either eliminated as foetuses or as infants and the absence of eligible girls is made up for by purchasing trafficked brides. It is an unending cycle that neither society nor the government seems to be interested in breaking.

On the legal front too, hope for justice seems almost non-existent for trafficked brides. The ITPA (Immoral Trafficking Prevention Act) deals especially with prostitution but does not cover all forms of trafficking. The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976 does not cover this form of trafficking and slavery either. More over, sexual violence faced by trafficked brides amounts to marital rape which, despite the Justice Verma Committee’s suggestions and vehement protests by various women’s rights organizations, is not a criminal act in India. Although IPC sec. 366 seems like an effective way to tackle this mass abuse and rape of women and girls, it does not have a provision for rehabilitating victims of trafficking. Despite all this, the ultimate barrier is that trafficked brides are either illiterate or only slightly educated and have little to no knowledge of their own rights.

Trafficked brides are often child brides or very young women who are sold to older men. A majority of trafficked brides are between the ages of 13-23 years. A trafficked bride can be bought for as little as Rs. 1,200. They are confined to the four walls of the houses of the men who have bought them and have almost no social interaction with anyone else, even in their own homes. Neighbours often don’t know who the bride is, where she has come from or if she even exists. The state of anonymity that these women live in is not only disturbing but a cause for great concern.

If we do not know how many women are there, how will we know how many women are missing?

In the Mewat region alone, there are 20,000 cross-border brides. But that number is an unofficial estimate, just the tip of the ice berg and the ship that India society is floating on seems to be heading straight for it.

While urban citizens in general seem to be blissfully ignorant of the trafficking and slavery of women in the name of marriage, the government chooses to turn a blind eye. It would dare not defy the Samaj Panchayats and Khap Panchayats who, while worried about the ‘purity’ of their bloodlines, see trafficked brides as a necessity because for them anything is better than having a daughter.

It is these very Panchayats who hold the fate of politicians in their hands. Every time election comes around, these Panchayats declare the name of a candidate and the entire community votes for him/her. For the government, it would be disastrous to act against bride trafficking and lose a vote bank. After all, why is it important to uphold the human rights and dignity of these nameless, faceless women? Who are they? Do they comprise a vote bank?

No, they don’t.

A vote bank seems to be the only solution to this problem. If a vote bank is what it takes for the authorities to turn a blind eye to bride trafficking and simply shrug and say that marriage is a familial issue when confronted with realities, then a vote bank should be organized. Right-minded citizens who know their rights and care about the rights of others must come together and put gender equality and women’s rights on the agenda for 2014.

Bride trafficking is not just a woman rights issue but a human rights issue. Bride trafficking is not marriage, It is a lethal combination of the darkest forms of domestic slavery, bonded labour and sexual slavery. Bride trafficking is the ultimate dehumanization of a woman; hidden under colourful veils and disgusting excuses of men’s needs, a community’s honour and a family’s necessity. It is an inhumane custom of believing that someone can put a price on another human being’s life. This custom exists because we, as a society, allow it to. But we don’t have to let this go on anymore. Unlike the women who are stripped of their humanity and sold into a sick perversion of marriage, we do have a voice.

But the question remains: are we brave enough to raise it?

How To Save The Street Children

Kamla Nagar, North Campus, is full of kids who beg and sell stickers.There’s a girl in Connaught Place who sells low-quality pens for Rs. 10. I don’t know her name, but I see her every time I visit CP.My friend met a child who worked at a dhaba and was beaten by hot iron rods.The child has been rescued now. There are probably others too.No, I’m sure there are.

Welcome to India- a country struggling with Child Labor.All of us know deep down that Child Labor is wrong, right? But it’s looks to me that we’ve given up. I had. I used to think it was an unsolvable problem. Or something that was the government’s responsibility.It is a difficult problem to solve, agreed. What doesn’t help is our attitude towards it.We do not believe that we can do anything to solve this problem- that it’s too big for any one person to solve.I thought so.We think that even the Government hasn’t made much progress.Or has it?We don’t know. But we’ll believe that the Government is incompetent.I used to think that.

So, you’ll buy those low-quality pen from whatshername in CP, like most of my friends have done, when she’ll give you the trained puppy-dog-face. And you’ll probably buy some stickers in Kamla Nagar.Perhaps you’ll tell yourself that they’ll at least use the money to eat something and that would cheer you up a bit. But this is not helping, dear friend.

We can do so much better! There are mafias who use these little kid’s innocence to make you buy sub-standard goods. And you’ll only be encouraging them to buy more kids from villages and putting them to work in dil-waalon ki Dilli

What if I told that you that if you’re willing to have some trust, in the Government and the various NGOs that work to protect these children, you can make a difference too?

