Love marriages banned in Indian village

[AnnieLobeseder]

More erosion of women's rights, this time in India.

But I guess with the huge erosion that's going on the US at the moment over the elections, it's hardly surprising that other parts of the world are following their lead.

It's pretty damn rude to the people working hard within India to campaign for equal rights to imply that women's rights are a "colonialist" idea as well.

"It's their country."

What a cop-out.

It's their country so when they restrict women's rights to free movement and so forth, and instruct them to dress modestly, and enforce that they are told who to have sex with, that they may not choose that.... Damn right feminists worldwide have something to say about it and a bloody good thing too.

Really do noti want to get involved in snarkniness, we are all women who agree to deplore this. But how far does it go beyond deploring. even education and campaigning from outside India would be vulnerable to accusations of colonialism. If you only Sdeplore, it is nothing but a talking shop. Many camkpaignrskl would consider they do have the right toi intervene with what we would call education, in particular when called on to do so by for example
Indian womens jgrouips.

Ok that's enough for me. The level of this conversation is not serious.

I'm not saying that feminists world wide don't have a day. I'm just saying you have to be willing to understand the culture to be of effective help to women in India. The women there do not necessarily agree with western feminist theory and may have their own ideas about what can be done to stop their oppression.

I haven't seen anyone on the thread picking up the phone to govt HQ and issuing an order to go nuke this village....

The accusations of cultural colonialism are odd. Seems like a way to try and stop people talking about these things - Oh you're racist - and all the rest of it. None of the women on this thread have the power to do anything in this village now. All we can do is draw attention to it, so that people are aware, and beyond that donating to relevant charities and supporting politicians who seem to care about this stuff and maybe writing an email is about all I for one can do. Yet reading this you would think I was magically imbued with the power of the US president and NATO rolled into one

It has to be done within India... That is true.

Abra1d, do I know you, or have I offended you somewhere? You seem to jump right in with a random pedantic attack whenever I start a post on this board. Or is that just your style?

Anyway, as for the idea that we should just accept that other cultures can do what they like, that's utter bullshit. I'll let other cultures do what the heck they like as long as no-one is being harmed or forced to do anything against their will. I don't accept bullying or abuse in any form under the guise of "culture"

Which is why you support the relevant organisations in India who are working against this stuff, eclectic.

That's just kind of obvious, surely?

It's not feminists who go around invading countries and telling them how to behave, last time I looked.

This is not a new thing... It's been going on for a long long time. Awareness is not needed. Action inside India for women is needed.

Sadly, the only way women in this country will ever be able to do anything about the rights of women in other countries, is to keep fighting on our own shores and get decent levels of representation in higher government and in the boardrooms.

Yes I do, I have two Half sisters living in India and within the societal rules.

Is there any chance some seriousness could be introduced? It is a serious question. Education and support can be construed as subtly inserting western values with the assumption of lsuperiority. It is not just about iaanvasion or nuking.

Awareness is needed when established rights of women living in proximity to the capital are having their rights removed.

So it's not just the status quo - oh it's been going on for cneturies - it is a new rolling back of women's rights. In Afghanistan for eg the Taliban put women's rights back to far worse than they had been in recorded history IIRC. This stuff needs to be noted and people do need to be aware that this is happening.

accuracy which is entirely the reason that feminists in different countries support each other at grass roots level.

To support women in India you need to support women's groups in India who are working against this stuff.

Again, this is just obvious isn't it? I am not understanding this. Do you really think that women on this thread want westerners to go to india to try and tell the silly men where they're going wrong? I mean, come off it.

Eclectic, my own view is that it not only must be done inside India but by Indians. Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe that women's rights are protected in law in India, like dalit rights. But the legal protection is virtually worthless in reality. Local pancharats, are they called? can do what they want. My interest is in how far external support should be extended. Moral support only? Material support? Personal support -- visiting feminists? Wtih your experience I am interested in your view.

Sardine, you must know that there is active campaigning for women's rights by international organisations telling communities they are wrong.

You would need to link to what you are referring to there, accuracy. Which international organisations, and what it is they are saying.

Certainly I wonder how "women's groups in India" can be interpreted to mean international organisations, but there you go.

I don't mean "women's groups in India" are the same as international organisations.

is this a working link?

The UN are not "women's groups in India".

You are asking people on this thread to engage with and defend things that they are not advocating or involved in.

Yes Sardine I know and that is my point. I am contrasting them.

You said people from outside don't go in and tell silly men they are wrong. I am showing you that they do. I am saying that the most effective work, in contrast, is done by women's groups in India. Do you want a link to a feminist group in India.

No I said that FEMINISTS don't go to India and tell the silly men they are doing it wrong.

here is one

you said : think that women on this thread want westerners to go to india to try and tell the silly men where they're going wrong? I mean, come off it.

Westerners in international organisations do do that. Do you want them to stop doing that, to "come off it"?

'Academic feminists should be interested in the idea of cultural colonialism and extending judgement beyond one's own borders.'

Presumably we shouldn't criticise FGM, female abortion/infanticide or child marriage either, for the same reasons.

The report in the OP is about NEW legislation, not traditional practice.

At what point should all three "academic feminists" make value judgements about cultural practices which kill adversely impact upon women from non-Western societies? Or are we just supposed to pretend that these are terribly valuable and precious ancient traditions that we can't possibly understand or interfere with " because we is White innit?"