In coping with stress, men could be the weaker sex

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http://www.deccanherald.com/content/202809/in-coping-stress-men-could.html

Parvathy Anoop

Women have traditionally been labelled the weaker sex. But the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data for suicide rates each year contradicts this and shows a consistent increase in the rate of suicides among men, especially married men.

In India, as many as 61,453 married men ended their lives in 2010, compared to 31,754 women. After Chennai, Bangalore tops the list with 515 husbands taking the extreme step. Also, the rate of suicides among married men has almost doubled in the last 15 years. This makes us wonder whether more men are at the receiving end in marriages, or are there other issues that men face that need to be addressed.
According to Sneha Fernandes, counsellor at Transforming Lives, an organisation which provides family counselling, unlike women, men do not have options to vent their feelings of depression or frustration. “Women are expressive. They talk to their friends or family and depend on them for support. Whereas men are used to bottling up their feelings. I meet so many married men who just want someone to talk to and cry, but don’t find the comfort in their partners.”

While the lack of emotional support could be a reason for the high numbers, she says work stress also adds to the problem.

Dr Murali Raj, head of the Department of Psychiatry in Manipal Hospital, Bangalore, says lack of bonding between couples is one of the reasons why men are depressed. “I have seen many cases of IT and BPO professionals where lack of quality time between couples often drives the man to despair. Marriage is often not a deep commitment… And both the man and wife work so hard during the week they are too tired during weekends.”

He says he has also seen cases of men dejected because of dowry harassment and a minority of cases of men who have sexual problems.

Several groups to protect men’s rights have sprung up in the City and they opine that the Indian laws favour women leaving men in a very disadvantageous position in legal issues.

SCW passes judgment on mothers as being too pushy on daughters in laws

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Further to our news about AIMPF(All India Mothers-in-law Protection Forum) submitting memorandum to Chief Minister of Karnataka in which there were statistics of rising male suicides also, there is update on how the State Confusion for Women (SCW) treats elderly women and mothers.  As to why we call SCW as State Confusion for Women, please read just one recent incident we wrote about its national level sisterhood NCW.  Another clear proof of their confusion is that SCW chairperson says she cannot do anything on policy matters, only individual cases!  Really?  Doesn’t NCW give recommendations on law-making and such matters at national level?  Wasn’t it NCW which said it will go for review about Supreme Court judgment which said “kicking daughter in law is not cruelty under IPC 498a (not that it actually happened in the case)”.  Was that about helping an individual woman or about influencing policy on what constitutes an offence under IPC 498a?

News from Bangalore Mirror below (with our emphasis):

Is women’s panel only for bahus, ask moms-in-law

Talk of prejudices and stereotypes, and the one that immediately springs to mind is that of mothers-in-law as villains of the piece. Recently, a few of them went to the State Commission for Women’s office to demand a rethink on this, while trying to stress that they too are targets of dowry harassment cases and should be heard as any other woman would be. But they returned disappointed.

A few mothers-in-law charged the chairperson, Manjula C, of giving them the short shrift, making them wonder if only causes dear to daughters-in-law find resonance with the commission. “You would think that a commission for women and its chairperson would be sympathetic to all women, without any bias,” was the chorus of the petitioners who landed up at Manjula’s office recently.

Their grouse: When a few of them went at the appointed hour on April 3 to meet Manjula to discuss what they claimed to be the growing incidence of fabricated cases of dowry harassment, the chairperson sent them on their way in just 15 minutes after having made them wait for a month for an appointment! Instead of giving them a patient hearing, the saas gang alleged that Manjula held forth on “random incidents” and walked out within 10-15 minutes.

When Bangalore Mirror asked for her take on the issue, the chairperson shot back, “These people do not have any patience. If they are so pushy with us can you imagine how they treat their daughters-in-law?”

Manjula went on to plead a hectic schedule for not being able to give time to the group. “I had told them to confirm the meeting the previous day because I was traveling from Hubli. These people insisted on meeting me on Tuesday. I had to go elsewhere and had no choice but to leave the meeting half way through. None of these women came to us with individual cases. They wanted to meet and talk about policy matters which we can’t do anything about.”

