Taraji’s Saathiship

Nivedita SeerpiNeetu JainAID-Austin

Taraji

• Social activist based in Bhilwada dist, Rajasthan

• Working with women’s issues in this area since the past 25 yrs

Bhilwada

• Name originated from the high population of Bhils (tribals) in the area

• Predominantly agricultural, also famous for its textile industry

• Caste-based society • Lack of education• Lack of awareness about basic rights

Women’s Issues

• Domestic Violence• Female feticides• Dowry problems • Sexual harassment• Unsafe schools for girls• Rape• Caste-based atrocities• Witch-hunting

Taraji• Based in Bhilwada for last 25 years• Bachelors in Psychology and Masters in Social

Work from Udaipur (specialization in labor welfare)

• Started working in 1986 with Women’s Development Program (WDP)

• Has been associated with Bal Evam Mahila Chetana Samiti since 1994

How she came to be involved with women’s issues…..

• WDP was a ~10 year (1986-95) UNICEF funded project

• This was a state-run program, with NGO participation

• Taraji worked in the NGO end• Program mainly dealt with rural women –

educating them about their basic rights, thus empowering them to stand up for themselves

Women’s Development Program (WDP)

• Gender sensitization• Encouraging women to send their children to

school• Created awareness about Govt. schemes in the

area that women could avail of• Created strong female resource- “Saathin” in a

number of zillas (6?) in Rajasthan-1 Saathin from each panchayat

• The Saathins were trained and empowered to help with women’s issues in their home community

WDP contd.• Monthly bulletin – “Saathinro Kaagaz” to disseminate

information among saathins• Saathins were trained by Trainers during a month long

training camp• Trainers had undergone a 6 month training to prepare

them to train the Saathins• WDP was a huge success• At the end of the 10 year funding cycle, UNICEF

handed over funding responsibility to the State• State plead financial constraints and stopped the

project

Involvement after WDP

• After WDP stopped, women still kept approaching Taraji with their problems

• Paraphrasing Taraji “institutional relationships had changed to personal relationships”

• She felt responsible towards these women, and stayed connected with them in an individual capacity and via the Bal Evam Mahila Chetana Samiti

• Focus thus shifted from rural women-centric issues to more general women’s issues

Taraji’s involvement and strategies

• Securing justice for victims with police, judicial and administrative means

• Counseling families when women wanted compromise• Approached jati panchayats and got them to support women who

were victims of caste based violence like witch hunting and natha- pratha (??)

• Used village meetings as a form of pressure on families and communities

• Used rallies and dharnas to pressurize the administration and police.

• Rehabilitated several victims who wanted to live independently. • Several times, she has victims staying with her as temporary and

immediate relief

Her work with women’s issues

• Dowry, domestic violence victims• Sexual harassment victims• Work with “Witch-hunting” victims• Natha-pratha victims• Fight against female feticide• Shelter for women• Self-defense training for women

Female Feticide

• Gender imbalance in the community• Large number of unmarried men in the community• Taraji sent out a basic survey to Sonography clinics in

the area• Realized clinics were disclosing the gender of the fetus• Doctors facilitating female feticide• Direct violation of the Pre-conception and Pre-natal

Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act 1994 (PCPNDT Act)

Female Feticide

• Initially Taraji tried to educate the doctors who feigned ignorance about this Act- she held seminars/legal workshops for Sonologists

• She then realized that doctors were knowingly flouting the law

• She called upon the National Inspection & Monitoring Committee

• NIMC raided these clinics, and many clinics were cited and 3 were caught red-handed and closed down

Female Feticide

• But, Chief Medical Health Officer works hand-in-glove with these clinics

• He was instrumental in re-opening the clinics• Taraji took these clinics to court, these are

land-mark cases in Rajastan• She is confident that justice will prevail

Witch-hunting

• Poor, widowed, crippled/unattractive women are branded “dayan”/witches by influential men/women in the community

• These women are chased out of their village, physically assaulted, some are disrobed and paraded in the village, a couple of women were hacked into pieces

• Usually a ploy to snatch the victim’s land/property, sometimes family members initiate such campaigns

