Women Empowerment And Education Reflection On A Survey Of Women In Varanasi

This article aims to probe the role of education in the empowerment of women in Varanasi District, Uttar Pradesh. This survey was done during the fieldwork guidance and supervision of social work students during the academic session 2014-15. This article tries to unearth the socio-economic status of woman, attitude towards girls education in society, problems affecting the education of women, the importance of marriage, and how does it affect education and marriage. Finally, some suggestions have been made to eradicate the practice of intra-house hold and social discrimination of girl child and women

Living on the Extreme Margin: Social Exclusion of the Transgender Population (Hijra) in Bangladesh

The transgender people (hijra), who claim to be neither male nor female, are socially excluded in Bangladesh. This paper describes social exclusion of hijra [The term is used in this abstract both in singular and plural sense] focusing on the pathway between exclusion and sexual health. In an ethnographic study, 50 in-depth interviews with hijra, 20 key-informant interviews, and 10 focus-group discussions (FGDs), along with extensive field observations, were conducted. The findings revealed that hijra are located at the extreme margin of exclusion having no sociopolitical space where a hijra can lead life of a human being with dignity. Their deprivations are grounded in non-recognition as a separate gendered human being beyond the male-female dichotomy. Being outside this norm has prevented them from positioning themselves in greater society with human potential and security. They are physically, verbally, and sexually abused. Extreme social exclusion diminishes self-esteem and sense of social responsibility. Before safer sex interventions can be effective in a broader scale, hijra need to be recognized as having a space on society's gender continuum. Hijra, as the citizens of Bangladesh and part of society's diversity, have gender, sexual and citizenship rights, that need to be protected

Living on the Extreme Margin: Social Exclusion of the Transgender Population (Hijra) in Bangladesh

The transgender people (hijra), who claim to be neither male nor female, are socially excluded in Bangladesh. This paper describes social exclusion of hijra [The term is used in this abstract both in singular and plural sense] focusing on the pathway between exclusion and sexual health. In an ethnographic study, 50 in-depth interviews with hijra, 20 key-informant interviews, and 10 focus-group discussions (FGDs), along with extensive field observations, were conducted. The findings revealed that hijra are located at the extreme margin of exclusion having no sociopolitical space where a hijra can lead life of a human being with dignity. Their deprivations are grounded in non-recognition as a separate gendered human being beyond the male-female dichotomy. Being outside this norm has prevented them from positioning themselves in greater society with human potential and security. They are physically, verbally, and sexually abused. Extreme social exclusion diminishes self-esteem and sense of social responsibility. Before safer sex interventions can be effective in a broader scale, hijra need to be recognized as having a space on society\u2019s gender continuum. Hijra, as the citizens of Bangladesh and part of society\u2019s diversity, have gender, sexual and citizenship rights, that need to be protected

Microcredit and Savings

The Grameen Bank in Bangladesh has pioneered a credit delivery system with a vision to bring banking services to poor villagers. It extends small collateral-free loans, known as microcredit (or microfinance in broader terms), to group of poor borrowers in order that they may engage in income generating activities. Conventional banks usually do not consider the poor as bankable due to a lack of collateral and the incidence of high costs and risks. Grameen Bank\u27s peer lending methodology has overcome these barriers to provide credit to the poor (www.grameen-info.org). The joint liability condition is one of the prominent features of the group lending methodology introduced by the Grameen Bank in the 1970s. Group lending with joint liability refers to the practice of disbursing loans to individual members within a group while the group as a whole is held liable if any repayment difficulty arises. In chapter 1 we theoretically examine an incentive mechanism in microfinance that may enhance repayment rates without applying the joint-liability condition introduced by the Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. In a two-period model of micro-lending with individual liability, we incorporate a savings scheme as an incentive device to prevent strategic default. Our theoretical analysis shows that a proper savings plan increases the borrower\u27s future consumption, raises her utility and thus provides her with an incentive to repay even the second-period debt under a two-period financial contract. In chapter 2 we incorporate uncertainty into our two-period model of microcredit and savings with individual liability. We theoretically show that the borrower\u27s savings and future consumption in high-income state are higher than those in low income state. Moreover, as the probability of generating high income from an investment project decreases, the interest rate on the borrower\u27s savings to be offered by the lender increases to prevent strategic default. In chapter 3, based on a case study of Association for Social Advancement (a leading microfinance institution in Bangladesh), we empirically explore the impact of female borrowers\u27 savings and male borrowers\u27 savings on financial self-sufficiency and depth of outreach of the microfinance institutions. The results of our study highlight the possibility of mobilizing borrowers\u27 savings to enhance the achievement of financial self-sufficiency of the microcredit programs and to improve outreach to poor borrowers. However, we find that female borrowers\u27 savings, not male borrowers\u27 savings (as the cointegrating regression results show) have statistically significant impact on the microcredit program\u27s financial self-sufficiency and depth of outreach

Clinical Profile and Treatment Outcomes of Hypermanganesemia with Dystonia 1 and 2 among 27 Indian Children

Background Hypermanganesemia with dystonia 1 and 2 (HMNDYT1 and 2) are rare, inherited disorders of manganese transport. Objectives We aimed to describe clinical, laboratory features, and outcomes among children with HMNDYT. Methods We conducted a retrospective multicenter study involving tertiary centers across India. We enrolled children between 1 month to 18 years of age with genetically confirmed/clinically probable HMNDYT. Clinical, laboratory profile, genetic testing, treatment details, and outcomes scored by treating physicians on a Likert scale were recorded. Results We enrolled 27 children (19 girls). Fourteen harbored SLC30A10 mutations; nine had SLC39A14 mutations. The SLC39A14 cohort had lower median age at onset (1.3 [interquartile range (IQR), 0.7-5.5] years) versus SLC30A10 cohort (2.0 [IQR, 1.5-5.1] years). The most frequent neurological features were dystonia (100%; n = 27), gait abnormality (77.7%; n = 21), falls (66.7%; n = 18), and parkinsonism (59.3%; n = 16). Median serum manganese (Mn) levels among SLC39A14 (44.9 [IQR, 27.3-147.7] mcg/L) cohort were higher than SLC30A10 (29.4 [17.1-42.0] mcg/L); median hemoglobin was higher in SLC30A10 (16.3 [IQR, 15.2-17.5] g/dL) versus SLC39A14 cohort (12.5 [8.8-13.2] g/dL). Hepatic involvement and polycythaemia were observed exclusively in SLC30A10 variants. A total of 26/27 children underwent chelation with disodium calcium edetate. Nine demonstrated some improvement, three stabilized, two had marked improvement, and one had normalization. Children with SLC39A14 mutations had poorer response. Two children died and nine were lost to follow-up. Conclusions We found female predominance. Children with SLC39A14 mutations presented at younger age and responded less favorably to chelation compared to SLC30A10 mutations. There is emerging need to better define management strategies, especially in low resource settings