Sahira Shiggon, a 58-year-old mother in law who has been fighting four cases filed against her by her daughter-in-law, said, “Every time that we wanted to meet her, we were told that she was busy and did not have time for us. 

Finally when Women’s Day celebrations were on at Chowdaiah Memorial Hall in the first week of March, we took out a silent protest  till she agreed to meet us. Even then she told us it would only be possible the following month and gave us a tentative appointment on April 3. We kept following it up with her office and they said that there has been no change in the date and we would meet her at 3 pm in the afternoon. We had specifically asked her for an appointment in the afternoon because we wanted her to give us at least an hour. But suddenly on Tuesday morning, her private secretary gave us a call and said that Chairperson had other engagements and could not meet us.”

Since some of the people were from out of town, this sudden change of plans meant a lot of inconvenience for the group. So they asked for the reasons for the cancellation to be given in writing, according to another member of the group. “Immediately the appointment came back on and Manjula’s secretary told us to come over at the designated time. However, she did tell us that we would not get a lot of time with the Chairperson,” said Shailaja Hiremath who was part of the delegation that called on Manjula.

“When we met her, she first went on for five minutes with her own comments about how young girls should not misbehave. When we asked her to let us present our case instead, she kept talking of random incidents. When you have very little time for us, then why don’t you let us speak?” asked another mother-in-law who alleges she has been harassed by her daughter-in-law with multiple cases.

Refuting Manjula’s claim that none of them had “individual cases”, the mothers-in-law gave case studies. Sumitra Muthuswamy and her son Raju said they found it “very disappointing and insulting” that Manjula walked out in the middle of the meeting. “She said she had a live telecast somewhere. She told us to talk to another member and just walked away,” said Raju. His mother Sumitra says she wanted help with her harrowing ordeal.”There was a fight between my son and her over a travel bag which escalated to such an extent, that she actually bit me and broke my finger. I am almost 60 and when we went to the police station to file a complaint, they did not even accept it. After four days of running around, they finally took our complaint by which time my daughter-in-law had already filed a case of dowry harassment. My son had to stop going to work. As a woman, does my harassment mean nothing to the commission?” was her rhetorical query.

The case takes an even more bizarre turn when Raju goes on to elaborate on his wife’s charges. “She has actually accused my 75-year-old father of making sexual advances on her! Section 498 is really being misused and many innocent people are harassed and we have nowhere to go, because of stereotypes. We had hoped that things would be different with the commission, but were really disappointed”

Mamtha Naik, 61, has been slapped with a dowry harassment case by her daughter-in-law and accused of starving and beating her up. “Nobody is listening to our side of the story,” said Mamtha, who hails from Odisha.

“This is pretty much everybody’s story here. The trauma that we have all gone through is unimaginable. It is enough to erase our faith in humanity and the concept of women being the all compassionate mother figures of the world. If we wanted to meet a member of the commission, we would not have waited for months to get an appointment. All we had wanted was some  time from the Chairperson and we did not even get that,” says Sahira.

Her parting shot: “Is there really no end to our trauma. Would the commission have treated a daughter-in-law forum like this if they had come with their troubles?”

Gender gap, which way exactly?

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Surely men and women are equal, and the gender gap is decreasing. 

 

According to recent news below, there are more elderly women in India than men.  So the reason Indian men are dying earlier than women is because of gender gap?

 

Note: Feminocratic norms of calculating gender gap ignore any area where women are ahead than men. World bank follows same approach in its gender gap reporting, so you should just shut your mouth about statistics like higher number of women graduates in many developed nations, more male suicides in all countries, and women living longer than men of course.

Women take the lead in India’s grey march

Kounteya Sinha TNN

New Delhi: India may have a young population, but the number of those aged above 60 is rising rapidly too — and women are now a majority in this segment. This is in line with the trend in developed countries, where women tend to live longer than men.
    The Registrar General of India’s (RGI) latest data from the Sample Registration System (SRS), 2010, has confirmed feminization of India’s elderly. Data sent to the Union health ministry on Saturday shows that the percentage of women in the age group of 60 years and above is higher in 17 out of 20 large states.

