*Activism*, in a general sense, can be described as intentional action to bring about social <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_change> or political<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Politics>change. This action is in support of, or opposition to, one side of an often controversial <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Controversy> argument.
The word "activism" is often used synonymously<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synonymous>with protest <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protest> or dissent<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dissent>, but activism can stem from any number of political orientations and take a wide range of forms, from writing letters to newspapers or politicians, political campaigning, economic activism<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_activism>(such as boycotts <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boycott> or preferentially patronizing preferred businesses), rallies, blogging<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blogging>and street marches <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demonstration_(people)>, strikes<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strike_action>, or even guerrilla tactics <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerrilla_warfare>. In the more confrontational cases, an activist may be called a freedom fighter <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_fighter> by some, and a terrorist <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism> by others, depending on whether the commentator supports the activist's ends. In some cases, activism has nothing to do with protest or confrontation: for instance, some religious <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious>, feminist<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feminist>or vegetarian <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarian>/vegan<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegan>activists try to persuade people to change their behavior directly, rather than persuade governments to change laws. The cooperative movement<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooperative_movement>seeks to build new institutions which conform to cooperative principles, and generally does not lobby or protest politically. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ! On 11/3/08, Maya <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > > Yes, I too find their approach as problematic. This is what we usually > consider as activism! She says like this , ( or she is made to talk like > this , by the NGO or some other powers who are funding) > 'It is time for us to celebrate and protect our daughters who are each > goddesses in their own right'- trying to create gods again. ! And draw some > Gandhian concepts etc! > Wonderful thing is that, in the internet if we search activism we get this > kind of news! > So what is activism itself is a question, i think. > > > On 11/3/08, Bobby Kunhu <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> >> Apne Aap is a really "nice" initiative. But I find their approach >> problematic. Despite their assertion on the top-down format, the morality >> within which they work is, imposed on the "constituency". In other words, >> professional social workers (of course mostly women) as part of their career >> impose their value system for instance on sex workers (which is a major apne >> aap constituency). I am seriously worried that they are working on the link >> between caste and "prostitution" for the NCW, while they continously engage >> with systems that facilitate trafficking in very much the same caste terms >> I hope someone could respond a bit more on this confusion of mine >> >> >> 2008/11/3 Maya <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> >>> *Indian activist bemoans modern-day slavery at US conference* >>> >>> >>> >>> *Aziz Haniffa in Washington, DC * >>> >>> October 30, 2008 22:21 IST >>> >>> Noted anti-trafficking activist Ruchira Gupta, the founder president of >>> Apne Aap Women Worldwide--a grassroots Indian organization--of women and >>> children involved in the flesh trade, told a White House conference on >>> October 28 that thousands of young girls continue to languish as slaves and >>> prostitutes in India but that her organization offers hope for these >>> children through a model that can serve as a template for other cultures as >>> well. >>> >>> Gupta speaking at the conference titled 'Success against Slavery: >>> Strategies for the Future and Promising Practices in International >>> Programming', said, "Today is Diwali, the festival that celebrates the >>> goddess of wealth and prosperity Laxmi, while one goddess is being >>> celebrated, there are hundreds of thousands of young girls in our country >>> who are in situations of captivity as bonded workers and child >>> prostitutes.It is time for us to celebrate and protect our daughters who are >>> each goddesses in their own right," she said, while conveying to the more >>> than 100 delegates at the conference which also included senior >>> Congressional aides, Administration officials and representatives of leading >>> nongovernmental organizations Diwali greetings and urging them "to take a >>> pledge in your hearts to think of each girl at risk as a goddess to be >>> celebrated not violated." >>> >>> Gupta won an Emmy for her documentary on human trafficking *The Selling >>> of Innocents*, and has worked with several United Nations agencies in >>> various capacities to develop international standards to combat trafficking >>> and assist countries to develop national action plans against trafficking. >>> >>> Gupta argued that Gandhian community based initiatives were the most >>> promising and sustainable strategy to protect survivors, victims and those >>> at risk to human trafficking and slavery, combined with a concerted effort >>> to curb the demand for sex trafficking by increased convictions of >>> profiteers from human trafficking. >>> >>> She noted that the Indian government had an amendment to the Indian >>> anti-trafficking law pending in Parliament, which if passed would penalize >>> buyers and severely punish traffickers, and predicted "This would make a big >>> dent in the sex-trafficking trade." >>> >>> She acknowledged that "we understand that change does not happen from the >>> top down in the lives of nations or women. We help women organize and >>> imagine the change that they thought could not be achieved. Apne Aap Women >>> worldwide has been organizing these women and girls into small cooperatives >>> known as self help groups all over India and these are linked simultaneously >>> with livelihood, learning and legal protection by our team members." >>> >>> Gupta said that "the options that we create for trafficked women and >>> girls are more sustainable because the livelihood options are based in the >>> local economies and are braced with legal protection and the small group >>> structure that allows women to support and rescue each other.As with every >>> example of profound transformation from Gandhi's experiments in living to >>> the civil rights movement in the United States and Alcoholics Anonymous >>> internationally, we help prostituted women to create their own small and >>> continuing groups, and do the same for their children." >>> >>> Gupta asserted that "our groups seek not to mitigate the circumstances of >>> sex-trafficking but to end sex-trafficking�we seek complete transformation, >>> not simply reform." >>> >>> "We have been able to bring out the link between caste and prostitution >>> and are currently working on recommendations to reduce the same for the >>> National Commission for Women," she noted. >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Maya S. >>> School of Social Sciences >>> Mahatma Gandhi University >>> Kottayam-41 >>> Kerala, India >>> >>> >> >> >> -- >> Bobby Kunhu http://community.eldis.org/myshkin/Blog/ >> >> >> >> > > > -- > Maya S. > School of Social Sciences > Mahatma Gandhi University > Kottayam-41 > Kerala, India > -- Maya S. 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