BY MELBA MERGULHAO-CARVALHO ANTAO

With increasing incidents of violence against women, this Women’s Day - March 8, women must take a vow to fight against elements that seek to subjugate women.

EVERY WOMAN was elated that India is on the road to becoming a developed nation by the year 2020 with an emancipated female force contributing to the success story. But on January 24, 2009, this dream diminished when an extremist right-wing group of 40, assaulted young educated women — minding their own business — in a pub in Mangalore, Karnataka, giving rise to the alarming prospect of “Talibanisation” of India, on the lines of Afghanistan where women are banned from studying and acid attacks on non-burkha clad girls and women are common. Matters were aggravated when the Congress CM of Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot, concurred with the Sri Rama Sene’s criminal misdeeds and vowed to ban mall culture in the state. Shockingly, the defenceless young women in the pub of Mangalore received no police protection. In fact, they were intimidated by the saffron madness. The next day, though the government diffidently arrested a handful of miscreants, they were let off immediately with no guarantees of safety for women.

This provoked an internet group to float a pink chaddi campaign but the message was lost on the marauders and its leaders. To add insult to injury, a member of the National Commission for Women, Nirmala Vankatesh, pooh-poohed the Mangalore incident as a “lack of security by the pub owners” instead of coming down heavily on the perpetrators. It was a relief that the Minister for Women and Child Development, Renuka Chaudhary, stood up against this attack and had Vankatesh sacked as “a flaw in the system”, who is unrepentant and is allegedly defecting to the BJP party.

On the heels of the Mangalore mania, Valentine’s Day was a another day for vandalizing gift shops and waylaying young couples, blackening faces, donkey marriages and mauling girls in the name of Valentine’s Day while the state governments and their police machinery looked on. As expected in Maharashtra, Shiv Sainiks, particularly in Pune and Mumbai, had a field day troubling young men and women while law enforcers kept out of sight. Moral policing has no place in any civil society, India being no exception, as it invariably involves threats of violence and often its actualisation. But do law protectors fulfil their duty or do they merely pander to the ruling party dictates, especially the BJP and its off-shoots while defenceless women are subjected to every form of indignity?

GENDER JUSTICE

COMMISERATING with women who are greatly disheartened this year, and particularly on International Women’s Day, 2009, Dr. Pramod Salgaonkar enlightens us that, “Today is not a day only for celebration, but it’s a reminder of our struggle for gender justice.” But there is much to rejoice because, after a long struggle, women now occupy decision-making positions at the grassroots levels and are simultaneously building up a force which will one day occupy Parliament, the highest governing body in the land, with or without reservations. The ten lakh women from all over the country, from urban or rural areas, will naturally grow to become a force to reckon with. Also, there is national awareness about the rights of women with a very supportive media support, very evident in the Mangalore incident.” The chairperson of Women’s Commission urges us to work for a better world for women in the future. The scenario may look bleak with sporadic violence against women - but we must not forget that we have not lost the battle but should keep focusing the world’s attention on women’s struggle.”

“Well, obviously women can’t feel too happy in the present situation, but rather than let despondency take sway, over the atrocities on women in certain parts of the country, it might be prudent to look at the silver lining - could you have imagined a pink chaddi campaign in yesteryears? It was not possible for women to talk of love and sexuality and their rights to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to sex in yesteryears. Today the very forces that are pushing women backwards are in the process of triggering a reaction that makes talking about these issues and challenging the inherent hypocrisy, possible,” affirms woman campaigner, Albertina Almeida. She adds, “Again, look at the scene in Goa - women are both at the helm of and involved in inspiring movements for change - whether it be towards making people’s power through the realisation of the 73rd and 74th Amendments to the Constitution, whether it be towards challenging fascist right-wing forces or challenging repressive police action or resisting repressive actions and policies of government. That’s the ray of hope!” she closes.