    The difference in percentage of elderly women compared with 60-plus men is most acute in states like Andhra Pradesh (8.4 women to 7.1 men), Chhattisgarh (7.1 to 5.9), Gujarat (8.3 to 6.8), Haryana (6.9 to 5.3), Maharashtra (9.7 to 8.7), Punjab (9.4 to 8.4) and Rajasthan (7.4 to 6.2). The Union health ministry expects 51% of the elderly population will be women by 2016.

    Only three states — Assam, Bihar and Jammu & Kashmir — have more elderly men than women.

    The number of 60-plus women as a percentage of all women is highest in Kerala (12.6%), Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu (10.3% each).

    Overall, nearly 7.5% of India’s population is aged 60 years and above. In rural India, 7.5% of the population is above 60, and the corresponding figure is 7% in urban areas.

    Kerala (11.8), Himachal Pradesh (10.1%) and Tamil Nadu (10%) have the highest percentage of elderly in the country, followed by Maharashtra (9.2), Punjab (8.9) and Odisha (8.7). Jharkhand (5.7), Assam (5.5) and Delhi (5.7) record the lowest percentage.

    According to United Nations estimates, the global population of those aged 60 years and above will more than double — from 542 million in 1995 to about 1.2 billion in 2025. ‘1 in every 4 elderly people is depressed’


New Delhi: “On account of better education, health facilities and increase in life expectancy, the percentage of elderly population (60+) has gone up from 6% to 7%,” a Sample Registration System report says.

Find ‘Equality’ in Japan’s Domestic Violence Act!

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India’s PWDVA (Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005) is well known for its steadfast refusal of acknowledging that violence inside a home can be against other members of family except wives/live-in women partners.  The name of the act itself says it all that it is only to grant relief to women, and the content of the act makes it clear it is only for women living in relationship of nature of wife with a man.

Here we see some relevant provisions of Japan’s DV Act.

Act on the Prevention of Spousal Violence and the Protection of
Victims (Act No. 31 of 2001)

In consideration of respect for individuals and equality under the law expressly stipulated in the Constitution, progress has been made in Japan through efforts toward the protection of human rights and the realization of genuine equality between women and men.

Nevertheless, even though spousal violence constitutes a serious violation of human rights, as well as being a crime, efforts to relieve victims have not always been adequate in all instances. In addition, the majority of victims of spousal violence are women. When women who find it difficult to achieve economic self-reliance are subject to violence from their spouses, it adversely affects the dignity of individuals and impedes the realization of genuine equality between women and men.

The name of the Act is gender-neutral and so are the clauses which specify the word spouse rather than woman/wife.  But given that the preamble of the DV Act of Japan mentions about need of achieving real equality between women and men (women always assumed to be behind in equality whether they live longer or higher number of college degrees notwithstanding), and further claim of majority of victims of spousal violence being women, it is clear that the main goals of the act are to give reliefs to women.

Some of the interesting part from men’s rights point of view is towards the latter part so the Act (emphasis added by us):

Chapter VI Penal Provisions
Article 29
Persons who have violated a Protection Order shall be punished by imprisonment with work for not more than one year or a fine of not more than one 1,000,000 yen.

Article 30
Persons who have filed a petition for a Protection Order with a Written Petition that contains a false entry with regard to matters to be entered pursuant to the provisions of Article 12, paragraph 1 (including cases where the provisions of Article 12, paragraph 1 are applied with the replacement of terms pursuant to the provisions of Article 18, paragraph 2) shall be punished by a non-penal fine of not more than
100,000 yen.

Why we are not amused by this equality drive:

Violation of protection order: 1 year imprisonment, 1m yen fine.

False complaint to get protection order: Non-penal fine of 100K yen.

Surely equality between women and men will be achieved by such measures!  For some souls who may protest that the Act is gender-neutral and such provisions can be misused by either gender; have no clue or no desire to take a look at actual statistics of complaints made under Domestic Violence in various countries, and the response of police, legal services, child support services, and judiciary in face of such complaints by men vs. same by women!

