Perspectives for the
Indian women's movement anti-Muslim and anti-Sikh - made feminist groups extremely worried and they began to ask themselves how the women's movement could become an anti-communal force.
The context in which the conference was held was one of increasing state violence against the mass movements, the disintegration of left-wing and working class forces,
FOR THE PREVIOUS two to three years, active women's groups in
India had been discussing the possibility of holding a national conference to discuss some of the vital issues faced by the women's liberation movement. In particular, there was a need to begin a dialogue between rural and urban women's groups. (1)
"Perspectives for the Indian Women's Movement"
This conference, took place in December 1985, and was hosted by the Forum Against the Oppression of Women based in Bombay.
Four hundred women from 18 Indian states enthusiastically participated in the debates and discussions, along with observers from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Malaysia, South Korea and Indian women living abroad. The delegates represented 85 women's groups working among rural, tribal and working class women and from the far-left.
VIBHUTI PATEL
The idea that the women's move-
India is urban-based is no ment in longer valid, as the decade 1975-85 has witnessed increasing participation of rural women in struggles for survival. The process of economic development and modernization in rural
India has not only bypassed women in taking up individual against women and fighting legal battles. Rural women's groups combining struggles for survival as well as fighting against patriarchal oppression felt an urgent need establish links with urban groups.
The Bhopal disaster the genocide by the Union Carbide company a rise of Hindu, Muslim and Sikh fundamentalism and government attempts to coopt the most articulate middle-class women in innumerable bureaus, committees and government bodies. It was therefore important to make a forthright evaluation of the present state of the women's movement and to evolve a perspective for common action.
Workshops were held on the following topics: the participation of women's organizations in mass and other organizations; the relationship between consciousness raising and support to individual women; communication and the media; the politics of personal growth; the structures and functioning of women's groups; and the relationship of the women's movement to the state.
Discussions were also held on the themes of women, religion and culture; women and work; prostitution; domviolence; and rural women's estic organizations.
For background information on the development of the Indian women's movement see "Right to life for females", interview with Trupti Shah, 'International Viewpoint' No. 94, March 10, 1986.
but also adversely affected rural women's employment. Women's demonstration in Maraharastra, March 1986 (DR)
Increasing male migration has also added to the burdens on rural women. Women are now at the head of one-third of Asian households. In this context, it is extremely important to fight around the multi-faceted problems faced by rural women.
Establishing links between women's groups spread all over the country and establishing real communication networks was another area that needed collective discussion.
As a result of pressure from the women's movement most of the political groups have started taking up women's issues. Many of them have launched women's fronts, and the larger political parties have reactivated their women's organizations.
After a nationwide anti-rape campaign, the women's movement in India is now facing many challenges. Initially, their focus of activity remained fighting such atrocities against women as rape, dowry, murders, police violence and so on. Many women's groups also became involved
15
Conference resolutions
Women and Personal Laws (majority resolution):
"WE BELIEVE that today no equality and justice is available to women of this country, regardless of the religion they practice. This is an outcome of religious as well as political structures in which women have had no power.
personal laws have meant inequality and subordinate the status of all women in relation to men. We therefore must strive for a civil code where all women get rights equal to men in matters of marriage, divorce, maintenance, custody, inheritance, property, adoption and other such matters. Women's organizations should strive to get adequate representation in framing these laws.