This is what you can actually do:

Observe:

Are there begging children at the entrance of the Metro station you use daily? Take a few moments and observe. Figure out if there is an adult around who is supervising these kids.Try to gather more info. Go visit the place at different hours of the day and see how/when the kids are brought in and when/how they are picked up.

For example: As my friend observed, 20-25 kids are brought in to the Vaishali Metro Station early morning along with an adult supervisor, each day. Perhaps you’ve seen those kids around.You can make a small 10 sec video from your mobile phone as evidence of the working child.

Communicate:

Take a moment and talk to a kid. Ask them questions like “Who is making you do this?” The child has been trained to give your answers that they belong to a low-income home or that they’re an orphan. And that they have to work.Don’t listen to these answers. Whatever the circumstances, there can be no justifications for a working child. Eventually, the child will tell you the truth in bits and pieces or run away.Perhaps it will be the way they talk, or the way they look at you. You’ll realize that they’re being forced.

If you are able to locate an adult supervisor, go talk to them and tell them that it is illegal to force kids into Child Labor. Be careful to ask questions politely, otherwise they’ll get angry at you.Ask them whether the kid is their family member or if the adult has been contracted to him/her for work.If a shopkeeper is employing a child, tell them that they’ll have to pay a fine of Rs. 20,000 and they can also be sent to jail. This shall scare them a bit.

If the parents of the kids are around, go talk to them and explain the situation.Maybe they’ll nod their head and change their ways.Maybe they won’t.But imagine a world where people keep going up to these people and telling them about their illegal act.Today, you point it out.Tomorrow, I shall.Day after, your friend shall.And the next day, my friend shall.Don’t give up easily.A child’s future is at stake.Eventually they’ll change.Keep questioning.

Never accept Child Labor.

Call for support: 

Call the Child helpline at 1098.

Keep the kid engaged in conversation, and volunteers from the nearest Child Helpline center shall come within 30 minutes to rescue the child.In case the Child Helpline is unable to reach you (according to my friend, around 25 people in Delhi work with the Child Helpline right now),try to counsel the kid yourself.

Give them a toffee someday, or a balloon, teaching them a poem someday, or a dance step on another.Share a Chai with them on cold days or a Coke on hot ones.Share your tiffin with them.Slowly get to know the kid more and pursue them to refuse to work and ask for an Education.

If the child is employed in a shop, the Child Helpline will talk to the owner.Once a child is rescued, she/he shall be sent to a Shelter Home.You can stay in contact with the Child Helpline and keep in touch about the status of the child.You can also contact the shelter home and visit the child periodically.

If the kid is an orphan, then it is the Shelter Home’s responsibility to educate, counsel and take care of the kid till she/he becomes an adult.Also, the kid shall be given at job when they’re 18.

If the kid has parents, they would be called.The child will be allowed to go with her/his parents on bail, with a warning.If this happens, you must keep a check whether the child has come back to work.Child Helpline performs such checks as well.

Rally for the Cause:

Visit the Bachpan Bachao Andolan Offices, meet lawyers and the NGOs that are working for the cause.Make Nukkads, perform Slams, write articles, put up posters and set up a group in your college.Spread the word using whichever medium you like.There is so much to do only if you believe that things can be changed and you trust the system a bit.

My friend’s college Theater Society Memesis (Daulat Ram College) has been performing their annual street production “Kehne ko…bachpan” for two semesters now.I’ve seen the play twice.Most of the girls are fighting off tears while performing in front of the audience.The intensity of the play, makes me teary eyed as well.There are always a dozen people crying in the audience

That’s how they are spreading the word.This article is how I’m spreading the word.Choose your medium and spread the word.

Volunteer:

You can volunteer with the Child Helpline or any of the Shelter Homes.You can raise funds, you can give kids vocational training, or even just go and spend some time with them each week, sharing stories or singing to them.

Just don’t go once and put up selfies on Facebook.If you really care, act responsibly.Imagine how you would feel if someone came to you and spent a few hours with you, and it was wonderful.Then they promised to come back and never came back.Be a proud volunteer.

Don’t just ignore these kids on the streets.Believe that they can have a better future.And believe in yourself and your ability to help these kids achieve that future.Fight everyday for these kids, their safety, and their happiness.Have some faith in everyone working for the cause.And, don’t stop believing.

How to eradicate Terrorism

In my point of view terrorism is not a problem. It is by-product of other problems. If we solve the real problem, terrorism disappears automatically.