Male Judges can’t escape violation of men’s rights

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There has been news of (male) judges being accused in dowry harassment (498a cases), but the news below can be considered either shocking or interesting, depending on your perspective that men judges are a different lot, or they are just the same as any other men out there. 

The law of the land treats everyone the same, and being a judge does not put a man on a higher pedestal if his wife happens to file a complaint against him, that is. The silver lining in the affair is that in the end this gentleman got a divorce for what his wife did to him. And only 3 years from marriage to divorce is a kind of record given Indian family courts’ steadfast refusal to give anyone divorce on cruelty grounds unless they are subjected to cruelty from court by having to undergo a trial lasting 6-10 years! And even then.

http://www.prokerala.com/news/articles/a291278.html

New Delhi, April 2

A Delhi court has granted divorce to a former civil judge of Haryana from his wife, who is a metropolitan magistrate in a south Delhi court, on grounds of cruelty.

Additional District Judge Seema Maini allowed the divorce petition of Piyush Gakhar, a former civil judge of Bhiwani, for ending his marriage with Gomati Monacha, posted in the Saket district court, observing that he had been subjected to cruelty at the hands of his wife.

“From the cumulative scrutiny of the documentary evidence, adduced by the petitioner and the uncontroverted and unimpeached testimony of the petitioner, who entered the witness box as Prosecution witness, J.K. Gakhar (witness), and P.K. Verma (witness), the term ‘cruelty’ crystallized,” said judge Maini in her order made available Monday.

The court was hearing a divorce case filed by Gakhar, through his counsel Amit Sahni. The application was moved by Gakhar in 2009 when he was posted as civil judge in Haryana and Monacha was a civil judge in Tis Hazari court in Delhi.

…

…

In Oct 24, 2009, Monacha filed a complaint in a Punjab and Haryana High Court alleging that Gakhar had slapped her.

Husband moved a divorce petition in a Delhi court in October 2009. In a counter, Monacha raised allegations of dowry demand. Following the allegation, Gakhar lost his job.

The court while pronouncing its order observed that Gakhar had lost his job despite having a good record due to the complaint filed by his wife alleging dowry demand and assault.

Judge said that if Monacha had been subject to dowry demand, “she could easily have made a complaint against him to the judges in whose close proximity the parties to the petition were at the relevant time. The complaint (about assault) dated Oct 24, 2009, is silent as regards any allegation of dowry demand.”

Gakhar said that allegation raised against him are false.

The judge ruled that the dowry allegation was incorrect.

“Any and every dispute between a husband and wife is their domestic problem, and should be solved within the four walls of their house,” said the court in its order passed on March 22.

The court has also taken in record that Monacha did not present any arguments in her defence, despite sufficient opportunity granted.

So a woman judge files complaint against husband who is also a judge, then the woman does not produce any evidence whatsoever in favour of her allegations, but the man loses his job and career, and he at least gets a divorce.  Bravo!  The usual point of view in society is that this is not a men’s rights issue but more of a man-woman problem, and these things happen to other people.  What is conveniently ignored is how many married men silently keep suffering and live suppressed lives because they are aware that the laws are heavily anti-men, so there is not much they can do to even try to improve their situation.

Another common view is that violation of men’s rights is nothing but a set of different problems which have been given a new label by some people with wild imagination.  Such incidences are commonly dismissed by society as a matter of misuse of law, about judicial incompetence, necessary cost of women empowerment, or ingenious logic that women were ‘oppressed’ for centuries and now it is their turn, and so on.  But the men’s rights point of view is that there is an inherent bias against men when a woman complains against a man.  They are considered guilty until proven innocent.  Their rights are taken away before a trial and are not restored even after proving wrong the complainant. 

Men who are in similar situation have to realize the men’s rights point of view: All men will get justice, or no man will get justice.  Or put other way: Men have to fight for justice for all men in order to get justice for themselves.

