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TOWARDS EVOLVING A SURVIVOR CENTRIC APPROACH

TOWARDS EVOLVING A SURVIVOR CENTRIC APPROACH

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TOWARDS EVOLVING A SURVIVOR CENTRIC APPROACH
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<strong>CENTRE FOR WOMEN'S STUDIES, SSS, JNU</strong> <strong>BEGUM ROKEYA ANNUAL LECTURE</strong> <strong>TOWARDS EVOLVING A SURVIVOR CENTRIC APPROACH</strong> by <strong>Flavia Agnes</strong> Majlis Legal Centre, Mumbai CHAIR: <strong>Prof. Sudha Pai</strong> Rector, JNU Even thirty years after the anti rape campaign was launched during the early 1980s; we are yet to evolve a viable victim support programme. The demand of the anti rape protests has been to render the law more stringent (death penalty, life imprisonment, denial of bail to the accused, etc.) rather than emphasizing the need to provide long term support to victims to transform them into survivors. The rape trials continue to be harrowing, the cross-examination grueling and victims continue to be humiliated in police stations and in courtrooms. The conviction rate continues to be dismal and a popular perception that "acquittals = false cases" prevails. In 2011, Majlis started a victim support programme, RAHAT, which has recently published a report based on analysis of 490 cases in which we provided support, as well as 140 trial court judgments. The findings are revealing and break popular myths about rape and highlight the need for evolving a viable victim support programme, beyond the legal case. <strong>DATE: 28TH OCTOBER, 2015</strong>

A warm welcome to the modified and updated website of the Centre for East Asian Studies. The East Asian region has been at the forefront of several path-breaking changes since 1970s beginning with the redefining the development architecture with its State-led development model besides emerging as a major region in the global politics and a key hub of the sophisticated technologies. The Centre is one of the thirteen Centres of the School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi that provides a holistic understanding of the region.

Initially, established as a Centre for Chinese and Japanese Studies, it subsequently grew to include Korean Studies as well. At present there are eight faculty members in the Centre. Several distinguished faculty who have now retired include the late Prof. Gargi Dutt, Prof. P.A.N. Murthy, Prof. G.P. Deshpande, Dr. Nranarayan Das, Prof. R.R. Krishnan and Prof. K.V. Kesavan. Besides, Dr. Madhu Bhalla served at the Centre in Chinese Studies Programme during 1994-2006. In addition, Ms. Kamlesh Jain and Dr. M. M. Kunju served the Centre as the Documentation Officers in Chinese and Japanese Studies respectively.

The academic curriculum covers both modern and contemporary facets of East Asia as each scholar specializes in an area of his/her interest in the region. The integrated course involves two semesters of classes at the M. Phil programme and a dissertation for the M. Phil and a thesis for Ph. D programme respectively. The central objective is to impart an interdisciplinary knowledge and understanding of history, foreign policy, government and politics, society and culture and political economy of the respective areas. Students can explore new and emerging themes such as East Asian regionalism, the evolving East Asian Community, the rise of China, resurgence of Japan and the prospects for reunification of the Korean peninsula. Additionally, the Centre lays great emphasis on the building of language skills. The background of scholars includes mostly from the social science disciplines; History, Political Science, Economics, Sociology, International Relations and language.

Several students of the centre have been recipients of prestigious research fellowships awarded by Japan Foundation, Mombusho (Ministry of Education, Government of Japan), Saburo Okita Memorial Fellowship, Nippon Foundation, Korea Foundation, Nehru Memorial Fellowship, and Fellowship from the Chinese and Taiwanese Governments. Besides, students from Japan receive fellowship from the Indian Council of Cultural Relations.