http://us.oneworld.net/article/archive/2239 en_US http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/160333/1/2239 In a major victory to get their profession legally recognised, sex workers in eastern India have been granted a life cover by the country’s largest insurance company. The move is being hailed as a significant breakthrough in efforts to help them fight poverty and discrimination. http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/160108/1/2239 Even as UNESCO’s latest report pans India for lagging behind in the race for achieving education for all by 2015, experts gathered in the capital weigh up the nationally sponsored Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan. Exclusion and discrimination remain core challenges as millions of children remain outside its fold, is the verdict. http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/159779/1/2239 A new International Labour Organization report says the workplace is helping tackle HIV/AIDS stigma and discrimination through greater tolerance and improved attitude towards affected co-workers. The report, which covers 650 workplaces in 24 countries, also notes an increased acceptance of condom use. http://tv.oneworld.net/article/view/159700/1/2239 http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/159675/1/2239 In a landmark judgment, India’s Supreme Court has upheld the law that provides reservation in admissions in central government educational institutions to backward castes. With this the share of reserved seats will be close to 50%. However, the affluent sections from the disadvantaged groups will not be able to gain the preferential treatment. http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/159512/1/2239 What often goes unreported in the mainstream media, finds a place in Khabar Lahariya, a truly people’s newspaper run by Dalit women in Chitrakoot in northern India. Despite their lack of education, these women journalists cover politics, development and a range of issues read by all sections of society. http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/159414/1/2239 Thanks to the support of the DMK federation of Dalit land rights and Action Aid, the women of Kattiupaiyur, Tamil Nadu, India have reclaimed what once belonged to the oppressed community. Eight years of struggle have made them proud owners of land that they now dream of passing on to their daughters. http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/159365/1/2239 Social stigmas attached to leprosy continue unabated in India, home to over 50% of the world's leprosy patients. Ostracised by society and lacking government support, it is ghettos like the Village of Hope in Delhi that offer shelter, companionship and dignity to those afflicted by the disease, writes Aditi Rao. http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/159278/1/2239 A state level tribal women leader’s summit was organised by Centre for Youth and Social Development (CYSD) at Bhubanewar, Orissa in eastern India. Several women tribal leaders and stakeholders representing government and civil society emphasised the need to empower tribal women with decision-making and elevate their social status. http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/158840/1/2239 Dalit women in Andhra Pradesh in southern India are gearing up to fight for their land rights. To turn a recent government order into reality, the campaign backed by ActionAid India and Dalit Samakhya has filed over 25,000 applications to put unused land into productive use. http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/158770/1/2239 A budgetary allocation for the welfare of minorities in the union budget for the financial year 2008-09 is far short of expectations, say Muslim organisations, who recently held a demonstration in the Indian capital to demand a better deal from the government. http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/158461/1/2239 British author Valerie Mason-John’s new book Broken Voices has series of interviews with dalit women, recounting their horrific experiences of caste-based injustice and discrimination. During her five-month stay Valerie lived, ate and worked together with these women to get the feel of what it is like to be an untouchable in India. http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/158298/1/2239 When a dalit widow was appointed as cook in a government-run school in northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, no one was ready to eat the food cooked and served by her. Everyone conspired to sack her and saw to it that she was never reinstated. http://southasia.oneworld.net/article/view/158294/1/2239 At least five Nepali gays will contest elections for the Constituent Assembly, scheduled to be held this April, to take up the issue of discrimination against their community. In a nation that treats homosexuality as illegal and immoral, this is an attempt to fight exclusion. http://unimondo.oneworld.net/article/view/158261/1/2239 "Un flagello globale che affligge un terzo della popolazione femminile nel mondo": così l'Onu ha definito la violenza verso donne e bambine lanciando la campagna "Say No to Violence against Women". "Si tratta di una campagna per le donne e le ragazze che hanno il diritto di vivere libere dalla violenza, oggi e in futuro" - ha detto il Segretario Generale dell'Onu Ban Ki-moon. "Almeno una donna su tre rischia di essere picchiata, costretta al sesso o abusata in vario modo nella sua vita. Attrave