Women Empowerment through Collective Actions

Dalit and Adivasi Women’s Struggle against Oppression and Marginalisation: 

Dalit and Adivasi women contribute significant to the development of the community, particularly in rural areas. Such contributions are seldom acknowledged and further the question of their rights and priorities did never become important on ground, nor is it sufficiently addressed in legal frameworks, national and local policies, budgets as well as in any other strategies of the government. The multiple patterns of deprivation, gender based stereotypes; discrimination and oppression deny those equal rights, opportunities, resources and service. Historically caste system has dominated the social-cultural, economic and political framework of India life.

Women in the rural areas of Odisha consistently face marginalisation in access and control over resources, particularly Adivasi and Dalit women. Various developmental projects along with dominant socio-cultural, economic and societal changes have eroded the spaces that these indigenous women enjoyed within the social settings. Women being victimised by structural, societal and socio-political exclusion, marginalisation, isolation, poverty, and violence are systematically and strategically pushed to the fringes either as individuals or groups. Caste, class, ethnicity and other identities easily align with the gender disparity based on the value chain of several scriptures of religions. These separate or cuts them off from the rest of the society and therefore their participation is least counted.

For a different dream one needs to take inspiration from the thick history, ancestral spirits and rich culture for the future engagement. Hence it is the visualisation of different dream from that of the mainstream ones. It consists of a value chain for women within and outside weigh equal rights, respects and violence fee and the process for a just, egalitarian, peaceful, fraternal and harmonious world. This is the creation of a society free from the despaired bindings of caste, class, religion, race, ethnicity and above all gender.

Initiation of Action through Women’s Collectives 

Women’s collective was initiated with an objective to ensure constitutional, socio-political, legal, economic, cultural and customary rights of tribal and Dalit women in Odisha.

After a brief intervention in grassroots governance through people’s collective, we realized to create spaces for Adivasi and Dalit Women, wherein issues of governance and marginalization can be raised by separate women wing through collective participatory approach.

A piloting on women specific collective was initiated in Hemgir in the year 2014 in Sundargarh district wherein women leaders were identified from 50 villages covering 13 GPs and were trained on the following themes:

• Basic constitutional rights
• Gender
• Government schemes and entitlements
• Process and procedure of writing petitions or dealing with the administration.

For the women, it would be a process beyond the strings of social oppression, political exploitation, economic deprivation, cultural domination, gender discrimination, class isolation and deliberate exclusion. A society beyond the premises of all dreams for women is the long-term idea and vision. The thrust and attempt of OSM is to give space and respect to diversity and promote the culture of love, compassion, collectivism and sustainability with specify focus on constitutional values of socialist, secular, democratic and decentralised norms.

Specific Events through Women’s Collective:

Women Demonstration with bucket at BDO office in Hemgir

Pudapattar, Tribhubanpur, Kamalanga and Rangiadhipa villages of Hemgir GP had water availability issue due to defunct hand pumps. They forwarded several complaints to the GP, JE and BDO to the get them repair. However, they were acting very indifferent and did not take any action to solve the issue. Women from these four villages gathered and demonstrated in front of GP and BDO office with empty buckets and pots. They adamantly stood and protested not to leave the BDO and panchayat offices until their problem were solved.  Finally, BDO succumbed to pressure and assured the federation members that he would solve the problem in two days. The tube wells got repair within the next two days.

Women from Malipada and Hemgir demanded toilets

Release of pending payment of IHHL is one of the major issues. The procedure of releasing the payment to the beneficiaries’ negatively impacts the progress of IHHL in the region. However, sangthan ensuring that such issues should not arises in our operational area; hence community was consistently not only educated but facilitated appropriately by Jansathi, so that people would use proper process and procedures while applying the toilets. And if there are still such pending payment cases, then Jansathis help the community to collectively raise the issues with the RWSS, BDO or collector. There is an instance of Naudhi village, wherein women federation raised the issue of pending payment with the BDO, Hemgir and demanded the release of 42 IHHL payments. The BDO immediately acted and finally 42 households got the payment.

Installation of hand pumps through collective efforts:

During the village meeting in Burudhar village of Hemgir panchayat of Hemgir block in Sundargarh district, jansathi of the sangthan identified that there is no source of drinking water. As the village is having only two old hand-pumps which are in defunct mode,

The women villagers shared their problem with committee leaders of the village. Committee leaders educated them about the application process for new hand pump. The villagers wrote an application on dated 14^thJune, 2017 and went to meet with the BDO of the Gram Panchayat. After 3 months of application submitted for new hand pump, they became successful.

On dated 7^th August, after 3 months of application, a new hand-pump has been installed in the village. This is the success of the efforts of whole villagers.

Rally and Gherao of the Gram Panchayat to stop the Wine shop immediately in Kiralaga GP at Subdega block in Sundargarh district on 16^th July, 2017

Women’s collective was initiated with an objective to ensure constitutional, socio-political, legal, economic, cultural and customary rights of tribal and Dalit women in Odisha.

Currently Activities through women’s collective are active in 18 blocks of 6 districts in Odisha. Since the conceptualisation of women’s collective and their active existence in the operational area, the perspective of tribal and Dalit women has been changing towards their rights.

On 13^th July 2017, 30 women villagers from Kiralaga village of Kiralaga GP at Subdega block in Sundargarh district initiated a rally and threw away bottles of wine from the wine shop and then they again met on 16^th July, 2017. 90 women villagers participated and held a rally.  During the rally, they threw away the imported bottles of wine from shops and met the owner of the land and convinced him to remove the wine shop from his land. On 18^thJuly, 2017, the team of 8 members went to the police station and submitted their complaint regarding the removal of wine shop.  They also demanded to see the license of running the wine shop and Patta paper of the land owner.

Kandhmal, rally on the same issue was initiated on 20^th July from Raikia, to the BDO office. People held the rally and at last they reached BDO office at Raikia block and submitted memorandum to stop operation of wine shops in their blocks.

Women carried out these rallies in their respective zones with an objective to minimise domestic violence and so as to save money being spent on buying liquor in order to invest the same for fulfilling their other household needs as they have limited financial resources.

Challenges Faced

• Patriarchal society and gender biased mindset prevents women and girls from playing an active part in society and decision-making process.

• Secondly, women and girls face unacceptable levels of discrimination and abuse.
• Thirdly, women are key managers of natural resources and powerful agents of change but they cannot own it.
• Women and nature’s contribution is recognised as invisible in the society.
• Lastly the patriarchal society doesn’t allow the women and girls to come out of their homes and take the front-line leadership. The social norms prevent the women to take part of the major decision-making process and it’s a big loss for them.

Current Situation

Training and orientation of women leaders have made them acquainted and confident about raising the governance issues with the administration. Therefore, women have started taking up water availability, MGNREGA work i.e. demand or payment issues, issues of eligible excluded households in Food Security etc. with the panchayat, block and district administration. The volumes of complaints and demand applications or letters has increased enormously, resulting in creating pressure on the block administration and making them deliver as per the people’s demand. Women at several instances through women groups have blocked the panchayat and block offices until their demands were addressed by the administration.

Looking at the positive impact of the women’s collective, the actions through women’s collective has been initiated in other districts of Odisha. The current active coverage area under women’s collective are;

• Total working Districts: 06
• Total Blocks: 18