Fall 2010 - Asian University for Women

More documents

Recommendations

Info

12 OCTOBER 2010 VOL. 4, NO. 2 An AUW Student Reports on Women’s Issues in Bangladesh Canada that serves as a forum for young people across the globe who wish to speak out on the issues of the day (http://www.dispatchesinternational.org). Kaushi applied, but given her limited experience writing in English, she doubted she would get the position. It is winter in Bangladesh and the end of the year has ushered in an unforgiving bout of cold weather. In this part of the world, cold weather means more than merely an extra sweater; as temperatures drop below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, newspapers across the country report on the dire condition of street dwellers who spend their nights sleeping outdoors. The effects of the cold snap can be seen in the plastic surgery and burn unit of this Dhaka hospital, where a lack of sufficient beds leaves patients stretched out on the cold floor with nothing more than a thin bedsheet as covering. The wails of a young girl, her forearms raw with burns, fill the ward as her mother explains that she cannot afford the cost of painkillers. The scene would be daunting for even an experienced reporter, and Kaushalya Ruwanthika Ariyathilaka (“Kaushi”), just 22 years old, is neither a professional reporter nor a hospital staff member. But she is a student from the Asian University for Women (AUW), and she is determined to get her story. At the start of winter break, Kaushi and her friend, a fellow AUW student from Bangladesh who came along to serve as a translator, boarded a train headed for the capital city of Dhaka. Using their own money to purchase train tickets, the AUW students set out for a three-week journey that promised to leave an indelible mark on two young women standing at the intersection of the classroom and their future careers. Kaushi was on assignment from the Canadian journal Dispatches International to investigate the issue of acid attacks against women, one of eight feature articles she plans to write on the challenges women face in the region. A native of Colombo, Sri Lanka, Kaushi is the daughter of a building contractor and a housewife. She is unassumingly driven and quietly passionate about her experiences as a student reporter. She explains: “When I read about things, I can’t forget them … I know I can’t do anything, because I don’t have the means to. But maybe the little thing I’m doing will do something for the people.” As an Access Academy student at AUW, Kaushi volunteered to take part in a cyber-mentoring program that AUW offers in conjunction with the University of Toronto in Canada. The program was designed to allow AUW students from both the Access Academy and the undergraduate programs to discuss mutual career goals and “When I read about things, I can’t forget them … I know I can’t do anything, because I don’t have the means to. But maybe the little thing I’m doing will do something for the people.” hobbies with student mentors half a world away, using online tools such as video chat and instant messaging. Some AUW students became particularly close with their mentors and, aided by the marvels of modern technology, managed to speak with their mentors frequently and even face to face. Kaushi’s mentor, a law student at the University of Toronto, encouraged her to apply for a position as a student reporter at Dispatches International, the quarterly publication of the International Partnerships Foundation (IPF) in KAUSHALYA RUWANTHIKA ARIYATHILAKA Kaushi did nonetheless go on to win a position as a reporter. Soon thereafter she also submitted an essay to the World Bank essay competition on climate change and was selected as one of the top 200 finalists from a pool of 2,500 candidates. “I never imagined I would write things like this,” she says. In the summer of 2009, she and her AUW classmate Mowmita Basak Mow attended a journalism conference hosted by the IPF in Canada. The conference brought together aspiring reporters from 11 countries around the world, including Canada, the United States, Germany, Moldova, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. “It was so nice to meet people from so many different places in the world,” Kaushi gushes. The conference provided workshops on photojournalism, research techniques, and how to write feature articles. Kaushi stayed with the family of a former Access Academy teacher of hers for the entire three-week visit, demonstrating the far reach of AUW’s still-nascent network. Kaushi’s investigation of acid attacks led her from Chittagong to Dhaka and into this hospital ward. She has interviewed professors at Dhaka University; met with police officers at the local station; and traded statistics with staff members at an NGO that caters to burn victims. In each instance she has relied on pure gravitas and determination to get her interviews; most, if not all, of these interviews were a result of her knocking on one door, then another, until she found the person who was willing to help her. She has also faced down dissenters who would prefer she not investigate this topic at all, like the doctor who refused to grant her an interview, insisting that she must receive permission from the courts or from the police first. Kaushi ignored his warnings and marched up to the director of the hospital instead, who agreed to the interview. Most important, Kaushi has spoken with the victims themselves. In a powerful example of the impact AUW hopes to have in the region, Kaushi has displayed the remarkable ability to connect with the victims on a personal level, transcending the boundaries of suspicion and fear to grant a voice to this perpetually marginalized segment of the population. For her article on the issue of dowry violence, Kaushi was able to interview women in their homes before their husbands came home. “[The women] were scared all the time. [But] we were also girls, so they were free to talk,” Kaushi says. Her role as a student reporter ultimately