 

Consolidated press coverage about Marriage Laws Amendment bill

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Latest IBrM P7 debate, conducted last Sunday, i.e. 1st April, 2012:

Latest IrBM debate on P7 channel on 1st April, 2012

FTN: Does making divorce easier benefit women?

http://ibnlive.in.com/videos/242911/ftn-does-making-divorce-easier-benefit-women.html

Central Bill ignores mens rights

http://ibnlive.in.com/news/central-bill-ignores-mens-rights/243329-60-119.html

Some Men have to rethink on Property Purchase- DNA

http://www.dnaindia.com/pune/report_pune-men-may-have-to-rethink-on-property-purchase_1669289

http://www.dnasyndication.com/showarticlerss.aspx?nid=tqLaC22NfUZGmHAqiH7GIgOdBx1Rg8R%2F9YGqpSYWBC8%3D

Amendment to marriage law opposed

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/article3256124.ece

‘????? ?? ????’???? ??????? ???????

http://maharashtratimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/12474341.cms

Easy divorce a threat to family ties 

In India, where majority of the marriages are arranged, women might find it difficult to start a new life after divorce

http://epaper.mailtoday.in/showstory.aspx?queryed=9&querypage=15&boxid=22521312&parentid=66189&eddate=Mar+31+2012+12%3A00AM&issuedate=NaNundefinedundefined

INDIA TODAYS NEWS  

http://indiatoday.intoday.in/story/easy-divorce-a-threat-to-family-ties/1/182447.html

Article in Dainik Saamna.

http://epaper.saamana.com/Details.aspx?id=22067&boxid=5225662#.T3fsBzvyDm8.facebook

HINDU MARRIAGE ON SALE  IN LOKMAT PAPER  IN A SPICAL SUPPLEMENT MANTHAN 

???

http://onlinenews1.lokmat.com/php/detailednews.php?id=ManthanEdition-52-1-31-03-2012-46b86&ndate=2012-04-01&editionname=manthan

????? ??? ???????

http://onlinenews1.lokmat.com/php/detailednews.php?id=ManthanEdition-52-1-31-03-2012-54b07&ndate=2012-04-01&editionname=manthan

Govt redrafts bill on marriage laws

http://www.mid-day.com/news/2012/mar/220312-Govt-redrafts-bill-on-marriage-laws.htm

A Very good Article Against Hindu Marriage Act Amendment Bill passed by Central Cabinet with Deliberate Intentions to spoil Indian Family Culture Published in “HOSA DIGANTHA” Kannada Daily, News Paper.

http://www.hosadigantha.in/epaper.php?date=03-30-2012&name=03-30-2012-8

Men seek equality, say divorce laws treat husbands as ATMs

These organisations claim that divorce laws favour the interests of women and reduce men to being ATMs, good enough to extract money any time.
“The new law should not make marriage a property transfer bureau and turn husbands into free ATM money. Everywhere around the world, in case of divorce, the property of both spouses is divided. But here it is being suggested that only the husband’s property must be divided,” said Niladri Das of Save Family Foundation, a Delhi-based organisation.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/238681/men-seek-equality-say-divorce.html

Centre for Men’s Rights

Press release against cabinet approval of Marriage Laws Amendment Bill, 2010

http://menrights.org/articles/press-release-against-cabinet-approval-of-marriage-laws-amendment-bill-2010/

The Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill 2010: Hope It Really Helps Trapped Partners

http://indowaves.wordpress.com/2012/03/30/the-marriage-laws-amendment-bill-2010-hope-it-really-helps-trapped-partners/

The end game

Yes it’s a END game for Husbands..  it’s Totally Biased against Men..

http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/Mumbai/The-end-game/Article1-833753.aspx

‘Men’s rights organizations should be consulted by the Government’

Read more at:http://www.merinews.com/article/mens-rights-organizations-should-be-consulted-by-the-government/15867577.shtml&cp

http://www.merinews.com/article/mens-rights-organizations-should-be-consulted-by-the-government/15867577.shtml