SOCIAL INTOLENCE

JOSE Maria Miranda, Margao, wholeheartedly supports the just struggle of women to have the same rights and privileges as men as all right thinking people do and points out, “It is most unfortunate that there are communities who use religion to try and subjugate women and other fanatics who, assuming the role of guardians of morality, do not hesitate to use violence to achieve their aims, as was recently seen in Mangalore.” According to him, “Women in Goa, who are surely proud of the freedom they enjoy in this state, ought to beware of such elements, who are already trying to make inroads in Goa. They need to tell them that they are mature enough to know or have their elders to tell them what is right and what is wrong and do not need rowdies to teach them.”
However, if it is true that there is much injustice often done to women, “there are also cases where some women misuse laws meant to protect them, in the dowry, domestic violence sphere, etc, and this tendency needs to be arrested.”

On the other hand, “It is really heartening to note that women are today in the forefront of many movements, particularly in Goa, which is in the interests of the people. Since they stand for the people, they can — of their own right — contest and win elections, without waiting for any reservations, which, in my humble view, are not always justified as they do not cohere with their demand for equality,” Miranda emphasises.

ILLS OF GOA

FOR Melinda Pereira Kamat, human rights activist, International Women’s Day is an occasion for undertaking a critical performance audit of enforcement of human rights of the women in Goa since the state is neither woman-friendly nor child-friendly where human rights of women are not respected since the core of Goan society is still orthodox and superstitious and may require another generation to improve this situation. “Female children must be given quality education on par with progressive countries of the world from a young age and since girls are performing better than boys in every field, and the gender transition in higher education is remarkable, it is important to train girls with various skills to face global competition,” vouches Kamat.

On the family front, she demands beast-feeding rights of mothers at the workplace to be recognised as human rights since it’s beneficial for both mother and the child. “Workplaces need to be made more conducive for pregnant women and nursing mothers by providing rest rooms and day care facilities at workplaces to enable mothers to secure employment and achieve economic independence too. Also, Goa needs good hostels for female industrial workers close to their workplaces.

One of the main causes of domestic violence in Goan homes is alcoholism and should be curbed by NGOs, religious bodies, social workers, the Alcoholic Anonymous and psychiatric counsellors working in conjunction with each other, points out Kamat. “Though seats are reserved for women in public transport, male commuters occupy the seats while even pregnant women and mothers with babes in their arms, struggle to maintain their balance in a running bus,” fumes Kamat and all economically backward children should be given a well balanced mid-day meal for better health and performance in schools up to Std X and a ladies common room should be made compulsory in educational institutions so that girl students can rest during their menstrual cycle or when ill.

SALARIES

THE salaries of part-time, contract basis teachers, computer instructors, anganwadi workers should be increased as most of them are female workers and the government should enforce Clauses 103-108 of Factories rules 1985, aimed at welfare of women workers. To make women economically independent with a secure livelihood, free training in life skills should be imparted close to their homes, as per the convenience of majority of women. The new scheme of community colleges supported by IGNOU can benefit women in Goa if local institutions and NGOs come forward. “Crimes against women, specifically rapes, molestation, murders, kidnapping, wife battering are on the rise in Goa. Crime prevention needs a massive effort with state sponsored social psychiatric counselling. All of us have a duty to build a compassionate, women and child friendly society in Goa and, as long as this goal is not achieved, Women’s Day celebrations would be purely symbolic events!” laments Kamat.

If we assume that suppression of girls and women exists in illiterate rural areas, then think again. Tech savvy cities of Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune and Delhi have come under the eye of the moral brigade who want to control how highly educated and economically advanced women dress and conduct themselves. Gender suppression is spreading to urban areas while the government washes its hands off. We understand that the members of most Senas are foot soldiers of the lower middle-class men and their inadequacy stems from personal frustration against a system that does not allow upward movement unless armed with power, money and education. But their expression of anti-social behaviour and misguided nationalism must be stamped out firmly by the government of the day or be prepared for a steadily regression of India into the dark ages.