September 18, 2017:
Awaken, women!" is the meaning of Jagori, the name of the Indian organization which has been campaigning for women's rights from its base in New Delhi for over 30 years. The organization was presented with the Roland Berger Human Dignity Award in a ceremony in Berlin in 2013. The Roland Berger Foundation spoke with Jagori about the social standing of women in India and how the organization has shaped the evolution of women's rights over the past three decades.
Q 1. Jagori has been championing the rights of women in India for more than 30 years. How has the social standing of women changed – also as a result of new legislation – over the three decades of your involvement so far?
It is a mixed bag. Much has changed in the discourse on women’s rights since Jagori came into being over 33 years ago. During this period, Jagori has worked with marginalized women in urban and rural areas primarily on issues of violence against women, women’s rights and their safety in public spaces.
During the late 70s and early 80s, Jagori's founding members along with other women’s organisations highlighted issues such as dowry murders, custodial rape and other forms of violence against women and girls (VAWG) – all of which until then were shrouded in silence. Back then, domestic violence was seen a personal and private matter and sexual harassment was not considered a crime. Over the years, various legislations for addressing VAWG have been enacted, providing recognition of the range of crimes against women and opening up avenues for justice and reparation for women survivors. Post 2012, young women in various parts of the country are articulating their concerns around notions of autonomy, mobility and bodily integrity.
The campaign to end violence against women and girls is no longer limited to women groups and activists – several new constituencies including men and boys, artists and professionals, school and college students, young and old, are raising their voice against all forms of violence against women. The agenda of women’s safety has been included in the manifestos of political parties and governments are undertaking innovative actions for safety of women.
However, indicators show that these gains are far from adequate. In recent times, there is a rise of conservative forms of identity politics that seek to curb women’s rights and circumscribe their personal and public roles. Evidently there is a need to find new ways to address the inherent patriarchy that is responsible for the inequality in Indian society.
Q 2. In December 2012 the whole world was deeply shocked by what happened in New Delhi when a young student was brutally raped and abused by a group of young men on a bus and died a short time later of her injuries. Two years later one of the attackers spoke about it for the first time, saying in an interview: "A girl is much more responsible for a rape than a boy. A respectable girl does not go out at 9 o’clock at night." Given that such a misogynistic attitude prevails in this male-dominated society, how can the safety of women and girls be improved on a lasting basis? What needs to change in the legal framework?
There is a fairly good legal framework in place. There are still some issues with the law (for instance, marital rape is not seen as a crime in the current law) and we continue to work on those. What is missing is an effective implementation of the law that ensures prompt registration of cases, quick and sensitive response mechanisms, and timely conviction and punishment. This is because stakeholders are themselves subject to a patriarchal mindset, where women are blamed for the violence they face, and notions of masculinity justify the the control of women’s sexuality by men. Even arms of the State such as the police and the judiciary have from time to time revealed their patriarchal or misogynist values. There is a need to question the culture of impunity and demand accountability to ending all forms of violence against women and girls.
Improving the safety of women and girls would involve collaborations to transform institutions for long term change. Along with strengthening an integrated response to survivors of violence, we also need to create safe spaces through preventive work. We need to focus on changing social norms and harmful practices within families and communities; and to work with men and boys to review the downsides of masculinity and consider ways to support women’s rights and freedoms to the benefit of all.
Inclusion of women at all levels in urban governance, infrastructure, and service provision; training and sensitization of stakeholders, and educating the public are some steps that can contribute to a safe environment. Nurturing strong collectives of women, and ensuring an intersectional approach with perspectives from marginalized groups must be an essential part of this strategy.
Five of the six attackers were sentenced to death (editor’s note: the sixth attacker was a minor at the time of the attack; he was sentenced to three years in juvenile detention). The Supreme Court confirmed the death sentence at the beginning of May 2017. What is your opinion of this sentence? How did the Indian public react?
The mainstream Indian public reacted with a sense of righteousness and many felt satisfied that justice had been meted out. Evidently, public collective response is in favour of extreme and strong punitive action against rape, but the patriarchal underpinnings of violence against women are neither understood nor challenged.
While the conviction was welcomed by all, many, including Jagori, do not agree with the death sentence. We believe that death penalty is neither a deterrent nor an effective or ethical response to acts of sexual violence. The most important factor that can act as a deterrent is the certainty of punishment, rather than the severity of its form.
The logic of awarding death penalty to rapists is based on the patriarchal notion of ‘honour’ and the belief that rape is the worst thing that can happen to a woman. We believe that rape is a tool of patriarchy, an act of violence, and has nothing to do with morality, character or behaviour.
The fact that cases of rape have a low conviction rate shows that perpetrators of sexual violence enjoy a high degree of impunity. Silent witnesses to everyday forms of sexual assault such as leering, groping, passing comments, stalking and whistling are equally responsible for rape being embedded in our culture and hence being so prevalent today. There is a need to uproot this culture of impunity and to ensure that perpetrators are caught and convicted.
Q 3. According to official figures of the National Crime Records Bureau, the number of recorded rapes in India rose from 24,923 in 2012, and 33,707 in 2013 to 36,735 in 2014, which does not mean that there were more rapes, but that more women had the courage to report it to the police. What do the police do in cases like these (and how has this changed since December 2012)?
The data needs to be read with a little caution because a large number of incidents continue unreported due to the prevailing social stigma, and due to inadequate, ineffective or patriarchal responses of the police, legal systems and other institutional mechanisms that end up intimidating and traumatising the victim rather than healing or supporting her. A sensitive environment and certainty of response would result in many more women coming forward to report.
