Global IssuesINDIA: Muslim Women Explore Opportunity in Non-Traditional Fields
In a small, dingy and humid room inside a house in Metiabruz, a poor Muslim- dominated locality in Kolkata in eastern India, at least 20 Muslim women, aged 16 to 28, can hardly contain their enthusiasm as they talk about their aspirations and why they decided to study information technology (IT), a short-term course offered for a minimal fee by a non-government organisation operating in their area.
'These days computer knowledge is extremely important,' Neha Parveen gushes. 'Plus, if I know nothing about (it), people will think I am ignorant,' adds the 19-year-old, who is reading for her a bachelor’s (honours) degree in English.
Parveeen and the rest of the women are all taking up short-term IT courses at the Community Support Centre, run by Swayam (Oneself), a city-based NGO advocating women’s rights.
Most of the students come from the lower middle class, and some from better-off families. While most have finished their secondary education, others, especially young girls, are still in high school. A few are already married and with children.
Students are charged 50 Indian rupees (about 1 U.S. dollar) for the mandatory one month basic course and 100 rupees (2 dollars) for other courses such as desktop publishing (DTP), Adobe PageMaker and Photoshop. Since 2008, 121 students have completed the basic course and 16 the DTP, says Aditi Kar, a community social caseworker of Swayam.
Becoming 'independent' economically is important, the women tell IPS. Their mothers, who are full-time homemakers, encouraged them to undergo the training, believing it is key to their growth, they say.
They see the opportunity to study IT courses as a stepping stone to greater opportunity. Farhan Khatoon, 17, says she wants to become a chartered accountant while Jaheeda Khatun, 20, cannot wait to complete her education so that she can start looking for a job.
For now, she prides herself on being able to help her younger sister with her assignments, thanks to her college education and increased knowledge gained at the Centre.
'Some of these girls were so conscious when they first came (to the Centre) that if even a strand of hair escaped their head scarves, they cringed. Today, some of them come to the centre without wearing the burqa, says Sukanya Gupta, coordinator of Swayam. This reflects a sense of independence for the women brought up in a traditional Muslim way. 'It’s amazing the way they talk so confidently today.'
In 2006, Swayam conducted a survey among 200 respondents on the incidence of domestic violence in Metiabruz at the request of a woman victim, who approached the NGO.
'On investigation, we saw the need for vocational and skills training among the women here,' Kar tells IPS. Many of the women, including young girls, who were not necessarily all violence victims, expressed their need to work and become economically independent, she says.
Empowering the women through a range of activities such as skills training was a crucial step toward addressing gender violence, says Kar. IT training is just one of Swayam’s activities for the women in the area, she adds.
The demand for IT training came from the women themselves, says Kar. With support from Anudip Foundation for Social Welfare, an NGO based in West Bengal state, home to this capital city, Swayam opened the centre in 2008, offering skills training programmes, including IT courses, and women empowerment activities.
According to the United Nations Development Fund for Women, promoting education, training and professional development is one of the principles of women empowerment.
'It’s nice to see that the number of girls (enrolled in IT courses) is increasing, though some drop out for various reasons,' says Nishat Chaman, who teaches at the Centre, where she been a student herself.
Elsewhere in Muslim-dominated parts of India, women have also shown keen interest in stepping out of their traditional domains.
In Murshidabad district of West Bengal, where girls are often married off below the legal age of 18, Bula Khatoon, 16, agreed to marry the mate chosen for her by her parents on condition that she be would allowed to continue her studies.
On learning that her husband expected her to become a full-time homemaker, she divorced him immediately and went back to her village school to continue her studies. 'I always wanted to study and would not stop now because of marriage,' Khatoon was quoted as saying by ‘The Telegraph’, a Kolkata-based daily, in its December 2009 issue.
In Ahmedabad city in western Gujarat state, Umeed (meaning ‘belief’), a training centre, is also seeing a significant number of Muslim women enrolling in three-month skills training courses, including computer education, costing 500 rupees (about 11 dollars) each.
Muslim women are also venturing into unconventional fields. In 2008, Papiya Sultana Alam, armed with a master’s degree in business administration, became the first Muslim woman police officer in West Bengal, according to ‘The Telegraph’.
A soon-to-be published 12-state study conducted among Muslim girls aged 15 to 22 by the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (Indian Muslim Women's Movement), a civil society organisation promoting Muslim women’s rights, has found that 'women would like to have access to vocational training and English medium education,' reveals founder trustee Safia Niaz.
Still another survey, jointly conducted by ‘The Telegraph’ and GFK Mode, a social research outfit based in Kolkata, has found a similar trend among Muslim women.
Of 104 girls surveyed recently, aged 13 to 18 years old, 100 percent said they wanted to pursue education beyond school, 94 percent wanted a career of their own and only six percent wanted to become homemakers.
© Inter Press Service (2010) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service