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English daily published in Bengaluru & Doha
Women hold rally to uphold rights, end discrimination
NT Correspondent
Ahead of the International Women’s Day, more than 250 women and LGBTQI individuals marched on Sunday under the banner of Women+ March for Dignity, Education, Choice, Plurality and Peace.
The march, organised by Concerned Women+ of Karnataka, was taken out to uphold the fundamental rights of all women, including their rights to education, dignity and choice.
The march took inspiration from the lives and work of India’s foremost educationists Savithribai Phule and Fatima Sheikh, who pioneered the movement to educate young girls in India in the late 19th century. “If their courage and commitment enabled women particularly from marginalized communities to access education, we see similar courage being displayed by students in schools and colleges across Karnataka who are standing up to bullying and threats by their classmates whose minds are poisoned, media and sections of the state. Even so, they should not have had to face situations which called on them to display such courage, for merely wanting to exercise their right to attend classes, write exams and do so with dignity,’’ said a woman activist.
The women in the march urged people to ask themselves, how they would feel if they were refused entry in school, if their friends refused to talk to them, if they were made to sit on the floor, if they had to drop out of school because their parents couldn’t afford it. It was emphasised that this denial of rights is the reality of women today, especially from marginalized communities.
“In this worrying state of fundamental rights in India, the march today was undertaken to renew our commitment to upholding fundamental rights as well as call on the executive, judiciary and legislature to create and sustain an environment of peace and plurality where these rights can be exercised without coercion or fear,” said an activist.
She said the assault on fundamental rights to education, dignity and life must also be seen against the long-standing structural exclusion of women from Dalit, Muslim and Adivasi communities from education, and the public sphere.
The march began from the Café Coffee Day Square on Vittal Mallya Road and culminated at Town Hall and many participants had tied black dupattas/clothes in protest. Letters of solidarity that have been pouring in from across the country for the students were read out.
Songs of resistance and celebration were performed by Mamtha Sagar, Nasreen, rap artist – Madhura. Poems authored by Dr K Sharifa and Rafia Zainab were performed. The Preamble of the Constitution was read out as an affirmation of our desires as we, the women of India.
The event finally ended with a candlelight vigil.
1. Women cannot be forced to choose between their fundamental right to education and their right to choose clothing.
2. We demand that all women be treated with dignity and not be subjected to public humiliation at the hands of the state, the people and the media. The government must protect our fundamental right of dignity.
3. We demand no girl is denied the right to sit for examinations and pursue her academic future.
4. We demand that attendance is given to all students who have been denied entry to classrooms. Immediate classes must be conducted by schools and colleges to compensate for the educational loss of students. We demand that mental health support must be made available to them.
5. We call for an end to all discrimination based on gender, religion, and caste and uphold values enshrined in our Constitution and in the plural and diverse culture of this land.
6. All those violating our fundamental rights must be lawfully held accountable for the injustices faced by the women.
7. We call for the government to restore a conducive learning environment in schools and colleges that is devoid of hatred and divisiveness and instead fosters diversity, harmony and gender rights while prioritizing education for all.
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