SALW is a web-based project designed to highlight labor and human rights issues in South Asia for a global audience.
Interested in writing or helping out in other ways? South Asia Labor Watch is now accepting pitches from freelancers at southasialabor watch [at] gmail [dot] com for a limited run of stories at http://www.salw.org. It is looking for stories that will report on some of the most important issues in South Asia, from religious fundamentalism to garment workers’ rights. Through solid reporting and easy writing, these stories will be made accessible to a foreign audience. Writers will be compensated a modest sum for the finished product of accepted proposals, which will be published at http://www.salw.org. Previously unpublished writers are welcome.
Proposed articles should be 1000 or more words in length and highlight one or two of the most important issues facing ordinary people in: Pakistan; India; Bangladesh; Maldives; Nepal; Bhutan; and Sri Lanka. A partial list of these is provided at the bottom but the ultimate choice in subject should come from the writer. They should be based on original reporting from South Asia or its Diaspora in the Global South.
Stories should provide a level of detail that will give a solid understanding of the subject matter. They should be written in accessible language that will allow someone not familiar with the subject to grasp why the issue is important. Writers should keep in mind that the intended audience is people who are interested in South Asia and/or labor and human rights. Accompanying photographs are most welcome.
If you or someone you know is interested, please send a short pitch including name, a summary of the proposed story, the lead, and a two-line summary of writer’s qualifications to southasialaborwatch [at] gmail [dot] com. Pitches that address why the proposed story meets the criteria above will have a greater chance of being accepted. Questions and suggestions are welcome and should be sent to southasialaborwatch [at] gmail [dot] com.
For inspiration, some topics that might be of interest are:
Military-society relations;
Religious fundamentalism;
State-society relations;
Worker welfare and organizing;
Human rights, accountability and conflict aftermath;
Sectarianism;
Corporate accountability;
the environment;
Gender rights and sexual orientation;
Land reform and revolution;
Climate change;
Casteism and communalism;
and Regional and geopolitics.
Contact us at southasialaborwatch [at] gmail [dot] com or @SouthAsiaLW on Twitter.