Fighting social mores that lead to women’s abuse HTSPOTLIGHT SHRIEKS AND SILENCE

A number of women activists in UP have dedicated themselves to supporting women’s causes and helping rape and harassment victims, in the hope of making the society a better place to live in. Here HT profiles six women who fought for and achieved a change

ROOP REKHA VERMA (LUCKNOW)

She joined Lucknow University as a lecturer at the age of 20 years and became the youngest professor in the country at the age of 29. Also the first woman vice chancellor of Lucknow University, Roop[ Rekha Verma started social service from the campus in the mid 1980s. Gradually a group of like -minded people was formed for dedicated work. Later, the group was named Saajhi Duniya and it began to work on gender issues.

Having provided support to many women victims of domestic violence, Verma has also fought against rape. She even got life threats and suffered a physical attack from the influential accused in the case.

She says, “Starting from domestic violence and dowry, the number of cases of desertion has gone up drastically over the years. Our fight against it continues.”

Prof Verma established the Institute Of Women Studies at Lucknow University and is credited with having got mother’s name made mandatory along with father’s in all documents of students and teachers.

At the age of 74, she still stands tall with the women victims, supporting them in every possible way. From assisting them in their legal battles to providing moral support, Verma is an angel for many.

MADHU GARG (LUCKNOW)

For her, the journey of social service began in 1984 after marriage. “I always wanted to do something for society. But coming from a very traditional family, I never got a chance to fulfill my dream of service. After marriage my husband supported me and that’s how I entered the field formally,” says social activist Madhu Garg.

It is more than three decades now and there have been innumerable women who have been supported by her. “When I got into social service and joined the All India Democratic Women’s Association, the focus of work was on livelihood. Ensuring food for people was our priority. Then a young girl approached us for help after she was raped. Ever since then we have been supporting victims in their fights and ensuring them justice,” she says.

Among other cases, Madhu Garg’s support in the Ashiana gang rape case is very well known.. She supported the victim for over 11 years and ensured her justice by sending all her culprits behind bars. This also included fighting against the prime accused Gaurav Shukla, who hailed from an influential family.

“The biggest problem is that survivors of rape generally don’t come forward to share their ordeal and fight against it. Even if they raise their voice initially, they step back later due to pressure from society and accused. In such a scenario, motivating the victims in their fight is most important and that’s what we do,” she says

REHANA ADEEB (MEERUT)

Being a Muslim woman, it was indeed difficult for Rehana Adeeb to opt for social service as a profession. But her urge to work for women in distress and communal harmony encouraged her to turn into a social activist. After working long for Disha organisation and Mahila Samakhya, she finally founded her own NGO ‘ Astitva’ in 2005 in Purkazi town of Muzaffarnagar. Adeeb said that while working against violence with women, she strongly believed that ‘ gender equality was essential for a peaceful society’ and people had to understand that it could be achieved only by giving women genuine respect and honour which was still missing. Adeeb and her group have worked to support rape and violence victims of Mizaffarnagar riot. She says that her focus is to empower them by using every possible resource so that they may rebuild their lives .

DR LAXMI GAUTAM (MATHURA )

Founder president of ‘Kanakdhara Foundation’, Dr. Laxmi Gautam is a known champion of women’s causes in the religious town of Vrindavan. She has voiced concern for women’s issue time and again and is a trusted name for women being harassed in different situations of life.

Dr Laxmi Gautam has remarkable contribution to the movement for providing respectful cremation to widows living in in Vrindavan . She fought the horrifying practice of disposing of the bodies of widows in a disrespectful manner and the matter got highlighted in international media around 2011, leading to court intervention, ensuring proper cremation of widows breathing their last in Vrindavan.

She also launched a campaign against those morphing photos of girl students in Vrindavan and placing them on social groups with vulgar comments.

Dr. Laxmi Gautam was honoured with ‘Nari Shakti’ award by the then president Dr. Pranab Mukherjee. She was selected by the ministry of child and women welfare from among 100 achievers nationwide. She has also received ‘Devi’ award from chief minister Yogi Aditya Nath in February 2017.She had raised the issue of rape in Kota-Patna Express and is approachable to any woman in suffering.

Dr. Gautam is associate professor of history in a degree college in Vrindavan.

KUNDANIKA SHARMA (AGRA)

A firebrand leader known for her aggressive stand on social issues, Kundanika Sharma has been fighting for the cause of rape victims. Daughter of noted poet Gopal Dass Neeraj, Kundanika was brought up in a family having social concerns and joined the Mahila Shanti Sena constituted by her mother Manorama. She made her presence felt about a decade ago when she gheraoed the then principal secretary after a six-year-old girl , daughter of tea vendor in Namner, was raped. Kundanika made no compromise as she reached nearby districts and successfully launched a campaign against rape of a physically challenged inmate in a hospital in Mathura. The agitation brought Mathura administration on the defensive and the hospital staff was suspended. She has been associated with the BJP and Samajwadi Party and fought the last assembly election as independent candidate. However, her stand on women’s issues still remains her identity.

ATUL SHARMA (MEERUT)

Atul Sharma belongs to a middle class family and got married in a village where women have to abide by traditions and are confined within the house. She used to pass through a red light area situated near her parents; house and had strict instructions to not look up while passing through the road. There was curiosity in her mind to know more about lives in brothels and how to help sex workers . Breaking boundaries, she associated herself with a few groups working for the welfare of sex workers and in 1997 she formed her NGO ‘ Sankalp’ to work against human trafficking. Atul said it was a difficult choice to work for sex workers and to visit brothels to set up a rapport with them. Despite facing all odds, she continued on her journey and she proudly recalls her association with some national and international organisations including CRY, ActionAd, UNICEF, Save the Children, ATSEC and Let Me Speak. She said that girls and women were still struggling to get their rights and honour in this male-dominated society. They were still being harassed and insulted and it would stop only when people genuinely come forward against gender bias and atrocities.