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Advocating for South Asian Women

byDr.SudhaShreeniwas SouthAsia(comprisingAfghanistan,Pakistan,India,Nepal,Bangladesh,SriLanka,the MaldiveIslandsandBurma)includesalloftheworldsmajorfaiths:Hinduism,Islam, Christianity,Judaism,Sikhism,Buddhism,Jainism,andarangeofTribalbeliefsystems. ThereisnostraightforwardassociationbetweenreligionandviolenceagainstwomeninSouth Asia.Someaspectsofreligionprotectwomenagainstviolence:e.g.Islamforbidsfemale infanticide,andBuddhismandJainismpreachnonviolenceinallrelationships.However, domestic(physicalandsexual)violenceagainstwomenoccursinallregionsandreligionsof SouthAsiaandtheSouthAsianDiaspora.StatisticalstudiesinSouthAsiaoroverseasshow thatabout20%to50%ofwomenreportrecentphysicalorsexualabusefromtheirfamily, irrespectiveofreligion. NoneofSouthAsiasreligionsexplicitlyendorseviolenceagainstwomen.However,amongall religions,dailylifeandculturalpracticetendtobeveryconservative,rootedinpatriarchy,with strictrolesformenandwomen,divisionsbetweenmothersinlawanddaughtersinlaw, customarydowrypayments,andgreatimportancegiventofamilyunity,andnotbringing shametothecommunity.Womenaresocializedtoenduremuchinthenameofupholding cultureandfamilyhonor.Further,insubregionswithlowfemaleliteracyandhighfemale unemploymentrates,womenmayhavenopracticalalternativetoenduringabuse. ThoughallSouthAsianreligionscontainstatementsreveringandrespectingwomen,inpractice religiousgroupshavenotsystematicallytackledviolenceagainstwomen.Historically,religious reformersaddressedsomeaspectsofgenderbasedviolence(suchassati,orchildmarriage), butdomesticabusewaslargelyleftaside. InSouthAsia,womensgroupshavelongstruggledagainstviolenceagainstwomen,andhave gainedmanyvictoriessuchaslegislativeamendmentsandtargetedsocioeconomic developmentinputs.However,theyrarelycooperatewithreligiousorganizations.The overwhelminglymaleleadershipoforganizedreligiousbodieshastendedtosacrificewomens rightstotheissuesofcommunalrights(e.g.therightsofreligiousminoritiestotheirownbody offamilylaws). IntheSouthAsianDiaspora,womensgroupshavearisentobuildculturalbridgesbetween immigrantwomenandmainstreamdomesticviolenceserviceorganizations.Althoughco operationhasgreatlyadvanced,thereisstillmisinformationandstereotypingofimmigrant culturesandreligions.Fortheirpart,immigrantreligioculturalorganizationsfrequentlyview womensgroupsasdivisiveandantitradition,andofferlittlesystematicsupporttoviolence
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survivors.Thus,immigrantwomenoftenfeeltheymustchoosebetweencultureandpersonal safety,amajorgap. Thus,amajoropportunityexistsfordialogueandprogramdevelopmentamongSouthAsian womensgroupsandreligiousorganizations.Acooperativeefforttohighlightindigenous traditionswithinreligionsandculturesthatcondemnviolenceagainstwomen,andassistin developingsolutions,wouldfurtherthetwingoalsofeliminatingviolenceagainstwomenand promotingprogressivemulticulturalism.

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