N E W S
Sikh Women Look for Solutions

May 3, 2003
Baltimore, MD

Voices For Freedom held its seminar "Role and Advocacy of Women in Sikhi, Challenges Ahead and the Solutions to those challenges in the 21st century" to bring awareness of issues that Sikh women are facing today.

Among the dozen speakers were Kiran Kaur, the woman who initiated the original petition "Equal Opportunity for Sikh Women in Panthic Seva," even before the Mejindarpal Kaur and Lakhbir Kaur hit the news scene. Kirin Kaur works with the Justice Department of Canada. She talked of the many contributions Sikh women have made in history.

Most of the speakers were women. They focused on current issues such as female fetocide and infanticide, domestic abuse, dowries, castism, widowhood, and of course, seva. Lakhbir Kaur talked about her experience at the Darbar Sahib and a paper by Mejindarpal Kaur detailing solutions to the seva issue, with remarks on dissenting opinions, was also presented.

The solutions the women discussed at the seminar ranged from education and human development at the grass-roots level to keeping up pressure with the political power.

They all seemed to agree that the issues facing Sikh women are very serious and that something needs to be done. They also seemed to agree that both long-term and short-term solutions must be addressed to achieve the liberation they all desire.

One of the few male speakers was Pal Singh, the creator of the Nanakshahi Calendar. The calendar was recently approved by the SGPC and the PSGPC. It took many years to get approval. Interestingly, Pal Singh said that the same group of people who opposed the passage of the Sikh calendar are now opposing the women's seva.

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