Women's Rights
Results of Asian Press Photo 2023
Gold
Village Girls in Bangladesh
Two female students are going to study at the madrasa through the village path on a winter morning. The picture was taken on 13th January 2022 in a small village in the Brahmanbaria district in Bangladesh. In rural Bangladesh, little boys as well as young girls attend madrassas. Bangladesh is a predominantly Muslim country, village girls go to madrasas wearing burqas, because burqas It is a part of Muslim culture. Apart from Arabic, English, and Bengali are taught in these madrasas. Most of the students in village madrasas come from poor families. Due to poverty, they have to do family work along with studies. However, these village madrasahs are not sufficient for girls. Due to a lack of adequate facilities, rural girls lag far behind in education compared to urban areas.
A group of female students is crossing the road to study at the madrasa. The picture was taken on 26th December 2022 in a village in Jamalpur district. In rural Bangladesh, little boys as well as young girls attend madrassas. As Bangladesh is a predominantly Muslim country, village girls wear burqas to study in madrasas, as burqas are one of the most important parts of Muslim culture. Apart from Arabic, English, Bengali, and Persian are taught in these madrasas. Most of the students in village madrasas come from poor families. Due to poverty, they have to do family work along with studies. However, these village madrasahs are not sufficient for girls. Due to a lack of adequate facilities, rural girls lag far behind in education compared to urban areas.
Silver
Kung Fu for Women Empowerment
Keshab Raj Thoker, Nepali
A group of bald-headed young women, dressed in maroon robes are in deadly actions; swirl sword around their bodies, make a punch, kicks, take off the ground and land safely. These actions are part of Kung Fu that the Buddhist nuns at the Druk Amitabha Mountain Nunnery in Kathmandu practice as a daily routine along with regular prayers and meditation. The Kung Fu is not just a physical exercise but more of self-defense to the nuns. They are defying the century-old tradition of discrimination towards women and promoting gender equality through Kung-Fu.
"We are breaking stereotypes by setting an example that nuns are also capable of doing harsh physical activities like Kung Fu " says Jigme Yangchen Ghamo, 20 who has been playing Kung Fu at the Nunnery, locally known as White Gumba for more than eight years now. In addition to Kung Fu, these nuns also do jogging and cycling to enhance their fitness. Traditionally, Buddhist nuns are not allowed to do physical activities as their male counterparts.
The women in Nepal are historically oppressed and are considered weak and inferior. The nuns are promoting women empowerment reaching out to remote/ traditional villages on a bicycle. "We believe in action rather than a talk", shares Ghamo adding " when women in village see us cycling, which itself is a break of monastery tradition, this has helped them boost their self-esteem".
Kung Fu has also its relevance to spirituality as it trains their mind to focus on meditation. Besides the regular rituals, the nuns undertake an environment-cleaning campaign, which includes picking up litter surrounding Swoyambhunath, the Buddhist religious site. The campaign has gained public attention as the community has started joining them.
Druk Amitabha is the only nunnery in all of the Himalayas performing martial arts and also the largest one with more than 800 nuns. The Drukpa Order is one of the sects of Himalayan Buddhism, which has introduced Kung Fu to the nuns.
Bronze
Wind of Change
Kingshuk Partha, Bangladeshi
This photo was taken from Sunamgonj, Bangladesh on 20 May 2022. The two women worked tirelessly in the fields, their hands moving quickly and expertly as they harvested the rice crop. It was hard work, but they did it with pride and determination, knowing that their contribution was essential to their family's survival.
But then, disaster struck - a flash flood that swept through the village, destroying homes and crops and leaving many families in desperate need. And yet, even in the face of this crisis, the women's work went unnoticed and unappreciated.
It was a sobering reminder of the ongoing struggle for women's human rights - the need to recognize and honor the contributions of women in all areas of life, and to ensure that they have equal access to opportunities, resources, and support.
And yet, even in the midst of this struggle, the women continued to work, their spirits unbroken and their commitment to their families and their community unwavering. For them, the fight for women's rights was not just an abstract concept, but a daily reality that they faced with courage and resilience.
Bronze
Yesmin's Inspiring Fight for Maternity Rights in the Garment Industry
Rakibul Alam Khan, Bangladesh
Yesmin, a 20-year-old female Bangladeshi garment worker, without any formal education stood against the authority with courage.
Yesmin joined as a youth participant of a youth group, and regularly joined the reflection action circle. Through this session, she was introduced to a wide range of discussions such as national youth policies, national labor rights, the importance of skill development, etc.
Later, she attended a training at the global platform Bangladesh designed to develop the capacity of young employees regarding labor rights and activism. After receiving the training, she went back to her job as a regular garment factory sewing machine worker. At this point, she was shell shocked to see the practical scenario and guidelines provided in the national labor law. Soon enough one of her female colleagues came back after maternity leave to work only to find that she does not have a job anymore. Yesmin with her new-found knowledge and activism spirit was determined that she will not let this injustice pass. So, she raised her voice against this to her line-manager. At this time her line-manager did not take her to complain seriously rather ignored her. Yesmin was persistent with her cause as she knew that law is in her favor, so she started to gather evidence and keep pushing this issue to her line-manager. At this point, she received multiple threats from management that, they will also sack her, and she will not be able to work in any other factory as hey will ensure that.This threats only embolden her as she started to gather support from other fellow workers. She used her prior acquired knowledge of activism from Global Platform Bangladesh and mobilizes her fellow workers to disseminate the information that, gross misconduct has been committed by the factory management and paid maternity leave is a labor right for all female workers, no factory can sack a female worker on the ground of pregnancy nor can they deny maternity leave. This step actually emboldens all the worker and all her co-worker stand in solidarity with her regarding this issue. Their demand was clear, re-installment of that female worker sacked during her maternity leave and full payment of her maternity leave. Eventually, factory management realized that the situation was getting out of control as workers now in solidarity threatened to seek legal and union action this injustice. Factory management cave and fulfill all the demands by reinstating Yesmin’s colleague.
Bronze
Crown of Curse and Light
Jahid Alam Apu, Bangladeshi
50-year-old Rahima Khatun (formerly from a village in Bangladesh) spent most of her life in jail because she was imprisoned over a false case. As a result of his release, neither society nor his family came forward to support him. In her twilight years, Rahima Khatun, now a poor and helpless individual, kept herself alive through her own efforts. For less than $2 a day, she works in a lentil factory from dawn to dusk. When I asked her about her life, she smiled and said, "I didn't realize I would be this alone at this point in my life. I had a happy and well-organized life until one single incident ruined it. The only thing I want in life at this age is my family. I want to live with my family until I die.