In the wake of growing injustices meted out to women - largely unreported and unknown to the outside world till a tragedy bursts open - CPI(M) has launched a one-week Streepaksham campaign toward raising greater awareness among women on the avenues available to address their grievances ranging from mental and physical abuse to harassments over dowry and other sensitive issues. Politburo member and All India Democratic Women’s Association(AIDWA) General Secretary Brinda Karat inaugurated the Streepaksham campaign on 1st July.
The inaugural speech by Brinda Karat
"The tragic deaths of three young women— Vismaya, Archana, Suchitra, within a few days of each other,linked reportedly to domestic violence and dowry demands,— have led to a foregrounding of issues connected with women’s social status and gender inequality. An online portal named Aparajitha to help women register complaints of violence or harassment for dowry was almost immediately launched by the Kerala Government. Within a day, 117 complaints of domestic violence or dowry harassment were reportedly received. This indicates the urgent need for recognition that better and more sensitive mechanisms are required to give women confidence to report cases of violence against them.
Quick govt response : This response of the Government in Kerala is in sharp contrast to what is happening elsewhere.The NCRB report of 2019 revealed that across India, on an average, a woman died because of dowry demands roughly every one hour in 2019. Additionally, she faced domestic violence by her husband or in-laws every four minutes. But in most parts of the country, this cruel social reality is ignored by Governments. Pinarayi Vijayan may be the only Chief Minister in the last ten years to flag the issue and to assure his and his Government’s support to women in distress. The Chief Minister has rightly pointed out the need to relook our education syllabus. The syllabus taught in our schools and colleges must be examined with a sharp gender lens so as to teach our children, boys and girls that they are equal citizens and to encourage girls at every stage to express themselves openly and confidently. Such a syllabus would surely include the issue of gender role stereotyping and challenge it. It would help boys to unlearn notions of male superiority being a hallmark of “ being a man” and that masculinity does not mean power over women. The LDF Government in Kerala will set an example for the whole country if it does so. Left politics is not and cannot be anything less than a movement to radically challenge exploitative socio- economic and cultural structures and to project alternatives.
The Streepaksham campaign being organised by the CPI(M) in Kerala is an important initiative to challenge and eliminate norms and practices which subjugate and demean women as second class citizens, whether in public life or within the home. There is a need for a sustained social movement towards sensitization and critique of challenging anti -women practices.)When we say Streepaksham we mean taking a partisan position against injustice, exploitation and oppression of women. This could be in relation to women as workers, in relation to women as citizens or in relation to women as women. These norms and practices aresometime visible, most times invisible except to the women affected. We have to break the social barriers which create a blanket of silence over crimes within the four walls of the home or the bedroom. The constitutional rights of equality between men and women do not stop at the bedroom door. It is social hypocrisy that stigmatizes women who speak out against violence. She and her parents are shamed and by their silence they become unwilling and unintentional collaborators in the crimes against women.
A Streepaksham campaign has to identify and confront the main issues which imprison women in today’s context. In doing so we have to be prepared for a backlash from conservative and orthodox forces. The more the Left campaigns for its alternative vision for women’s equality, encouraging and supporting women to assert themselves, the stronger and harder is the backlash.
A Streepaksham campaign is subversive, it disrupts what are “ accepted” social relations, it reaches deep into the so- called “ private” or “ domestic” sphere. It breaks many silences. In a political situation where the forces ruling India subscribe to and aggressively push the most regressive and backward approaches towards women, the challenges are all the greater. Some of the issues we need to address are as follows:
Dowry: The crime is the crime of demanding dowry. However the anti - dowry law wrongly equates those who demand and take dowry with those who give it. The practice of demanding dowry is a reflection of the unequal status of women in our society. In a social weighing scale even the most brilliant of girls will weigh less than the boy, not because of individual traits, but because of the weight of centuries of patriarchal traditions and practices which find new life and forms today. Thus the focus of an anti- dowry campaign must be young men and their parents. The question is : are your sons for sale? It is young men who have to take the pledge “ I will never demand dowry.” It is those demanding dowry who have to be named and shamed. However most campaigns wrongly focus on the girl and her family. Girls are told : “you should refuse to marry if dowry demands are made, why do you accept gifts at the time of marriage from your parents.” Parents of the girl are told : “why do you insult your daughters by giving dowry. You should refuse.” This is putting things upside down. Of course it is true that young women must be encouraged to speak out. But the onus is and must be for changing the practice of educated young men meekly accepting their parents demand for dowry. Laws have been changed to give women equal rights in ancestral or parental property. We must remember dowry is no substitute for this equal right. Our campaign must encourage equal property rights for women. The historical evolution of dowry is well studied—from being a practice sanctioned by the Manu Smriti for upper caste families to the reality today where capitalism’s creation of gross consumerist cultures has spread the practice to all castes and communities where earlier such practices did not exist. caste based arranged marriages have remained as the bedrock for dowry. Patriarchal notions of women’s inferiority have been levers used by capitalist development to extract cheap female labour to boost
profits.
