Cassandra Balchin Explained

Cassandra Marlin Balchin (24 May 1962 – 12 July 2012) was a British journalist and women's rights campaigner.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Early life and education

Balchin was born in England on 24 May 1962. Her mother Yovanka (later Jane), Tomich, was a Yugoslavian refugee and a journalist; her father was psychologist and writer Nigel Balchin (1908–1970). She spent some of her childhood with her mother's family in Yugoslavia, and also spent time in Glemsford, Suffolk.^[5]

Balchin graduated from the London School of Economics in 1983 with a B.Sc. in government, having studied Russian government and history.

Career

After graduating, Balchin moved to Pakistan to work as a journalist, and lived there for 17 years. During this time she became involved in women's rights, wrote Women, law and society: an action manual for NGOs and edited A handbook on family law in Pakistan. She returned to the UK in 2000, and helped to establish the UK office of Women Living Under Muslim Laws. She was a co-founder and chair of the Muslim Women's Network UK^[6] and a co-founder of Musawah, "Sisters in Islam", in Malaysia. She was involved with Women Against Fundamentalism,^[7] and was a senior research consultant with the Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) on their "Resisting and Challenging Religious Fundamentalism" project from 2007 until her death.

Death

Balchin died from cancer on 12 July 2012, aged 50.^[8] She was survived by her two adult sons and her mother.

Selected publications

• Book: 1041948634. Balchin. Cassandra. A handbook on family law in Pakistan. Lahore. Shirkad Gah . 1994.
• Book: 717767272. Balchin. Cassandra. Women, law and society : an action manual for NGOs. Lahore. Shirkad Gah . 1996.
• Book: 988864209. Balchin. Cassandra. Reaching out changing our lives : outreach strategies and Women Living Under Muslim Laws . Colombo. Muslim Women's Research & Action Forum . 1999.
• Book: Balchin . Cassandra . Moncrieffe . Joy . Eyben . Rosalind . The power of labelling : how people are categorized and why it matters . 2007 . Earthscan . London . 9781844073955 . 113–127 . 'Muslim Women' and 'Moderate Muslims': British policy and the strengtheningof religious absolutist control over gender development.
• Book: Balchin, Cassandra. AWID. Toronto. 2008. Ten myths about religious fundamentalisms. 833249050.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Cassandra Balchin . . 27 December 2021 . 2012.
2. Web site: Gabriel . Jane . Remembering Cassandra Balchin (24 May 1962 - 12 July 2012) . . 27 December 2021 . en . 29 July 2013.
3. Web site: BMSD Admin . Cassandra Balchin . British Muslims for Secular Democracy . 27 December 2021 . 14 January 2012.
4. Web site: Cassandra Balchin . AWID . 27 December 2021 . en . 8 April 2015.
5. News: Bentley . Ross . Glemsford: Tributes paid to women’s rights champion . East Anglian Daily Times . 28 August 2012 . en-UK.
6. Web site: History . www.mwnuk.co.uk . Muslim Women's Network UK . 27 December 2021.
7. Web site: Women Against Fundamentalism . 27 December 2021.
8. Web site: Timeline – Women Against Fundamentalism . 27 December 2021.