Press Release- Ekta Mahila Manch Meets to Discuss Reducing Violence Against Women in Chambal Region

Twenty women from different regions of central India convened for the past 3 days ( 2nd - 4th April ) with thirty local women from Chambal to discuss how to counteract the growing violence of the region. "Dacoity which once reigned in Chambal, has come back in a big way", says Khairo bai from Raipur of Gwalior District. "This is largely due to the government's failing to keep their promises of rehabilitation and development inputs", she went on to say. Women throughout the discussion depicted many stories about the gun slinging behavior of people. "It has got to such an extent that 12 women are well known dacoits involved in killing and abduction" mentioned Rashmibhen, an activist from Chattisgarh who spent a year working with women in Chambal. " This general environment is a grave threat to women's sense of security".

The issues raised by the grassroots women in this meeting were not about dacoity itself, but rather about the violent actions they face on a daily basis; i.e. rape, dowry, child marriage, infanticide and land alienation. In the meeting with other activists, it was concluded that violence is part of a deeper problem; in fact it is part of the unequal resource distribution that has existed for centuries. Water, forest and land is being taken away from poor families and this is leading to retaliatory violence. Women who are generally more vulnerable become the victims of this violence. Violence is springing from all levels; i.e. from family members, from community leaders, from the police, from forest department officials, from government administrators, and so on.

Women in Chambal feel that they are in a state of siege. They are looking for support of women outside of Chambal to help them to fight this scourge. "The only recourse is for women to come together in a larger front and to take action", said Neelam, an activist working in several jhuggi Jon pries (slums) in Gwalior city.

Ekta Mahila Manch (EMM), a non-violent Gandhian movement of women from five states of India, including Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Bihar, Jarkhand and Orissa which is offering solidarity support to local women in Chambal. EMM represents many thousands of women under the collective leadership of 30 women activists. Most senior among them are Kasturi bhen (MP), Rashmi bhen (Chattisgarh) , Manju (Bihar) and Sandhya bhen (Orissa). EMM ( Chambal unit ) is planning to launch an awareness campaign to bring home the issues of violence against women to villages in Sheopur, Bhind, Gwalior and Shivpuri.

Awareness campaigns will be followed by a mass rally of women planned on April 30th in Morena where women of Chambal and hundreds of women from outside will come together to demand change. An appeal has been prepared to make the demands clear to the media and to senior government officials. ( See Below.) The demand is to reduce violence immediately. The demand is for women and men to come together and use non-violence. The demand is for more equity in resource distribution. The demand is for more control over people's own livelihood resources.

The meeting ended with a Call to women to come together and fight against all forms of violence and injustice. Again a reminder, on April 30th in Morena women will come from all parts of Chambal to show their support for this Appeal. Please join in.

The Chambal Padyatra Public Demands :

1. To implement the effective plans for checking the soil erosion in the ravines of Chambal.

2. To distribute cultivable surplus land to landless people in the Chambal valley.

3. To reject the anti people development schemes such as the Chambal Sanctuary.

4. To bring to remote villages of Chambal approach roads.

5. To cancel the compound interest charged to farmers by unfair money lenders.

6. To assure the electricity for irrigation facilities for the farmers.

7. To assure the support price for the main crops for agricultural marketing.

8. To make a pro-farmer (marginal and small) agriculture policy.

9. To protest against the violence/discrimination against women.

10. To make the administration/police more sensitive to public interest.

11. To assure the availability of educational, health and other development facilities.

Ekta Women's Forum Appeal (April 14th 2002)

We, the Ekta Women's Forum demand.

Today when the social, economic and political scenario of the country is degenerating day by day, we feel that it is time for women to come forward to bring revolution into the development process.

Now the time has come when it is necessary to establish and evolve the thought and vision for women centered development. The women from Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Chattisgarh, Orissa and Jharkhand have been thinking for a long time on these women issues.