We are not going into those details here. But dowry practices are premised and thrive on various stereotypical ideas that can have no place in a modern and progressive society. Facts show that women’s work within and outside the home is critical for family survival. Daughters look after their aged parents sometimes better than sons. Why should we accept cultures where being dependent on a daughter after she is married is considered wrong. These so- called traditions have to be challenged and changed. We also have to set new trends of simple marriage functions. Of course it is a time for celebration. It is a time for happiness and merriment. But we must find new and creative ways to keep the enjoyment in tact without the huge burden of expenditure on expensive and lavish ceremonies . These are standards set by the rich and multiplied and glorified repeatedly by new communication technologies which bring such events into every household and which become status symbols. We emphasize that social status is not gained by such expensive ceremonies which drive families into debt.
Sex ratios and sex selective abortions: A direct link between dowry demands, the unequal status of women and low sex ratios has been long established. The first phase of the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) was conducted in 2019-20 and its findings were released in December 2020. It’s findings of sex ratios at birth shows a most disturbing trend which needs further examination.Kerala which had the best record in the country of 1047 females to 1000 males has shown an alarming decline to 951. This could mean son preference cultures are becoming so influential so as to lead to sex selective abortions. Whether this is the case or whether the statistics need to be re-examined is an issue. But a Streepaksham campaign must and should take this issue head on and inform the people of Kerala of this dangerous trend which has created havoc in so many States in north India.
The PcPNDT Act must be implemented strictly in Kerala.
Sexual Violence against Women: The commodification of women and the sexualisation of women’s bodies particularly in the last two decades has led to a big increase across India of sexual crimes against women and most disturbing and shockingly against young girls. Often political parties and leaders come out in defence of the criminals. We have seen precisely this in the Hathras case and the Kathua case where leaders of the BJP openly and shamelessly defended the criminals. For the Left there can be no compromise and no defence or justification for taking the strongest action against those who are guilty of sexual harassment or sexual violence against women. The critical issue is that of consent— without a woman’s consent any sexual act is a crime which is well defined in the new laws against sexual violence. It is important for the Streepaksham campaign to study the laws and to propagate women’s legal righ Women’s Sexual Autonomy and self choice: Adults have the rights to choose their partners. Yet the dangerous phenomenon of violence against self choice marriages which cross community and caste has become an issue in States where inter caste marriages were part of progressive traditions. This is a reflection of cultures which believe that women have no sexual rights or autonomy over their bodies. They are the property of the men — the guardians — fathers, brothers, husbands and then sons. Although far less than in other States we have to take note that in Kerala too such cases of so- called honour crimes are occurring. Fundamentalist forces in different communities use such inter community or inter caste marriages to pursue a sectarian and sometimes communal agenda. A Streepaksham campaign must uphold the right of young women to make their own choices. A related issue is that of conservative approaches which support vigilante actions against adults who are in consensual relationships. We have seen the gangs of hoodlums out to humiliate and harass young couples sitting together in parks or traveling together. We have seen how they have barged into hotels or restaurants and dragged young women— abusing and cursing them as being against “ Bharatiya cultures” — the notorious moral policemen of right wing forces. We oppose all such so- called moralistic actions. Violence in a relationship is intolerable but consensual sex between adults is something which is in the personal realm. The issues are many and are complex. In the Streepaksham campaign a beginning is being made to challenge male supremecist cultures directly by a political party. This is taking forward the legacy of social reform in the contemporary context. Greater sensitivity has to be shown by all in positions of power and responsibility, towards the phenomenon of subordination of women and the need to recognize equality before law as much as in social practice. The recent Niti Ayog report on progress towards sustainable goals has put Kerala on top of the list of all Indian States in terms of education, health, maternal mortality, child mortality and other social parameters. The Streepaksham campaign is expanding the agenda of sustainable goals in a most significant way."
