Girl Up Neev

We mostly associate bullying with teenagers and schoolchildren being targeted by mean classmates. However, the fact is that we never stop being bullied. Many adults suffer from intimidation, teasing, and criticism. Adult bullies are everywhere. They can be abusive romantic partners, rowdy neighbours, work colleagues, bosses, friends, or even strangers on the street. You might dismiss these encounters as a result of personality differences or someone having a bad day. But, adults get bullied almost as frequently as adolescents.   Bullying has many levels and manifestations, but regardless of how subtle or excessive it may be, it can have a damaging impact on self-esteem. It involves rumours, threats, attacks- both physical and verbal or deliberate exclusion of someone from the group.  This issue is often condoned in the workplace. It can take the form of a manager who is highly critical and consistently demands more work from you while dismissing you. Bullies among co-work...

  Sex Education and Indian “So”-ciety  Let's talk about sex, baby  Let's talk about you and me  Let's talk about all the good things  And the bad things that may be  Let's talk about sex? Nope. – Says the society. Not until a magical switch is flipped on the day you say 'I do'. Thereafter all at once, it turns like the main plot. Masked under heavy innuendos, among other conservative members who gently egg you for “good news”.  In the land of Kama sutra, Khujarao’s Sex temples, and people worshipping ‘Shivlingas’, the word “SEX” remains taboo in India. The country which wrote the greatest book about sex. For Indian society, sex still remains a matter to be discussed inside the closed doors of a bedroom instead of talking about it in public spaces to create more awareness.  India has great architecture and a historic presence to date. There are sculptures of sexual beings, denoting different meanings and expressions of being, and are still a part o...

  "Do not live someone else’s life and someone else’s idea of what womanhood is. Womanhood is you. Womanhood is everything that’s inside of you.”   Inspiration can be found in the darkest of times or the bright daylight if we only open our eyes to see them. From the last 19 years, I have been fortunate enough to see women who are not only trying to improve their lifestyle but also inspiring people around them. I think learning from the people around us, with whom we share personal connections gives us deeper insights and a more clear view of how things work out and how we should tackle them. Stating one of my biggest inspirations, my grandmother who is approximately around 82 years old and still carries that igniting a fire inside her to learn new & difficult things which are completely outside of her understanding zone. Last month, she got adamant and ordered a smartphone for herself because she was so fascinated to see how the whole world is at her fingertips. I ...

Have you ever observed that you feel particularly proud and content on your most productive days? Or that you can feel disappointed or unhappy if you haven't completed duties or met personal or professional goals? For many of us who link who we are with what we do, this is a typical occurrence. We live in a society that tends to place a premium on our achievements over nearly everything else. Resting, imagining, reflecting, feeling, laughing, and connecting with ourselves and others are all part of living a multi-faceted existence. We also need to step out of productivity mode from time to time to deal with difficult emotions, low energy, bereavement, illness, and other unanticipated aspects of life. There is also a notion that if we are not as productive as we should be, we should feel shame or guilt in some way. We fail to acknowledge, however, that our productivity isn't the only factor that determines our self-worth. We can't judge our self-worth or value by what we can...

The baby girl is wrapped in a pink blanket, She’s bought a house kitchen set and barbies to play with, She is told not to wear short skirts by teachers, She’s silenced not to discuss her periods, She’s told to sit in a certain manner, A woman is not supposed to be “loud” and “disrespectful”, Are you sure you even know anything at all about sports, She’s bold, brave and fierce but all she gets to hear is if it’s that time of the month, Her success is perceived as if she slept her way, A married woman is told to give birth, her biological clock is ticking, A guy can roam freely but a girl has to constantly worry, A mere thought of women driving scares off men, She’s supposed to be maternal and take care of her family,  A woman looked like just a household material & never career-oriented, Subtle sexism is ingrained in our lives, a product of patriarchy. Women can take the reins in their hands, rule the world She’s not to be mansplained and we are tired of hearing of being sexuali...

Crimes against Women (2001-2014) A case-study We have all heard blood-boiling stories of rapes, human trafficking, abusive assaults against women but often all we can do is sympathize towards the victim and eventually, the story gathers dust at storage rooms of police or media archives.  This is an attempt to shed some light on these crimes. At 3,44,124, WEST BENGAL has the highest Cruelty by Husband or his Relatives accounting for 15.40% of the cases. It is a linear graph translating to an increase in cases with time. After 70+ years of Independence and amelioration of human rights and science, Dowry Deaths are still a common sight in India, which is not only shameful but also hideous and pathetic. At 57,256 , UTTAR PRADESH had the highest Dowry Deaths accounting for 26.57% of Dowry Deaths.  A general uptrend is abysmal. 2003 had 12,416 cases (least) and 2011 had 17,236 cases (maximum).       Rape is one of the most shamele...

  The term 'Harassment' is a form of discrimination. It includes any unwanted physical or verbal behavior that offends or humiliates you. It covers a wide range of behaviors of an obnoxious nature. Such behavior affects the physical and mental well-being of a person.The ‘Me Too’ movement gave courage to numerous people to speak openly about offensive conduct at the workplace.Yet, many are still skeptical about opening their mouths and reporting harassing behaviors of managers or colleagues. Workplace Harassment is common but not openly talked about in utmost work surroundings. It can ruin a job and could turn a company into a poisonous terrain. Many individuals are not even sure of what is considered to be harassment at the workplace because of which a lot of cases go unreported and it continues to be a problem. The ‘Me Too’ movement has enhanced the awareness of sexual harassment. There are a lot of employees who leave ...