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This new section presents some of the most promising young photographers in the world.
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The Mukhtaran Mai School for girls. Meerwala, southern Punjab, Pakistan.
N°4 : Slide Show by Tariq Saeed |
While the Mukhtaran Mai School for girls has been providing educational services for girls since 2003 in an area where such services are non-existent, its origins are dark.
Opened with the money granted to Mukhtaran Mai by the Pakistani government in compensation for the rape she suffered, (see article From Rape Victim to Human Rights Defender) the school now enrolls 200 students between the ages of 3 and 13, has 5 classrooms, and even desks and furniture.
Educated girls from the village teach English, Math, Science, Urdu and Islam.
Once a week Mukhtaran discusses gender issues and women's rights with the girls as well.
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India´s Invisible Women
N°3 : Slide Show by Ruhani Kaur |
35 million* Indian females are missing today. Some were killed in the womb, some as infants, while others succumbed in their desperate bid to have a male child. As the pendulum swings alarmingly towards a lopsided sex ratio, women find themselves being tugged from both ends.
On the one hand, they find themselves pressured to aggravate the female shortage by acting as fertility machines for male heirs. However, as the number of 'bare sticks' or bachelors grows, they are also made to fill the deficit by being trafficked for marriage or even shared among brothers. As the situation gets more and more precarious, cracks in the walls of the family unit are beginning to show.
This visual narrative looks at some of those left behind…
This photo-essay is a compilation of the work of photojournalist Ruhani Kaur as a National Foundation for India Fellow of 2005.
e-mail: ruhani_k@rediffmail.com
*Source: Political Economy of Missing Girls in India- Dr Vibhuti Patel, Centre for Women's Studies
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Northern India: The Perils of Womenless Societies
N°2 : Slide Show by Ruhani Kaur |
For this project, Ruhani was awarded the 10th National Media Fellowship Program 2004-2005 from the National Foundation for India.
The Fellowship allows her to pursue in-depth, creative field research to impact public policy and the domain of social consciousness.
At the end of the Fellowship period, the photojournalist is expected to mount an exhibition of the work done during its tenure. This year, eight fellowships were awarded to print journalists, and two to photo-journalists, including Ruhani.
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Indian Women Uneven Pace to Power
N°1 : Slide Show by Ruhani Kaur
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