The way this world is attacking terrorism is funny. Every country is doing something to kill terrorism. How they do is the funny part. Terrorism is a huge tree spread over many countries. To kill this tree, every country is cutting its leaves. That too, it cuts only the leaves which are spread over it. The country feels that it has killed/eradicated terrorism after it cuts some or all leaves visible in its territory. It forgets the fact that the tree is huge and spread across many countries. Next year new leaves come up. The country/government reacts shockingly, thinks it as emergence of new terrorists and spends lot of money to cut new leaves. This process is going on for decades.

If you just stop water supply to the root of a tree, how long the tree can survive? Whatever is the size of the tree, it dies very soon. Why these countries and big governments not stopping water supply to the tree of terrorism?

What is water for tree of terrorism? It is money especially black money. The fertilizers to this tree are poverty, poor people or hungry people who can do anything for food. If we can remove black money from this world and reduce poverty, terrorism disappears.

Poverty gives man power for terrorists’ operations across the world. Black money gives money power to buy weapons, vehicles, food and also man power. So black money is the main root cause of terrorism. Terrorists can do nothing without money. All their purchases and transactions are illegal. For illegal purchases, they need to pay more than market price. Terrorists cannot operate without support from local people. Knowing the risk local people will not support so easily. But there are two factors that make people obey them. One is huge money and the other is fear. People rarely obey only with fear. Most of the times, it is both. So terrorists contact local antisocial bodies and pay huge money. These local antisocial bodies will be accumulating hungry poor people for their operations by scaring and showing money. When a weak minded poor person sees huge money which he/she cannot imagine to earn in life time, his/her senses stop working and get ready to do anything. Or if they frighten a person about his life or his family member’s life, without any other option, the person may commit the crime. Once a person commits crime in extreme condition, the criminal leaders use that person as weapon in the society by blackmailing or by showing money.

In all these conditions, money is the dominant part. If we just cut off money inflow to terrorists, none of these can happen. Their activities cannot run longer only with fear factor.

Who is supplying/giving so much money to them? People that are having black money are supplying money to terrorists directly or indirectly. Personally they may be against terrorism. Then how are they supplying money to terrorist? It is very simple logic. Terrorists attack the people that are having huge black money and rob part of it. The person who lost the money cannot report to police because it is black money and cannot fight against terrorists also. These attacks are never recorded in police records. Some of the black money holders grow local terrorists and use them for antisocial activities and earn money illegally. Some people who do illegal business will have direct links with terrorist groups and support them financially. Here also the money used is illegal or black money.

The second part is man power. For terrorist operations, they need huge man power. They gather street children & orphans; provide food & shelter and then train them for antisocial activities. They do brainwashing of those children and make them live and die for their principles. Once the children believe that they are living only for terrorism, they cannot be changed. These children form the core manpower of terrorism. Poor people are the low cost manpower for terrorist groups. Mostly they use poor adults for one time operation. Their permanent and reliable manpower is local antisocial groups. Though these are costly people, they help each other reliably. Along with all these people, there is one more category of people who work as manpower. They are the rich people who are in higher positions of government offices and in other companies. Terrorist groups buy these people by paying huge money. All the security breaches and infiltrations are caused by these people. All the weapon movements and terrorist movements are guarded by these officials. It is difficult to catch them because they will not involve in final operation. Usually only poor people are caught and killed in terrorist attacks and encounters.

Terrorist groups need a lot of money to maintain and grow manpower. Whatever way we see, terrorism is living because of huge inflow of money. It is like water for a tree. Somehow if the world cuts off all the sources of income of terrorist groups, terrorism disappears. If terrorism dies, all the countries that are affected by terrorism start developing similar to the small trees living under the shade of a big tree. When the big tree dies, the small trees living below the big tree start growing.

To the rescue of Animals

If you feel helpless about not being able to help stop animal cruelty and suffering, do not despair! You can help in numerous ways that you may have never realised. Your personal circumstances and personality type do not matter – there is something for everyone.

An “I don’t want to know” attitude is commonly displayed by people when it comes to animal cruelty. Because it is an unpleasant subject, it is easier for people to bury their heads in the sand than to do something about it. Sadly this actually helps abusers, allowing them to continue with their abuse unchallenged and unhindered.To be most effective in your efforts to help animals, it is advisable to arm yourself with as much knowledge about animal cruelty as possible.

It is easy to feel overwhelmed because of how much animal cruelty is happening in the world, However, if none of us bothered doing anything, because we could each only do a little, nothing would ever get changed for animals. When each of us do the little we can,a lot is achieved.

“Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.” ~ Edmund Burke

It is natural to feel angry and upset about the animal cruelty you want to stop. Try to use those feelings to drive you on in the fight to stop the cruelty. Turn your outrage in to action! Being upset, angry and outraged won’t change anything for animals, but action will.

Doing anything on this list contributes to helping stop animal cruelty and suffering, and the more of the things you do, the more you will be helping. If you can only do a little, don’t ever think it is not worth it – the animals need every little tiny bit of help they can get!

Here is a list of what you can do to protect animals:

• Spay and neuter. Each year, millions of dogs and cats are put to death in animal shelters. Spaying and neutering eases the overpopulation problem and prolongs the life of your dog or cat.
• Never buy an animal from a pet shop. Adopt your companion animals from shelters. Pet shops buy from puppy mills and large-scale breeders who contribute to the population crisis and whose over-bred animals are often very unhealthy.
• Never give an animal as a gift. Many an animal has been abandoned because people aren’t prepared to care for it. Discuss it with your friends and family first.
• Take notice and take action. Never ignore stray animals on the street, where they can become victims of disease, starvation, and human cruelty. Contact you local animal shelter to report a lost animal.
• Support your local animal shelter. Animal shelters and SPCAs always need help socializing cats and walking dogs, fostering animals, and cleaning cages and pens. If you cannot volunteer, send a contribution.
• Report abuse. Call your local humane society if you witness any type of cruely or abuse. It is common knowledge that violence towards non-human animals is a precursor of violence towards humans. Dogfighting is illegal and should be reported immediately.
• Keep them safe at home. Be sure to keep collars and tags on dogs and cats (even if they are indoors). In case of an emergency, they can be returned home safely. Be sure to have a secure fence for dogs in your yard.
• Use natural cleaners. Hazardous chemicals are harmful to your animals’ health. Use only non-toxic cleaners in your home, and always clean up antifreeze (which tastes sweet to animals). Contact the Environmental Protection Agency (800-424-9346) to learn how to properly dispose of hazardous chemicals.
• Attend a humane dog training course with your dog. Learn to communicate with your dog, who is eager to please but isn’t always clear on what you expect.
• Provide exercise for your dogs. Dogs need walking, running, digging, and exploring. Find your local dog-friendly park or work with your community to create one.
• Keep cats indoors. Indoor cats live longer, safer, healthier lives. Cars, pesticides, feral cats, and storm drains are just some of the reasons to keep cats indoors. With love and shelter, cats do not feel deprived.
• Consider a more plant-based diet. Plant-based diet greatly reduces risk of cancer and obesity while helping to reduce the negative impact that factory farming has on animals.
• Drink alternatives to cow’s milk. To keep milk production high, dairy cows are artificially inseminated and confined to feed lots. Soy milk and nut milks offer a low-fat, healthy option to cow’s milk.
• Eat alternatives to meat. Soy-based products are a great substitute for cholesterol-free bacon, burgers and cheese..
• Choose organic, cage-free eggs and free-range chicken. Millions of egg laying hens are confined in battery cages. The birds cannot stretch their wings or legs, and they cannot fulfill normal behavioral patterns or social needs.
• Choose organic, grass-fed beef. Cows, calves, pigs, chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, and other animals are kept in small cages, in jam-packed sheds, or on filthy feedlots, often with so little space that they can’t even turn around or lie down comfortably. They are deprived of exercise so that all their bodies’ energy goes toward producing flesh, eggs, or milk for human consumption.
• Buy non-leather products. Leather accounts for 50% of the by-product value of cattle raised for meat. Many alternatives are available, such as satin/fabric dress shoes, sythetic running and hiking shoes, and canvas recreation shoes.
• Boycott fur. Whether killed by steel-jaw leghold traps or electrocuted on fur farms, animals raised and killed for fur suffer tremendously.
• Choose non-animal fabrics. Avoid eelskin, ivory, pearls, feathers, wool, and angora. Choose instead cotton, ramie, canvas, vinyl, nylon, linen, rayon, faux pearls, rubber, or hemp.
• Find alternatives to zoos. Animals are fascinating, but consider watching them in their natural habitat. Victims of illegal trade, forced from their families, and raised in captivity, zoo animals would prefer not to be entertainment for humans. Watch National Geographic videos, read zoology books, and visit local nature centers.
• Join wildlife protection organizations. Capturing young animals from the wild to sell them to zoos is a cruel practice both for mother and baby. Support organizations that protect these animals.
• Do not attend circuses. Animals do not naturally ride bicycles, stand on their heads, balance on balls, or jump through rings of fire. To force them to perform these confusing and physically uncomfortable tricks, trainers use whips, tight collars, muzzles, electric prods, bullhooks, and other painful tools of the trade.
