Women must be given due respect at home: Activist

A one-day Dalit Women Conference, organised by Evidence, an NGO working for the welfare of the marginalised community based in Madurai, saw speakers from various parts of the state speaking on the problems faced by women in general and Dalit women in particular.

Ponnuthayi, District Secretary, All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA), said that as science and technology has developed the violence against has women also increased in the society. Among the women, Dalit women suffer the most when it comes to abuse and violence.

Ponnuthayi added that in schools and colleges Dalit students are abused more and recently in Virudhunagar district Dalit students were made to clean toilets. Similarly, when Dalit women are the victim society does not care to protest for them, with the exception of a few political parties and organisations, and quoted the example of Nandhini, a Dalit girl, who was raped and murdered. She said that the people who protested for Nirbhaya in New Delhi did not protest for Nandhini in Tamil Nadu and it was because of the caste factor.

Kausalya, in her address, said that people’s protest will alone succeed and quoted the recent examples of Jallikattu protest, anti-sterlite protest and Kathiramangalam protests. She said that the protests succeeded only because of the participation of women and asked women to come forward for a protest to abolish the caste system.

She also said that men who speak of equality do not give equal status to women at home and only when women are given self-respect at home they would gain the independence and confidence to move up in the society. Women, on their part, should watch more news and study newspapers. They should also participate in political debates for their betterment, said Kausalya.