Matrimonial Property (Rights of Women upon Marriage) bill make husband Bankrupt

http://supari.org/mpr/

MAD Bill 2010, Who is going to pay? Watch to find ou

t..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MJIN7TK63g

Indian Marriage Warning {Wake-up call for Men}

The day Indian Husbands will learn to live a life as Debit man than credit man and stop making any saving in property or in other assets , then only you all will realize the real contribution of Indian husbands for this society.
Do not take Indian husbands family in ride and stop promotion of Legal Extortion of their hard earned money/property, make the LAW gender neutral the word husband/wife must be replaced by the word spouse and the share should be equal both liability and claim in assets.

http://swarup1973.instablogs.com/entry/indian-marriage-warning-wake-up-call-for-men/

marriage law amendment bill

http://www.prsindia.org/uploads/media/Marriage%20Laws/Marriage%20Laws%20Bill%202010.pdf

=====================================================

Draft Divorce Bill not acceptable: AIUDF president Maul Badruddin Ajmal

http://ummid.com/news/2012/March/25.03.2012/ajmal_qasmi_on_divorce_bill.htm#.T29MtbzbuU0.blogger

NAGPUR PRESS CONFERANCE PHOTOGRAPH 

https://picasaweb.google.com/105697801808806984085/201203261?feat=email

COVERAGE  BY MEDIA 

HITAVADA ENGLISH NEWS PAPER NO 1  IN CENTRAL INDIA 

Great coverage and the BEST proof for the repercussions of this law ……….. at the end of 

the article, an ad saying ………. “LAND FOR SALE” ……….. so men are already selling their 

hard earned assets coz of this bad set of recommendations absolutely nullifying the practical 

and real concerns of men’s rights.

http://www.ehitavada.com/news.detail/paper_type/13/news_id/110145/date/2012-03-27

Provisions in Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill will abet misandry in society: SIFF

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/article3224411.ece

?????????? ????? ????? (??????) ???????, ???? ?? ????? ????????

http://www.theindiapost.com/hindi-news/article/the-marriage-laws-amendment-act-2010-strongly-condemned/

Strongly Condemning The Upcoming Marriage Laws (Amendment) Bill

http://www.theindiapost.com/articles/strongly-condemning-the-upcoming-marriage-laws-amendment-bill/

‘Central Bill ignores men’s rights’

http://expressbuzz.com/cities/bangalore/%E2%80%98Central-Bill-ignores-men%E2%80%99s-rights%E2%80%99/376655.html#.T3K2vKJop0g.facebook

New divorce laws prompted man to kill wife

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/hyderabad/new-divorce-laws-prompted-man-kill-wife-616

Feminocratic times–news from sweden land

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Swedish feminocrats are at it again.  After being in news about the ‘oppression’ and ‘domination’ inherent in the urinals used by men which they wanted removed, now they want men to sit in one seat only on public transport.  Hey, that woman who puts her bag on seat next to her is not a female chauvinist?

http://www.vice.com/read/swedish-feminists-are-so-bored-theyre-telling-men-how-to-sit-on-the-bus

By Nathalie Rothschild


A Swedish chauvinist. Photo courtesy Macho in Public.

Sweden has a reputation as having the most equal relations between the sexes in the world—it’s a place where male politicians are voted “woman of the year” by feminists, where young dads on paternity leave take toddlers for play dates while their wives work, where a preschool can casually ban gendered pronouns. A recent World Economic Forum report claimed Sweden is the most gender equal country in the world.

Yet some Swedish women apparently think that the image of the Nordic country as a feminist’s paradise is just a veneer hiding deep-seated misogyny. Their evidence? Men slouching and taking up more than one seat on buses, trains, and subways.

To counter this “normalized expression of power” (that’s what they call slouching), a group of firebrand feminists have set up a blog called “Macho i Kollektivtrafiken” (“Macho in Public Transport”), encouraging readers to send in sneaky snaps of men in relaxed poses. The aim is to spread awareness of a “symbolic and active recreation not just of power, but of a stereotypical form of masculinity.”
Do Swedish women really feel threatened by men who slouch on the subway? Can this seriously be construed as a feminist issue? Do feminists today really view women as weaklings who are traumatized by straddle-legged passengers and who don’t have the guts to tell men to scooch over? It’s tempting to suggest that the women posting pictures of slouching men online should grow a pair, and point out that feminists have fought hard to shake the image of women as thin-skinned victims off and to prove that women have agency, gumption, and power.