• Boycott marine theme parks. Unable to use their sonar, choose a mate, escape the noise of onlookers, or travel hundreds of miles with their family, captive marine mammals routinely die of pneumonia, ulcers, and other stress-related illnesses. Wild dolphins can live 40 years, and orcas can live 90, but in captivity, they rarely survive their teens.
• Do not patronize dog tracks. The greyhound racing industry breeds approximately 50,000 puppies each year. Of these animals, only 15,000 actually become racing dogs. The rest are “retired,” used as breeding stock or destroyed. Greyhounds that actually become racers live life in small cages, usually no greater than three feet in diameter.
• Boycott the Rodeo. The rodeo consists of painful and often fatal events such as roping, bucking, and steer wrestling events. While the public witnesses only the 8 seconds or so that the animals perform, there are hundreds of hours of unsupervised practice sessions.
• Oppose bullfighting. A cruel spectacle of human dominance, the bullfight purports to be a battle to the death in which either participant, bull or matador, may die. In reality, the bull never has a chance to win. Stabbed in the side before released into the arena, the hurt animal is taunted until angry and then stabbed repeatedly until he dies a painful death.
• Buy cruelty-free products. Most consumer products, from soap to cosmetics and cleaners, have been cruelly tested on animals who are intentionally poisoned or blinded. Check the packaging and only buy products that are not tested on animals.
• Call and write companies that currently test products on animals. Let them know you will not use your money to contribute to animal suffering and that you know these tests are not required by any regulatory agencies. Consumer pressure is why many cosmetics companies, such as Revlon, have switched to animal-free testing.
• Do not buy products that contain animal ingredients. Animal and animal-derived ingredients are incorporated into many seemingly innocuous products.
• Provide a Wildlife Sanctuary. Leave a good part of your yard natural with bushes and ground cover. The more diverse your yard, the greater variety of birds and small mammals you will attract.
• Provide bird baths. Keep water in a birdbath and in a ground pan all year long.
• Leave wildlife in your attic or chimney alone. If an animal has a nest in an unused part of your house, leave them alone for a few weeks until the youngsters are grown. They will probably move out on their own. Seal up all entry places once the family has left.
• Don’t feed wildlife. Good-intentioned as it may be, feeding geese and other wildlife weakens their natural and necessary fear of humans.
• Recycle Christmas trees. Birds and other small animals use dead wood as nests and protection.
• Cut plastic six-pack rings. These rings are commonly found around the necks of wildlife, from turtles to waterfowl.
• Deter ants with spices not chemicals. Pour a line of cream of tartar, red chili powder, paprika, or dried peppermint at the place where ants enter the house. They won’t cross it.
• Use bay leaves to keep cockroaches and moths at bay. Spread whole bay leaves in several locations around infested rooms.
• Use an alternative to mothballs. Place cedar chips (or bay leaves) around clothes or sachets made of dried lavender, mint, or rosemary in drawers and closets.
• Don’t kill spiders. Simply remove them and place them outside.
• Support whale watching. One solution to ending whaling is to support whale-watching, which is both educational and humane and supports local communities.
• Teach respect for animals. We instinctively grasp the natural bond between children and animals. We fill babies’ cribs with stuffed animals, put floating rubber ducks in their baths, and enjoy animals as the main characters in many children’s books. This natural connection, the child-animal relationship, provides a great opportunity for parents and teachers to instill the core value of leading a compassionate life. Provide your children books about caring for animals.
• Support the connection. A child’s bond with a companion animal builds social competency, social sensitivity, interpersonal trust, and empathy — all necessary qualities to building emotional intelligence and compassion.
• Educate yourself.

Read books to learn to care for your companion animal properly. (Compassion of AnimalsUnderstanding Your DogThe New Natural Cat)

Read books about factory farming and the effects meat & dairy have on your health.(Diet for a new AmericaBattered Birds, Crated Herds: How We Treat the Animals We EatFast Food Nation).

Read books to learn more about how animals suffer in the name of entertainment.(Beyond the Bars: The Zoo DilemmaWhen Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of AnimalsThe Souls of Animals).

American Anti-Vivisection Society and In Defense of Animals offer free, comprehensive lists of companies that DO NOT test on animals. Animal Ingredients A to Z is an easy-to-use, consise reference guide.

Read books about living with Wildlife.(Wild Neighbors: The Humane Approach to Living with Wildlife)

This articles uses inputs from JustGive (https://www.justgive.org)