Indian women across 20 states protest against the ‘environment of hate’

• The ‘Women March for change’ in 135 cities in India presses the need to pay attention to laws related to equality in election manifesto.
  
• The idea of the march was to press the need to suppress “the growth of fascist and neo-liberal forces” in India.
  
• All the policies formed were either anti-poor or anti-people that affected women the most, claimed one of the women activist groups that participated in the protest.
  

With India’s general elections just days away, thousands of women from 135 cities across 20 states in the country came forward on Thursday to protest against the environment of hate and violence against minorities and to demand their constitutional rights.

Women in India’s capital were chanting slogans like ‘Halla Bol’, “Humme chahiye aazadi! We want freedom!,” ‘Awaaz Do’ and ‘Hum ek hai’ while marching from Mandi House to Jantar Mantar.

The Women’s March for Change is aimed at uniting voices of dissent against the targeted attacks on the constitutional rights of women in India. Women want change. From war, violence and hate, but the starting point seemed to be the recognition of their many identities, said the organisers in a statement.

The idea of the march was to press the need to suppress “the growth of fascist and neo-liberal forces” in India resulting in an increase in violence against minorities, women and other minor groups including Muslims, Dalits and Christians have been subject to attacks creating an environment of fear and insecurity.

“Over the past few years, there has been a significant decline in the laws dedicated to equality...women have been facing the heat of rural distress. All the policies formed were either anti-poor or anti-people that affected women the most,” claimed one of the women activist groups that participated in the protest.

Women in India have to go through a lot of struggle to make a living or a career. According to the latest data from the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) for 2017-18 (yet to be released), female participation in the workforce has declined to 23.3% from 31.2 in 2011-12. It is a matter of grave concern as a greater number of women are participating in the examination for higher studies and competitive exams, reported Outlook.

In fact, India features among the countries with lowest female share of workforce with only 25.9% share, said another study released by Pew Research Center in March 2017. Withdrawal of women from work is now being attributed as the primary reason for a fall in India’s workforce.

India also has the highest gender wage gap when it comes to hourly wages for labour. Women in India are paid 35% less than what men are paid, said a recent report by the International Labour Organisation. The gender wage gap is recorded as the highest among all the 73 countries included in the report.

See also :

Women’s day in numbers: 9 grim reminders that Indian women are still a long way off from empowerment