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The women auto rickshaw drivers are having a tough time in Chennai, as men regularly harass them by routinely throwing away their keys or threatening of violence.
The women auto rickshaw drivers are having a tough time in Chennai, as men regularly harass them by routinely throwing away their keys or threatening violence.
I have taken a lot of autorickshaws in my life, but I have never taken one driven by a woman. Typically public transport modes such as taxis and rickshaws and more are the domain of men. But things are changing. Since March 2014 several hundred women ply auto rickshaws in Chennai. They make their living and also offer an option for women travelers who feel more safe with women drivers and prefer to ride with them. But it hasn’t been an easy journey. They are routinely harassed and threatened by male autorickshaw drivers, who feel that the women threaten their source of income and even routinely throw away their keys, deflate tires as well as threaten physical violence. They have to worry about sexual assault and other threats and often have a self-imposed curfew. The prevailing tariffs aren’t always enough for them to make a living for themselves and their families. But more and more women continue to sign up with rickshaw companies, a hopeful sign. Other cities have taxi services run by women including Priyadarshini Taxi Service. If you know more, let us know by leaving a comment below.
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I think of myself as a feminist development practitioner with a strong interest in issues related to gender and education. I enjoy writing about my interests, a happy step forward from the angst laden poetry read more...
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UP Boards Topper Prachi Nigam was trolled on social media for her facial hair; our obsession with appearance is harsh on young minds.
Prachi Nigam’s photo has been doing the rounds on social media for the right reasons. Well, scratch that- I wish the above statement were true. This 15-year-old girl should ideally be revelling in her spectacular achievement of scoring a whopping 98.05% and topping her tenth-grade boards. But oddly enough, along with her marks, it’s something else that garners more attention – her facial hair.
While the trolls are driving themselves giddy by mocking this girl who hasn’t even completed her school yet, the ones who are taking her side are going one step ahead – they are sharing her photoshopped pictures, sans the facial hair, looking nothing less than a celebrity with captions saying – “Prachi Nigam, ten years later”.
Doctors have already diagnosed her with PCOD in their comments, based on photographic evidence. While we have names for people shamed for their weight – body shaming, for their skin colour- racism, for their age- age shaming, for being a female- sexism, this category of shaming where one faces criticism for their appearance has no name. With that, it also has zero shame attached to it.
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