"We also believe that such laws, when enacted, will not encroach on the rights of any religious community. Religion should only govern the relationship between a human being and god, and should definitely not concern the relationship between man and man or man and woman. Therefore we strongly support the demands of any women or group of women who are striving to bring any change for bettering the position of women in this regard. We also condemn the Hindu communal designs at making the democratic issues into
"We also lodge our protest against the efforts by the state at restricting
Bhopal victim (DR)
To illustrate the scope and breadth of the type of discussions at the the following are the outconference, line notes for the discussion at one the scope of section 125 of the Criminal Procedural Code (CPC). (1)
of the workshops, on prostitution:
"Prostitution is a very patriarchal
Women and Personal Laws (minority resolution):
institution whose primary assumption
"WE STRONGLY support the rights of the minorities in India and feel that is that sex is a male right and that any move for reform must come from within the community sex and women's bodies are commodi-
*We strongly condemn Justice Chandrachud's communal comments on ties to be packaged and sold. It gives brothel managements absolute
"We support the right of Shah Bano and other women of all communities licence to induce and more more to maintenance as under section 125 of the CPC.
women into prostitution, without even
"We strongly condemn any move to amend section 125 in a bid to deny the minimum of laws to enable a fight women of any community the right of maintenance. "
against this exploitation.
"The state, in sanctioning legalization, only acts as a pimp, sanctioning the two notifications passed by the central government the enslavement of women and thus and the Maharashtra state government. The central government notification excludes from the purview of the Maternity Benefits Act all those women who violating fundamental and human are unmarried. Similarly, the state government notification excludes from the rights.
purview of the Act all those women who have not changed their names to
Double standards of male
"We demand that both these notifications are withdrawn with immediate sexual morality
"THE MADHYA Pradesh government has started collecting from all women victims a proforma asking to give information on whether they are employed,
"We therefore condemn legalizaunemployed, semi-skilled, skilled, highly skilled or unskilled. The motives of of tion prostitution, prostitution the government are to give compensation according to this categorization.
racketeers, vested interests who look
"They have categorized the women who are doing domestic work as selfupon employed and hence not eligible for compensation.
release for their so-called natural and
"The conference condemns the government's strategy to cheat the gas aggressive sexuality and the double victims out of the compensation due to them. Also the conference condemns standards of male sexual morality. We the government's attitude toward women which will result in the women condemn the active connivance of the becoming absolutely dependent on family and relatives for their government, especially in Goa, in promoting sex-tourism.
"Since in today's society prostitution is likely to continue, measures
Muslim Personal Law.
Women and Work:
"WE CONDEMN and retrospective effect."
Women and the Bhopal gas tragedy (2):
victims existence, treatment, etc."
Section 125 of the Criminal Procedural Code deals with vagrancy law, but became should be taken on three levels:
the centre of a major controversy in December, 1985, when it was used as a basis for a
"Shah Bano" judgement. Shah Bano, a 73-year-old Muslim voluntary and prevention.
rescue, won maintenance from her husband after a Supreme
Short and long term measures to be appealed to the civil courts because of the limitations of maintenance provision offered
This was seen to be an attack on Islamic Koranic law, splitting considered decriminalization;
are:
the Muslim community and sparking off massive mobilizations against the judgement.
brothel tightening up laws against
Rajiv Gandhi's government introduced the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights of Divorce) Bill, marking a codification in law of Muslim Personal Law keepers and pimps; the formation of protective homes; education, health
On December 3, 1984, methyl isocyanate, a deadly gas, escaped from a tank the Union Carbide Corporation at Bhopal and killed 10-20,000 people. Many and counselling facilities and pressure thousands of others were injured. See International Viewpoint' No.
on the government.
"All the women's organizations should come together to formulate strategies to deal with the problem and suggest concrete demands on the government."
At the end of four days of rigorous debates, three resolutions were passed on personal laws, women and work and on the Bhopal tragedy see box].
16
1.
ruling in what is known as the woman, by traditional Koranic law.
In March this year, based on the Koran.
owned by
1985.
It was felt that the women's movement must establish links with other mass movements such as tribal liberation movements, struggles of Dalits
(untouchables)
and working organizations. At the same the women's movement must retain
Court judgement. She 68, January 28, its autonomy so that it is not subsumed by the latter.
The Indian women's movement must pressurize progressive forces to fight against sexism not only in the public sphere as trade unions and so on, but also in the private arena. International Viewpoint 27 October 1986