A Gender rights Advocate, Writer and Consultant.
Book Chapters & Reports
Utilising in-depth research and analysis on issues on inclusion, representation and social justice to bring about long format publications.
Book Chapter | Re-Envisioning South Asia’S Foreign Policy from a Feminist Perspective
This chapter makes the case for the adoption of a Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP) in South Asia. It does this by examining the predominant principles of the existing foreign policy framework in the region; analysing gender-mainstreaming efforts in policy outputs; evaluating women’s participation in the conduct of diplomacy and foreign relations; and identifying gender gaps. The study demonstrates that in prioritising national interests, the South Asian member states have not only adopted a narrow conceptualisation of ‘security’—one that hinges on the application of force—but also one which is profoundly gendered and at times even gender blind. Agency and power in fact, continue to be implicitly exhibited as maculinised domains with slim provisions for women—who are considered as passive and dependent beings. Meanwhile, gender mainstreaming merely remains work in progress with little to no productive outcomes. Given this context and in light of the rapidly changing international as well as regional situations, the article argues that South Asia needs to bring in alternative ways of thinking and new methods of doing diplomacy, one that is inclusive of women. The concept of FFP—which goes beyond the existing and often binary interpretation of security to include diverse ideologies with an aim of re-working traditional centres of power—therefore, serves as the best tool to achieve this purpose.
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March 2023 | Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement (NIICE) | Read Here
In light of the ongoing economic crisis, high inflation, and aggressive monetary tightening, the following brief explores gender lens investing (GLI)—as an opportunity to close the gender gap and boost global GDP—to tap into operational gains by creating a larger pool of talent that is inclusive of the other of the population.
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Special Report | War’s Gendered Costs: The Story of Ukraine’s Women
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine entered its eighth month in late October and shows no sign of abatement. The war has had massive consequences on Ukraine, and women and girls are bearing the disproportionate burden. The conflict has further exacerbated gender inequities that were already compounded by eight years of armed conflict in eastern Ukraine and, beginning in early 2020, by the COVID-19 pandemic. This report seeks to fill the gaps in literature on the massive consequences of the conflict on Ukraine’s women.
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In the midst of the chaotic withdrawal of the US-led forces from Afghanistan, the Taliban swept back to power in Kabul on 15 August 2021. Since then, the Taliban have repeatedly attempted to project a more moderate brand of governance. However, the Taliban leaders have yet to enunciate clear policies on issues such as women’s and girls’ access to education, employment, and political participation. Early indications nonetheless suggest that the group has not shed its fundamentalist vision of Islamic society, and is pursuing an approach to governance, political pluralism, and female freedoms that will threaten past gains. With the Taliban now approaching six months of their rule, this report aims to analyse their actions and pronouncements so far, and their impact on the lives of women and girls in Afghanistan.
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Book Chapter | Women and Conflict: Comparative Case studies from Kashmir and North East India
In India, the democratic state formation process has constantly been surfeited with myriad disputes, nationalist assertions and unresolved communal politics often leading to protracted conflicts, use of arms (by state and non-state actors) and excessive controls by state military power. Today, almost one-sixth of the Indian subcontinent is undergoing some form of insurgency or armed conflict. While, women in such situations are affected as much as men are, the gendered nature of these conflicts as well as militarised responses to it have been of little interest to the various government agencies. Nonetheless, gendered analysis of conflicts is essential not only for refining an understanding about how conflict is produced, reduced and directed, but also for understanding how it impacts gender-specific identities, roles and experiences. This chapter aims to map the variegated and complex picture of women’s agency in moments of violent social transformation, focussing on the highly militarised conflict zones of Jammu and Kashmir and Nagaland, the Northeastern state of India.
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In Progress | S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS)
