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Tackling violence against women
Although the practice of untouchability was outlawed by the Indian constitution many years ago, its legacy still divides Indian society deeply. The Dalits (former untouchables) remain at the bottom of the pile, caught in a cycle of poverty: illiteracy- debt- poverty. This state of affairs adversely affects all social indicators – health, infant mortality, education and violence against women- trapping generation after generation.
Women like Nirmala suffer doubly; not only was she born into a Dalit family, she is also suffers as a woman in a male-dominated society. Like all Indian women, she has little access to or control over land, property, livestock and wealth. She is less likely than her brothers to attend school or find a job. She will cost her family a dowry when she marries; and is therefore considered a financial burden.
Nirmala is different; she was unhappy because her husband is an alcoholic. On one occasion, when she tried to get him to buy food instead of alcohol, he beat her up. She was powerless to stop him, not knowing what to do. Through a friend, she was introduced to a SPMM activist. Because of her inner strength and her leadership potential, Nirmala was given the chance to become a local leader. She attended local training sessions in which she was taught how to save money for her family and how to run a local self-help group for other women in her village who suffer the same affliction.
It took five years for Nirmala to establish her self-help group. She explains how her friends had negative attitudes; they believed that if God wanted it, they would suffer. She suffered the wrath of her community and was excommunicated until she (with the help of the SPMM lawyers) won a legal case and some compensation for the village. Now the community have accepted her and even come to her for advice and guidance.
Tales of success acceptance and empowerment are common in the villages in which SPMM works in; evidence that if voiceless and powerless women can be encouraged to help themselves and begin exercising their rights, men will accept women as equals.
The last word on progress… over to Nirmala…
“I have great hopes for this area. After only a few years, we’re starting to see changes here that haven’t happened for decades. I hope the work we are doing here will be an example to people working in areas like this all over India. That way I believe real social change is possible.”