“This abuse has found a home on the internet. We have seen right-wing extremists call for the shooting of farmers, for the genocide of Sikhs“

Neelam Kaur Gill

It’s now coming into the sixth month of a long and painful battle between the farmers of India and their government, after new agriculture laws, that seem to favour large corporations at the detriment of the small farmer’s livelihood, were unveiled back in August, sparking outrage and protest from the people affected.

The farmers fear the three new laws will leave them vulnerable to exploitation and will devastate their earnings, as the laws were introduced to incentivise private participation through deregulation of production, movement and sale – something that threatens the small and medium-scale farmers businesses and livelihoods with the possibility of manipulation and unfair prices. This is another blow to the people of India’s largest employer, as the climate crisis has already taken a large toll on the agricultural sector, and with no chance for open discussion on a topic that would impact hundreds of thousands of Indians, these farmers took to protest.

For months now, through cold and struggle, farmers have been protesting to get these laws repealed, taking to mass demonstrations, highway camping and other peaceful methods to get their points across. A lot of these protests have been spearheaded by the women of the farming industry, as the majority of working women in India are employed by agriculture, and a women farmers’ day was declared amongst the protests to commemorate this statistic.

The protests turned violent towards the end of January when a storm of Delhi’s Red Fort ended in the death of a protester and the detainment of over 200 more. Some peaceful demonstrations have been met with brutal force too, with images of police brutality and suppression from the authorities circling social media, causing Humanitarian Aid Organisations such as Khalsa Aid to appeal for discipline and adherence to be maintained by the government.

The Indian government continued to inhibit peaceful protestors this past weekend  by blocking mobile internet services around the New Delhi area, preventing protestors from communicating and gathering during a hunger strike, organised to resume more peaceful demonstrations. This internet shutdown was criticised all over international social media, sparking statements and solidarity for protestors from the likes of Rihanna, Greta Thunberg and Meena Harris.

Such tweets were met with a mix of comments for and against the protests, some going as far as threats against these supporters, something sadly becoming a common and relentless occurrence surrounding the events, as particularly women in the South Asian diaspora have received online abuse for supporting the protests. Fashion model Neelam Kaur Gill was one of the women targeted, speaking up about it in a recent statement posted to social media:

“This abuse has found a home on the internet. We have seen right-wing extremists call for the shooting of farmers, for the genocide of Sikhs. And, many women including myself have received relentless abuse online including sexual harassment, intimidation and death threats.”

But the supportive voices continue, as South Asian and Sikh communities all over the world along with allies to the cause have protested and defended out of solidarity for the farmers protesting.

What You Can Do To Help

Like Neelam Kaur Gill said in her statement, “Each like, comment and share has amplified the voice of farmers and labourers into the halls of power – media, parliaments and beyond.” Using any platform you have to share the stories and events of the last 5 months and the movement’s continuation will raise awareness for the matter and help to get these farmers’ needs met.

Change.org have a petition to get the law revoked, that only requires a signature, or if you want to donate, the following organisations are supporting Indian farmers.

Fundraiser for medical facilities, created by https://unitedsikhmission.org/

saveindianfarmers.org runs several projects to aid Indian farmers inside and outside of this movement, providing support with everything from rural education to water conservation.

Khalsa Aid are supporting the protests on the ground, working closely with the organisers.They aren’t currently requesting funds but are continuing to support and share their work, and will share any projects when approached.

Words by Daisy Greetham

The post Indian Farmers Protest: Everything You Need To Know And How To Help appeared first on Voir Fashion.

The height of the sexual harassment conversation was seen at the beginning of 2018 when one of the biggest names in Hollywood was exposed as a sexual predator. This sparked a discussion into the topic of sexual harassment and pioneered the movement that fights to protect women. Since then, many TV shows have come out, highlighting the instances of sexual harassment and the reality of injustice that has been present when it comes to sexual harassment cases. Voir has curated a list of five TV shows that has sparked a conversation and present a realistic depiction of sexual harassment.

Liar

2 seasons

Sundance Tv

Liar is a psychological thriller that tells the story of Laura Nielson, a dedicated teacher who accuses Andrew Earlham, a renowned surgeon of rape after a seemingly innocent date. The series is a volatile story of how these accusations capsize their lives after making the accusations. Laura, as the accuser’s life, is put under a microscope and all her actions up until then are criticised while the accused as he is a renowned surgeon, doesn’t face the same criticism.

I May Destroy You

June 7th HBO Max

Michaela Coel first came into the mainstream with her hit comedy series Chewing Gum; now she is telling a fearless, frank and provocative story of sexual consent in the series I May Destroy You. This series tells the story of Arabella (played by Coel) a carefree, self-assured Londoner who has lost her memory after a night of heavy drinking, where her drink is spiked with a date-rape drug. While waking up the next day with no memory and a head scar, Arabella must rebuild what happened to her, forcing her to question everything.

13 Reasons Why

4 Seasons

Netflix

’13 Reasons Why’ is a series that took the world by storm as it told the story of depression and suicide among youth through the main character Hannah Baker. In the first season, the topic of sexual harassment is spoken about briefly as one of the reasons that contributed to the suicide of the main character, but the topic is explored further in the second season where the series approaches this topic highlighting gender inequality in school policy and the toxic masculinity present in the high school environment.

Unbelievable

Limited series (8 episodes)

Netflix

Based on The Marshall Project and ProPublica Pulitzer Prize-winning article, “An Unbelievable Story of Rape,” written by T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong, and the This American Life radio episode, “Anatomy of Doubt”. Unbelievable tells the story of women who face sexual violence from a serial predator who preys upon women across the country. The series highlights injustice the unspeakable trauma and astounding resilience of the victims when it comes to sexual harassment.

Sex Education

2 seasons

Netflix

Sex education tells the story of Socially awkward high school student Otis who becomes the student’s sex therapist having little sexual experience of his own. As the show tackles the topics around sex, they were bound to tackle the story of sexual harassment eventually. The series depicts acts of sexual harassment in public spaces that may be seen as small acts but leave lasting trauma to the victims.

Sexual harassment is a topic that we should all be talking about and educating ourselves on and thanks to these shows storylines which are shining light on different scenarios of sexual harassment. If you are a victim of sexual violence, Call the Rape Crisis national freephone helpline on 0808 802 9999 (12-2.30pm and 7-9.30pm every day of the year) or find the nearest Rape and sexual assault referral centres services near you here. You can also visit this website here to find out the steps to take.

Words by Precious Njoki

Graphics by Katie Janes

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The post 5 TV Shows Speaking on Sexual Harassment appeared first on Voir Fashion.