< "...co-opts and blunts the radical edge of struggles; and leads to a narrow single-issue focus where, typically, the issue is stripped from the larger context..."
A beautifully worded indictment of depoliticisation of issues by funding institutions. Kudos to Namma Manasa. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Dear Ms Chamundeshwari, > > Thank you for selecting Namma Manasa for the UNFPA-Laadli Media Award > for Gender Sensitivity 2006-07, being organised by Population First. > Thank you also for all the efforts you have personally made to reach > out to us. However, we regret to inform you that we would like to > decline the award and take this opportunity to explain our reasons for > doing so. > > Namma Manasa, as you are aware, is a non-funded women's collective, > bringing out a monthly Kannada-language magazine on women's issues for > the past 23 years. As part of the autonomous women's movement in > India, we have a strong critique of the politics of funding. In our > experience, donor aid creates unfortunate divisions within movements; > co-opts and blunts the radical edge of struggles; and leads to a > narrow single-issue focus where, typically, the issue is stripped from > the larger context. We regret that the last point is particularly > evident in the approach advocated by Population First. > > Although your website states that "population is not an issue of > numbers alone", contradictorily, a key objective of Population First > is listed as "reaching the goal of family size of two children per > couple". You would no doubt be aware that women's groups have > consistently denounced the dangerous elitism of the two-child norm. In > a context where the majority of women are totally marginalised from > decision-making processes, the two-child norm is an added tool of > oppression. It leads to the abandonment of women and children > particularly among the most vulnerable sections, and forces > sex-selective abortions. We cannot see how you can reconcile this > objective with your simultaneous call to "save the girl child". > > The elitism, we fear, is also manifest in the central message of your > Youth Campaign: "The enormous Indian crowds reduce the quality of life > and cause ecological and social problems in the country." The > "enormous crowds" that you speak of are the poor of this country: the > poor, who no doubt have more children but do so to meet basic survival > needs; to deal with higher infant mortality and almost non-existent > health care; and also because of patriarchal control over > reproduction. Avaricious resource consumption and monumental waste > generation are not, however, by the poor but by the profligate elites. > The highest income group in India, merely 1.44 per cent of the > population, typically consisting of families with one or two children, > are the consumers of 75 per cent of the total electricity, petroleum > products and machine-based household appliances: products that have a > particularly pernicious global environmental impact. > > We are also alarmed to note that Population First takes no stand on > hazardous contraceptives. Today, a range of long-acting, hormonal > contraceptives are available off-the-shelf. Promoted as "spacing > methods", these in fact have the potential to permanently destroy > fertility, to create birth defects among future offspring, to lead to > cancers and a range of other health problems among women. Undoubtedly, > effective contraception is a burning necessity but not at the cost of > women's safety and wellbeing. We fail to understand how your > population-related advocacy and communications can ignore this > critical point. > > >From "family planning" to "family welfare" to the more current > > "reproductive health", India's population reduction programme has > always savagely targeted the poorest and the weakest. It has diverted > attention from the real reasons behind poverty, environmental > destruction and social unrest, which include the lack of genuine land > reforms, of equitable resource distribution, of basic services and > social security. There is nothing to suggest that Population First is > in any way, working to change this unfortunate reality: a core issue > of the women's health movement in India. In the circumstances, we > would find it difficult to accept your award without compromising our > basic beliefs and politics. > > With kind regards, > > Champavathi > > (for Namma Manasa Women's Collective, Bangalore) > > Bangalore, 26 March 2008 --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