A PROFILE IN EXCELLENCE 13 highlights the strength of the AUW model, which proposes that female leaders will be uniquely capable of identifying and rising to meet the problems that exist within their communities. Kaushi plans to continue balancing her schoolwork with the responsibilities of working as a student reporter over the coming months. Her research into acid attacks and dowry violence only strengthened her commitment to investigating the challenges women face in the region. For her next article, she hopes to explore the state of Sri Lankan women, both Tamil and Sinhalese, who have lived through the war. “I was thinking that I would write about the experience of our students,” she says. “Some of them have been severely affected by the ethnic conflict.” She credits her upbringing for her strength of resolve. “I was brought up by my family to not stay silent if something wrong is happening,” she explains. LEFT: The author pictured on AUW’s permanent campus site. “A Wife’s Darkest Hour: Dowry Violence in Bangladesh” by Kaushalya Ruwanthika Ariyathilaka, Excerpt* Even before marriage, women suffer in Bangladesh. Girls are fed last and least, and are often seen as a burden; this is typical in most South Asian countries. Parents see marriage as a safe way to get rid of their daughters. Unfortunately, girls find no heaven in their marital houses because some families demand a dowry from their daughters-in-law. While Bangladesh recognizes Islam as its official religion, dowry continuously contradicts both religion and the law. According to the Qu’ran, receiving dowry from the bride’s family is haram, forbidden by the Islamic law; it is the husband’s family that should provide mohorana, money for the bride’s family. Statistics show that 88% of the recently married Muslim wives in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, did not receive their mohorana, but were forced to give a dowry. 1 Even though girls and women … wear the burqa, as a means for following the guidelines of the Qu’ran, people easily forget about religion when it comes to taking or demanding a dowry. “It has become a practice to give dowry to the groom’s family to show gratitude that he has agreed to marry the bride. But the truth is, it has become a kind of source of income for the groom and an easy way to get money without working for it,” explains Dr. Saira Rahaman Khan, an assistant professor at the School of Law at the BRAC [Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee] University and a founding member of Odhikar, a leading non-governmental organization working to raise awareness on human rights abuses in Bangladesh. According to Khan, “social pressure on the bride’s family and fear” are the factors that keep nurturing the dowry system—despite the fact that it is legally banned. *Note: The full text of Kaushi’s article can be accessed on the Dispatches International website at http://www.dispatchesinternational.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58:kaushi1&catid=44:bangladesh&Itemid=58. 1 Statistics were compiled by Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), a non-profit organization based in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and published in ASK's 2006-2008 District Report on Human Rights Violations. Kaushalya Ruwanthika Ariyathilaka, a second-year undergraduate student, grew up in the outskirts of the Sri Lankan capital city Colombo in a town called Kelaniya. Although she pursued biology in high school, she decided to major in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics with a possible language minor after coming to AUW. Her current classes include “Comparative Politics and Democratization,” “Politics of Developing Areas,” “Principles of Microeconomics,” and “Calculus.” She intends to pursue a master’s degree in International Relations and hopes to one day work for the United Nations. For All Painting Solutions Advice on surface preparation Right paint selection and application Color scheme Dealer selection Services Experienced painters illusions: Fashion For Your Walls Just Dial 02-8126669 (Dhanmondi, Dhaka) 02-8918250 (Uttara, Dhaka) 02-9872428 (Banani, Dhaka) 031-618807 (Chittagong) 0821-2831237 (Sylhet) 041-722262 (Khulna) 081-63403 (Comilla)
Page 1 and 2: ASIAN UNIVERSITY FOR WOMEN OCTOBER
Page 3 and 4: ACCESS ACADEMY 3 Access Academy Gra
Page 5 and 6: STUDENT INTERNSHIPS 5 Students aspi
Page 8 and 9: 8 OCTOBER 2010 VOL. 4, NO. 2 Underg
Page 10 and 11: 10 OCTOBER 2010 VOL. 4, NO. 2 rheto
Page 14 and 15: 14 OCTOBER 2010 VOL. 4, NO. 2 LEFT:
Page 16 and 17: 16 OCTOBER 2010 VOL. 4, NO. 2 Cross
Page 18 and 19: 18 OCTOBER 2010 VOL. 4, NO. 2 Beyon
Page 20 and 21: 20 OCTOBER 2010 VOL. 4, NO. 2 Mrs.
Page 22 and 23: 22 OCTOBER 2010 VOL. 4, NO. 2 Condo
Page 24 and 25: 24 OCTOBER 2010 VOL. 4, NO. 2 Break
Page 26 and 27: 26 OCTOBER 2010 VOL. 4, NO. 2 local
Page 28 and 29: 28 OCTOBER 2010 VOL. 4, NO. 2 Mary
Page 30 and 31: 30 OCTOBER 2010 VOL. 4, NO. 2 ACCOM
Page 32 and 33: FULL ADMISSION to the conference (J
Page 34: Asian University for Women Support

Fall 2010 - Asian University for Women

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?