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The hard word Women attending an event to raise awareness of their rights heard that they have themselves to blame for a lack of respect from men.
Most people in the ADP area are of tribal origin. In this society women seldom have decision-making responsibility, and their needs are often neglected. Women’s Day events are a chance to teach women about their legal rights and the importance of education for their children (especially girls), and to encourage them to become involved in self-help groups, which can bring a degree of financial independence and self-esteem. The event got off to a predictable start. The guest speaker, a women’s advocate, emphasised the equal importance men and women play in society. She urged women to use their potential and never to get discouraged, giving as examples inspiring female leaders from India’s past, such as the Rani (Queen) of Jhansi (a nationalist heroine of the mid-19th century) and former Prime Minister, Indira Ghandi. Her stirring speech preceded another from a male World Vision worker who described men and women as two wheels of a bicycle – “one cannot run smoothly without the other”. It was then that something of a bombshell dropped. Mayurbhanj ADP Programme Co-ordinator, Narendra Nayak, got up to speak. “Women are responsible for their own downfall,” he said boldly. “Men are not the enemies of women.” He explained that women are their own worst enemies when they discriminate against one another in their homes, mentioning as an example the oft-reported conflicts between mothers- and daughters-in-law. Such clashes, often over dowry, are legendary and sometimes deadly, with mysterious ‘accidents’ with kerosene stoves or lamps seeming to claim more than their fair share of young victims. “ When women start respecting women, then men will respect women,” said Mr Nayak. He was not the only brave man to challenge the women that day. Mayurbhanj ADP’s Customer Relations Assistant, John Moses, also said women needed to help other women for progress to be made. He especially appealed to women to protect their young daughters who, in a society that values boys more than girls, often get maltreated or worse. “Child marriage will automatically stop when women become aware of the health consequences [for their daughters],” he said. “Every day in the newspaper we read about female infanticide and abortion. Why are all these happening? Before we blame others, we should blame ourselves.” |
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