Finally they have decided to set up a formal forum called Ekta Women's Forum. The women's group represents 5 states coming together for the first time and it is taking steps towards organizing a movement. Theoretically the forum's leadership will constitute a women's forum in each state. After 54 years of Independence, women suffering from violence, terrorism and domestic violence. This is really a matter of shame and sorrow. The 21st centuary should be called a women's era. The most serious contradiction for women today is continuous exploitation coupled with, gender discrimination and social harassment. The story of Chambal valley has not been different from other regions.

So, we the Women Ekta Forum make the following demands.

1. A serious and honest thinking about the social and domestic security of the women

2. A sensitive and active governance and judiciary for the carrying out social justice in labour of women.

3. A strong protest against domestic and social harassment.

4. A sensitive system for women health/development.

5. Protest against gender discrimination

6. Equal involvement of women in domestic and social decision making processes.

7. Putting women forward in peace and development processes

8. Widening the opportunity for women's self reliance and sustainable livelihoods.

9. Providing equal opportunity for education

10. Joint ownership of women of land

In reaching towards these goals we the Women Ekta Forum appeal to all of you to please join us in the Peace March (starting from 14th April 2002 from MGSA Jhoura ) and Women's Rally (on 30th April 2002 in Morena ) for achieving the rights of women in development.

In Solidarity,

Ekta Women's Forum,

( Chambal Valley )

( Rastriya Committee )

INFORMATION ON CHAMBAL PADYATRA

April 4, 2002

Chambal is a region in western central India. It is named after a long river that flows through the desert like ravines. Chambal has been home to many outlaw groups known as "dacoits", and these people have lived outside of the mainstream as marginalized communities. They are a rebel community "outlaws" that have inspired fear in the police and state officials. While the ravines have been providing shelter to the rebel groups, they are able to practice abduction for ransom. This is the mainstay of their livelihood. The farmers who owned land in remote areas have stopped cultivating because of the reign of terror from the dacoits. The farmers living near the forests do not go to the forest in the night hours out of fear of dacoits.

The police and the government have not been successful even after many repeated efforts to curb the dacoit violence. In fact, in spite of all their efforts, violence in the region is increasing. The innocent villagers are falling pray to police repression as well. They are being falsely accused under the pretext of the dacoits whom in fact the police are protecting.

The tribal communities, mainly Saharias number about 5 lakhs. They have been displaced by the terror of the dacoits into the remote regions, and also because of the subsequent establishment of national parks and several sanctuaries, they are eking out a living on marginal lands. The national parks and sanctuaries have displaced people from hundreds of villages. Madhav National Park in Shivpuri, Cuno Palpur Sanctuary in Sheopur, Chambal Sanctuary in Morena and Son Chiraiya Sanctuary in Gwalior are examples of thousands of adivasis (tribals) that have been displaced. This has led to serious land alienation problems.

As for the development pattern in Chambal, they have the lowest female sex ratio, which means that there is a high rate of female infanticide. This is a key indicator in the low status of women. One of the critical problems in Chambal is the violence against women. Women are suffering from the lack of mobility along with a high degree of personal insecurity. Increasing violence against women is a major problem.

Dacoit surrender and community action for peace and development.

In the 1970s, a Gandhian organization, namely Mahatma Gandhi Seva Ashram, Joura gave a call to the dacoits to surrender. This was done under the leadership of S N Subba Rao and P V Rajgopal. Through a six year process, they also motivated the warring factions of the Chambal valley to take up community service and instill communal harmony. They got the government to promise that they would take up development programs in the area particularly drought relief and agricultural development. This did not happen. Consequently the problems of dacoits has reemerged as a problem again.

Chambal Padyatra

As a way to respond to this growing dacoity problem, Rajgopal has agreed to take up a 2 week padyatra. This will traverse on of the districts in Chambal called Morena.. This will mobilize many people to work together to combat violence. One of the main target groups are women.

Other smaller padyatras will meet the main padyatra in Morena. They include: