Copyright: Murali Krishnan

It was an eye-opener to return to Vrindavan, a holy and dusty town in northern India steeped in the lore of Lord Krishna. For years, this town, christened the ‘city of widows’ has been the home of women from many parts of the country’s rural hinterland, particularly from West Bengal.

Women: walking on a tightrope

“It’s hard to be a woman. You must think like a man, act like a lady, look like a young girl, and work like a horse.”

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A few days back while browsing through my Facebook page, I got to read this lovely quote in a friend’s wall.

When we look for achievements to rejoice, the lack of them leads us to our failures. But the realization of our failures is also extremely important to overcome hurdles and strengthen our resolve for a better future.

Mexico’s Ciudad Juarez is known for its infamous mafia gangs. The mafia initially traded in drugs, but now they’ve begun selling women as sex slaves too.

It’s been two years since the reported murders of five tribal women in a remote region of Pakistan made headlines, but powerful local elders have blocked all efforts to carry out independent investigations and punish the culprits.

Two Algerian-born Filipino sisters kidnapped by Muslim extremists eight months ago escaped from their captors in the jungles of the southern Philippines with a cat that had given them company during their ordeal.