1 HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL FORUM ON MINORITY ISSUES Fourth Session: Guaranteeing the Rights of Minority Women Geneva, November 29-30, 2011 Minority Women/ Girls: The Right to Education Minority Women & Girls in India: Critical elements to consider towards Equity in Education FARAH NAQVI Independent Writer & Activist, India I speak in the context of India, and largely though not exclusively, in the context of Muslims who constitute 13.4% of the total population and are the largest religious minority. In sheer numbers Muslims in India are well over 140 million people, with over 67 million Muslim women and girls, more than the entire populations of many European countries. Yet Muslim women in India today have the lowest literacy indicators and lowest formal work participation rate of women from any socio-religious community. Addressing these deprivations means battling both global Islamophobia and in India a strong right wing movement with a national political presence. Against this backdrop I will make a few critical points. I. GENERAL RECOMMENDATION: Violence targeted against Muslim and Christian minorities, against Tribals (indigenous peoples) and Dalits (the ‘lowest’ castes) has taken place with regularity in India over the years. Multiple forms of sexual assault against women from these communities have been a critical part of the overall pattern of violence. The most visible arm of the State – the police and law enforcement– are often seen to be partisan in these cases, and the wheels of justice have either not turned at all, or turned far too slowly. Over time this has lead to an enormous breach of trust between State and large sections of the Muslim community, particularly those in ghettoes, those on the margins, and those who need State interventions for equitable development the most. State-led efforts for educational, economic or political empowerment of Minority women cannot succeed in the face of this general trust deficit. It must be bridged. Therefore addressing the issue of targeted, and mass violence against minority groups and ensuring the right to life, justice and comprehensive reparation through robust State legislation has to be named as the critical backdrop to any educational initiative for minority women.