South Asia Women Foundation, India (SAWFIN) announces a call for #fellowships for women and trans* groups on two important themes:
1. Legal Fellowship Programme (2021-22)
The Legal Fellowship Programme was initiated by SAWF IN in 2017 in partnership with Women’s Fund Asia. The year-long fellowship support is aimed at enabling women lawyers hone feminist lawyering and litigation skills, and advocate for women and trans* rights. At the same time, the programme offers opportunities for peer learning, building networks with lawyers from other countries and receiving mentoring support from senior feminist lawyers.
SAWF IN is launching the call for legal fellows against the background of the humanitarian crisis unleashed by COVID 19. The pandemic has exposed and exacerbated social and economic inequalities in all forms. Numerous studies have shown that the effects of COVID have been particularly harsh on women and trans* people. Women’s groups have reported exacerbated incidents of inter spousal abuse, domestic violence and sexual assault. For many such women legal recourse for the violations faced by them is highly challenging as they are either unaware of the remedies available or the legal system is highly intimidating and unresponsive to their situation. Further, the high cost of litigation also deters women from seeking the rights granted to them under the law.
Through the fellowship SAWF IN wishes to address the unmet need for litigation support to women who choose to use the legal remedies they are entitled to. The fellowship will support women lawyers practising at district courts to:
- Provide free legal aid and support to women and trans* litigants
- Build their own skills in feminist lawyering in primary courts, particularly in building constitutional arguments.
- Advocate for more gender responsive lawyering at district courts
- Lead and participate in actions that directly contribute to realising the rights of women and trans*
Deadline: JANUARY 26TH 2021, MIDNIGHT IST
Apply here: http://www.sawfindia.org/node/35
2. Fellowship on Economic and Environmental Justice (2021-22)
SAWF IN aims to support women and trans* led interventions on building economic resilience but in a manner that is also ecologically sustainable. In other words, the fellowship seeks to nurture practices and actions that will achieve economic justice outcomes using environmentally robust strategies.
They seek applications from individual women and trans* working independently or as part of collectives, with an innovative intervention which combines achievement of economic justice and improved environmental outcomes. The effort would be to give preference to proposals from regions which are ecologically fragile and in need of supportive interventions inputs leading to economic justice.
Deadline: JANUARY 30TH 2021, MIDNIGHT IST
Apply here: http://www.sawfindia.org/node/36
South Asia Women Foundation India (SAWF IN)
South Asia Women Foundation India (SAWF IN) is the only women’s fund in India. We support individuals and organisations working towards the advancement of women and trans* rights in the country.
SAWF IN aims to mobilize resources from a diverse range of supporters – particularly from within India, to advance the rights of women and trans* communities. For SAWF IN, trans* here refers to a wide range of gender identities. Apart from transsexual and transgender, this umbrella term includes but is not restricted to agender, gender fluid and gender non-conforming identities.
SAWF IN are part of the global sisterhood of women’s funds and feminist philanthropic movements.