sexual abuse

Photo of a woman standing in the entrance of a local train in Mumbai

Building Resilience from Memories

·April 2, 2018
·Elsa Marie D'Silva
·0 Comments

By creating a safe space to discuss these issues [of sexual abuse] and acknowledging these experiences, we can find a way to address the root cause and move forward in our healing process.

A series of pink and green placards that read 'Teach Safe Touch'

Years Of Sexual Abuse In A Family, The Collective Angst, And A Final Closure: This Is My Story

·February 19, 2015
·Curated Content

This post is part of TARSHI's #TalkSexuality campaign on Comprehensive Sexuality Education in collaboration with Youth Ki Awaaz. The author chose to remain anonymous. Last year in August, my paternal grandfather (dada) passed away. I was shocked at the pure occurrence of this eventuality translating into a reality; an end, that all members of my family had been waiting for. In…

Five transgender women dressed in colourful sarees, standing in the middle of the street.

I Column: Shades of Grey

·February 1, 2014
·Anita

Introduction: As this first-person account of Anita, a Devadasi in Maharashtra, Western India illustrates, issues of consent and violence/coercion cannot always be clearly demarcated as black and white. Anita’s account shows that there were definite instances of coercion in her life and equally, there were spaces where she was able to exercise her choice and…

In Plainspeak publishes two issues with a theme every month.
A cross-cutting theme across all forthcoming issues in 2021 is how we can expand safe, inclusive sexuality-affirming spaces.

THIS ISSUE:

March 2021
Ageing and Sexuality, I Issue – March 1, 2021
Juxtaposed against the broad category of youth, older adulthood is often considered as a period of decline instead of a stage as complex and full as any other in our life. Socio-cultural negativity around sexuality and ageing make the physical, psychological, and psychosexual changes that come as we grow older, unnecessarily difficult to deal with. As older adults we may be made to feel that our desires are superfluous and undignified, and our sexual performance is diminishing or compromised, as is our desirability. When we are older, our relationships, especially those which are romantic, are often portrayed as devoid of sexual passion and instead, as hingeing on companionship and caregiving, which is fine if that indeed be the case. However, sexuality may be as intrinsic to our relationship with ourselves and the world as we grow older, and with the confidence that comes with life experience and self-awareness, may be even more authentically expressed and enjoyed. In the March 2021 issue of In Plainspeak, we examine the place sexuality occupies in our life as we grow older, how it relates to our self-expression, relationships, and sexual and reproductive health and rights, and how notions of sexual wellbeing in older adulthood may be expanded.

April 2021
Vulnerability and Sexuality, I Issue – April 1, 2021
Vulnerability is often associated with the threat of emotional or physical hurt, disease (amplified now in a COVID-19 affected world) and violence. Where, with whom, and in what circumstances we feel safe, affects not only our interpersonal relationships and the spaces and services we access but also our relationship with ourselves. However, is the goal of identifying vulnerability simply safety? And, does the search for safety limit or free us in living fully and authentically? While exploring ourselves and the world, we open ourselves up to new and different experiences, places, and people. On the one hand, we may find ourselves rendered vulnerable while engaging with someone sexually and/or romantically, moving cities, travelling alone, or even while dealing with personal adversity. On the other, intentionally allowing ourselves to be vulnerable may be an act of asserting agency in the choices we make and the boundaries we establish or consciously yield around our self-expression, sexuality, bodily integrity, and relationships. The April issue of In Plainspeak attempts to explore vulnerability and sexuality and its interaction with age, caste, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, and socio-economic location.

For future issue themes, click here.

Would you like to contribute? Send an email to blogeditor@tarshi.net with your idea. Do take a look at our submission guidelines!

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