The police take tardy action unless it is a high profile case with media spotlight. These are few and far between, still, it is heartening to note that there is a large public response that pushes towards conviction in such cases, and it is hoped that these results will set some precedence for the future as well.
Q 4. How does Jagori support women who are the victims of violence?
A majority of the women who approach Jagori are seeking support in dealing with violence in their homes - natal or marital. Jagori provides them with a safe space to share their pain and begin healing.
Through feminist counseling, they are encouraged to speak, reflect, and make their own choices based on an understanding of their rights and without the fear of censure or judgment. Jagori then supports them with appropriate guidance and referrals as required. This could include counseling or facilitating negotiations with family members so that her demands of safety and dignity are met, or it could mean providing support structures around her if she chooses to set out on a life of her own. It could also include connecting her to shelter homes, police, lawyers, doctors and counselors as required.
Women are also encouraged to join a support group of survivors where they learn from one another. As a team member puts it, “it gives me a sense of accomplishment when a survivor encourages another woman experiencing violence to seek help and brings her to Jagori.”
With an understanding that violence in the family is a microcosm of the systemic violence that women face in society, Jagori collaborates with other women’s groups in the country to train service providers, advocate for progressive laws to end all forms of Violence against Women; it also participates in national and global campaigns such as the One Billion Rising Campaign and the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence to build widespread awareness towards prevention of VAW.
Q 5. In 2013 Jagori was recognized for its long standing, tireless campaign for women’s rights in India with the Roland Berger Human Dignity Award. Looking back at your activities and your successes over the past three decades, what are you most proud of?
Together with many organizations, collectives and individuals, Jagori has contributed to a visible shift in the discourse around women’s lives. This is expressed well in the 1995 edition of Jagori’s annual notebook, created and disseminated since 1988:
"I have stepped beyond the boundaries,
Traveled from the hearth to the threshold,
We cannot be stopped anymore,
We have pledged to conquer the world."
Our actions have brought together global and local campaigns for peace, non-violence and justice. Most of all, we take pride in the being part of the courageous and insightful march to forefront women’s rights, their myriad capabilities, their multiple identities - their agency, voice and choice.
Q 6. What projects has Jagori implemented with the prize money from the Roland Berger Foundation?
The prize money from the Roland Berger Foundation enabled Jagori to upgrade infrastructure and services to survivors of violence and contributed to ensuring the long term sustenance of the helpline service for women.
Jagori constructed a cabin on the terrace of its office building with an aim to provide better and safe space for survivors.
Referral services were strengthened through networking with other organizations such as shelter homes, child helplines and Child Welfare Committees, mental health organizations, the State and district legal service authorities, and other organisations. The service providers’ database has been thus strengthened.
We have also linked up with feminist lawyers for advisory and legal services and with other feminist organisations to provide healing services for staff and survivors.
Regular, ongoing sessions are conducted for sensitization of service providers in the legal, medical and law enforcement agencies to ensure gender-sensitive response in cases of sexual violence.
A programme of legal and health training was set up for the support group volunteers who will now serve other women in the low income communities where they live.
A portion of the money has been set aside to form a corpus that will contribute to the sustenance of the helpline service.
Q 7. The word "Jagori" means: "Awaken, women!" What does Jagori want to do for women in India? What do you want your legacy to be?
I quote here from the acceptance speech of Suneeta Dhar at the Roland Berger Awards ceremony in Berlin in April 2013: "Jagori has been reaching out to thousands of women in rural, tribal and urban communities in creating a new feminist consciousness and weaving their own dreams. As we would say in Hindi: 'zindagi apnea savareigein' (they will design their own lives). Jagori affirms women’s right to freedom, autonomy and bodily integrity and to safe and inclusive spaces, free from fear and violence". This is what we would want our legacy to be - the realisation of women’s rights as humans, as citizens, as individuals - in a world of justice and peace.
Q 7. Here in Germany the refugee crisis has been our primary concern over the past 2 years. Germany has taken in more than 1 million refugees and we at the Roland Berger Foundation operate several homes for child refugees from around the world. What do people in India think about the refugee crisis and are there any overlaps between the work of Jagori and the subject of refugees?
The global refugee crisis has not been so visible in the popular discourse/media in India, and this could be partly due to its geo-political location and partly because it happens at a time when nationalist/nation-centric forces are gaining ground across the world, including in India. Yet the question of refugees is not new to India - there has been a movement of refugees not only on specific occasions of war and strife, but there has also been a continuous influx of migrants from some neighbouring countries every year. Overall, there is a resistance to taking in refugees, particularly those that belong to a particular community.
Refugees are products of exacerbated violence, discrimination, rejection and disaster. The lack of safety at home, the difficult decision to flee, heightened vulnerability in new and unfamiliar worlds are not just life experiences of refugees, but also resonate with many women at the receiving end of State, community and familial violence. The lack of security and stability often reduces an individual’s, particularly a woman‘s agency, freedom of mobility and control over the choices about her life and body. Displacement often results in the reinforcing of patriarchal norms, restrictions and denial, and unleashes increased mental and sexual violence on women. On the other hand, breaking of families due to crises leads many women to take responsibilities and decisions they are unprepared for.
Jagori sees its work in the larger context of ensuring citizenship and rights of women who are the most vulnerable targets of all forms of violence and discrimination. Jagori’s helpline service provides counseling and referrals for women facing violence. Through joint interventions with women’s groups and other organisations, we seek to enhance their knowledge about and access to basic services, schemes and facilities, at the same time also address the accountability of various State and non-State institutions through perspective building, policy inputs, and campaigns.
Source: http://www.rolandbergerstiftung.org/en/the-human-dignity-award/the-award...