The blog’s founder, 27-year-old My Vingren, assures me that Macho i Kollektivtrafiken isn’t a spoof, and that its modest goal is to change the world.

VICE: Your blog claims that men who take up more space than they physically need when using public transport are practicing an “invisible and unconscious expression of power in an everyday, public space.” Can men oppress women without even knowing it?
My Vingren: Absolutely. I think one of the most problematic aspects of having such an extensive power structure is that a lot of people aren’t even aware that how they act affects others. The fact that men get more space in classrooms, at board meetings, and so on, is part of a structural oppression that not everyone knows they’re taking part in.

What kinds of reasons do men tend to give for taking up more space than women on subways, buses, and trains?
It’s everything from “scrotum sweat is unpleasant,” to “I have the right to sit comfortably,” and “it’s physically impossible for me to sit differently because I have a penis.”

What would you say to those claiming that, in the grand scheme of things, this issue is a “luxury problem”?

My point is that this is part and parcel of the kind of oppression that leads to women being raped, getting lower salaries, and being exposed to violence in relationships.

How does your campaign fit into the history of the feminist struggle for equality?
To talk about space, about who takes and who gives space, I think is a big part of feminism.

Sweden has a reputation abroad as an egalitarian society, almost a feminist paradise. Isn’t that true?
No, it’s not. I work with rape victims so I often see the dark underbelly of our country. Of course, we have reached many goals and women have more choice today than they did 30 years ago, but we are far from equal.

Do you think women can stand up for themselves?
Yes, I’m convinced they can. But I think it’s more effective for girls to work together for change rather than every individual girl having to resolve power-structural issues.

Don’t women have the guts to confront men and tell them to move over, please?
I don’t think women and girls can cope with that. They choose not to take on that battle.

What do you think would happen if a woman told a man to move over? Have you or anyone you know tried?
It’s hard to say how men in general would react. In order for any change to happen I think men need to realize themselves that change is needed.

It seems like many people think your blog is a joke. Why is that?
I really don’t know.

Will the blog make a difference?
Of course, we’re going to change the world.

Media made to answer after publishing cooked up story

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Read full story at link below, especially India Today’s haughty attempt to browbeat a ‘private individual’ into submission by asking his ‘locus standi’ in the matter of enquiring about due credentials behind a highly derogatory and misleading news story.  How about my locus standi that I have to read through your news articles and I can never be sure about what is genuine news reporting and what is your self-proclaimed ‘social service’ in the grand cause of vilifying men!

http://prassoon.wordpress.com/2012/04/01/complaint-filed-against-neethu-chandra-india-today/

On March 3rd 2012 India Today published a filthy article authored by their reporter Neethu Chandra under the title “Dowry harassment: Delhi bride tortured by cruel NRI husband in US”. This was a demonstration of highest levels of yellow journalism; a totally farce story inflated with lies and false allegations. I’m not posting it here and make the entire wordpress stinky. The day after the editor was contacted they removed the article from the site. By that time it got propagated through all the channels and fooled all the readers; apparently, most readers are already awakened and have learned to identify the “bad apples” in the basket. Evidently, these kind of articles that cost less than dirt are putting the publishers themselves in poor light. Formal complaint with Press Council of India has been filed against both Neethu Chandra and India Today. Since the same article got published in DailyMail UK, Neethu Chandra and DailyMail another complaint has also been filed with Press Complaints Council UK. Daily Mail not only removed the article but also published the true story later,  “In-laws deny torture charges“. MSN also reported in similar lines http://news.in.msn.com/exclusives/it/article.aspx?cp-documentid=5900927

I hope this article will give you an insight about how to make complaints against yellow journalism. If something is unclear or you have any questions please post a comment and I will be happy to share the information that I have. It is a very simple process that anyone can follow.

If you find such articles first thing you have to do is to save a copy of it. You may either take a screen-shot, save it to a file , print it to a pdf or paper. This is required when you file formal complaint with Press Council of India. It is also required to contact the editor before we file a formal complaint.