Legal recourse…or the lack thereof• Witch-hunt perpetrators are not even cited for basic

offense –like physical assault- for their crimes• Police books people for slapping someone, but not for

witch-hunting• No laws to address such grievous harm• Taraji is working to have witch-hunting categorized as

a crime that is a “threat to life”• Taraji worked with Jagori, a prominent Delhi-based

NGO to document cases of witch-hunting• She researched many cases and has ~25 case-studies in

this book

Dayan Virodhi Act

• Taraji worked with National Women’s Commission to highlight the plight of witch-hunting victims

• She took 10 victims to a seminar in Jaipur, so they could speak about their experiences

• Govt. of Rajasthan has drafted “Dayan Virodhi Act”

Book on Witch-hunting

• Taraji’s book will be released shortly• She hopes to have prominent people from the

Human Rights Commission, National Women’s Comission, senior police and administrative officers attend this release

• Most importantly, she hopes to have a few victims there to highlight their plight

Role of Jati-panchayats

• These panchayats are the only recourse in witch-hunting cases

• JP members are relatively better educated/aware

• People on the wrong end of the JP are socially ostracized/cut-off

• Taraji has had to appeal to Jati-panchayats regarding these cases, with some success

Natha-pratha

• Social custom seen in some communities, so-called “lower castes” (Jat, Gujjar etc. –Natayat Kul)

• Women are given away in “natha” to other men for a price (Jagda) by their husband or partner

• Parents can also claim a kind of jagda called “maiyak” by giving their daughter away

Natha-pratha

• Has advantages and disadvantages for lower-caste women

• This is a social custom, hence not bound by legality• Therefore no legal recourse, police refuse to get

involved• Basically, this is socially-accepted sale and

enslavement of women • Again, Jati-panchayats are the only available court of

appeal

Natha-pratha

• Contributes/creates other social problems like “gailad” sons, Atta-satta

• Women are seen as a commodity that can be bought and sold

• Socially, a woman’s worth is set on the number of times she has been given away on “natha” (therefore women are likely to stay in extremely abusive conditions because they do not want to be given away in “natha” one more time)

• Health concerns like spread of STDs and HIV

Taraji’s Saathiship

• Will basically enable her to continue working with the same women and with same issues that she is currently involved with

• Our assistance will merely make the financial aspect a little easier

• She can actually compensate people who have worked with her for free for many years

Taraji’s plans- Short-term goals

• “Sangharshsheel Mahila Mela: I have handled cases of women who are victims and survivors of different forms of violence. I would like to organize a mela inviting about 200 women who have fought brave struggles to provide a platform for collective strength to emerge. The mela can build solidarity and help in identifying women who can take this work forward. These women will be honored and a team of lawyers and sensitive police officers will also be honored.”

Short Stay Home

• “Short Stay home for women: In police records, Bhilwada stands out as a place where many women face violence. But this city does not have a short stay home to provide safe and short shelter for women. Working in this area, I always find this an issue. In the past I have provided shelter for women in my own home. I would like to run a short stay home and register as a service provider for Domestic Violence Act. “

Income generation

• “Income Generation for rehabilitated women : I have rehabilitated several women in Bhilwada in the past and most of them work as domestic maids. They were trained to be domestic maids by us as they were so new to this arena. Being associated with the organization, these women feel lot more secure physically.

• Now I would also like to think of some income generating schemes for these women. Eg.: running a mobile atta-chakki, tiffin center at labor addas etc. after identifying the local needs. ”

Institutionalizing her efforts• “Institutionalizing work and running an office: I would

like to form a team and run an office to regularize/formalize my work.”

• Document some case studies highlighting struggles of women who have approached her and fought for their rights

• Release her book on “Witch-hunting in Bhilwada” soon, hopes to pay for travel expenses for some victims, so victims can speak at this event

Other efforts

• Organize self-defence classes (venledo) for young girls in high schools

• Continue the fight against institutionalized female feticide and increase awareness in public

Saathiship

• Rs. 20,000 per month X 12 months = 2.4 lakh