In short what we need for a complaint are

  1. Complaint petition
  2. Copy of the news article
  3. Signed  declaration. (http://presscouncil.nic.in/images/decl.doc)
  4. Copy of the correspondence with editor.

New divorce laws prompted man to kill wife

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Centre for Men’s Rights has already condemned the recently approved amendments under Marriage Laws (Amendment) Act, 2010 by union cabinet.  Such irresponsible attitude on part of government is partly to be blamed for the tragic incident below.

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/channels/cities/hyderabad/new-divorce-laws-prompted-man-kill-wife-616

The recent Marriage Laws (amendment) Bill, which received the Union Cabinet’s nod, may be aimed at helping women as it gives them a share in the husband’s property after divorce, however, it has led to the murder of a woman in the city. What’s tragic is that the offender saw the news scrolling on TV shortly before the murder. The easing of divorce norms for women and the legal right of the woman over the property of her husband disturbed him.

Though that’s not the sole reason for the murder, it certainly had a hand in A. Ravi Shankar Goud, 34, brutally murdering his wife and her brother in Kacheguda a few days ago, according to East Zone DCP Y. Gangadhar. As their marriage was on the verge of breakdown and divorce meant giving her a share in property, the local BJP leader killed his wife instead, say cops.

Ravi Shankar, who had been absconding since the murders on Saturday evening, was nabbed by a police team at the Imblibun bus stand. A resident of Metherbasti in Kacheguda, he married Renuka, 22, from the Adibatla village of Ibrahimpatnam in 2010 and had a daughter in 2011. However, differences cropped up between the couple. Ravi Shankar had burn marks over the entire left portion of his body from shoulder to abdomen. He had sustained these burns in a childhood accident. However, because of the scars, his wife reportedly refused to cooperate with him in marital life.

The efforts of elders from both sides couldn’t reconcile them. The police too counselled the couple but the situation remained the same. On the evening of March 24, she was getting ready to go to her parents’ house to celebrate the first birthday of her daughter. Ravi Shankar objected to this and in the heat of the moment, he slapped her following which she called up her father Rajkumar who in turn sent his son Hari Kumar, 20, to his daughter. Hari Kumar tried to cool down tempers. However, the couple sent Hari Kumar out to get Amruthanjan and resumed the argument.

Police said that before Hari Kumar could return, Ravi Shankar killed his wife by stabbing her in the abdomen, chest and neck. Enraged at seeing his sister dead, Hari Kumar caught Ravi Shankar by the collar. But the accused overpowered him and stabbed him to death with the same knife. When Renuka’s parents turned up, he was trying to set himself afire. However, he managed to escape. Police recovered the knife and blood stained clothes from his possession.

Christine McCallum Sentenced To 29 Months For Sex With 13-Year-Old Student

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Double standards in media reporting and societal thinking, if a boy is raped it is called ‘sex’.  If the perpetrator was a man and victim a girl, none of the media reporting headlines will term it as ‘sex with student’.  And the sentence may be more like 29 years than 29 months.

 

Former Massachusetts teacher Christine McCallum was sentenced to 29 months in prison and 10 years probation for raping and drugging a 13-year-old student.

McCallum, 29, was arrested in January 2009 and convicted of raping the boy up to 300 times over a 21-month period. She pleaded guilty to 12 counts of child rape, one count of drugging a person for sex and one count of providing alcohol to a minor, according to Enterprise.

The former Abington elementary school educator started tutoring her victim and his 11-year-old brother in 2005, FOX 25 reported. After a 20-month period, the two boys started living with McCallum and her husband part-time.

McCallum had sex with the 13 year old for the first time in February 2006, and used alcohol and marijuana to persuade him.

The sexual relationship ended almost two years later when the boy, then 15, became interested in a girl his own age.

In an impact statement, the boy’s father described McCallum as “a true predator and a monster” who destroyed his life, WATD-FM reported.

“You put my two sons at grave risk on many occasion with out my knowledge, you gave my kids drugs and alcohol with no regard for their well being, only to fulfill your own selfish needs,” the father said in court. “To me you are true predator and a monster.”