International Women's Day 2022
International Women’s Day 2022 was observed in all the states with a resolve to strengthen the struggles of women for equality, freedom and livelihoods; to fight against hatred, oppression, fanaticism, bigotry and patriarchy; to strengthen the love and sisterhood; and stand for peace, against war on Ukraine and US-NATO expansionist Conspiracy.
Women’s marches, conventions, protests, cultural events were held in various places in Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Karnataka, Assam, Karbi Anglong, Puducherry, Tamilnadu, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and other states. In Delhi and Jharkhand and many other places ASHA Scheme workers took out marches with their demands of recognition as workers and regular employment.
The All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA) issued following statement on the occasion:
“8 March, International Women's Day reminds us of the revolutionary legacy of securing civil rights and gives us the strength and courage to delve into the basic causes of issues in our life. This day symbolizes the struggle for women's economic rights, social dignity and political justice. Taking energy from working women’s struggles, on this day women across the world have made organized movements against imperialism and war for peace, prosperity and livelihood and have won many victories.
“But, in today's anti-women rule by loot, the rights we gained through long struggles are in danger and women all over the world are fighting to protect their rights. The capitalism-religion-feudalism nexus is engaged with all its might in trying to destroy the basic spirit and consciousness of International Women's Day. Talking of our own country, working women are fighting against the anti-worker anti-woman labour laws passed by the government. Anganwadi scheme workers are fighting for government employee status and minimum wages. Women taking small loans from self-help groups and microfinance institutions are demanding loan waiver, reduction interest rates, livelihood training and market as well as other reliefs.
“But today when the women of the country ask for employment or other rights, when they want to live life according to their own wishes in their own way, bigoted ruling powers, who pretend to worship women as mother, justify every kind of caste oppression, violence and repression on women as legitimate in the name of culture. Various gimmicks and tactics are used to suppress the voice of women in schools, colleges, offices, factories or workplaces against discrimination, sexual harassment and institutional killing of women. Today, the protection being given to oppressors and criminals clearly shows that efforts are being made to stop the growing consciousness of struggle among women in every way.
“In the latest example of how brazenly this government is giving protection to oppressors of women, we saw that the rapist-killer 'Baba' Ram Rahim was released from jail and given Z-plus security so that he could garner votes for the BJP in the assembly elections.
“Recently, in the schools and colleges of the state of Karnataka, girls were banned from wearing the hijab. To stop a hijab-wearing girl student, some bigoted students surrounded her and harassed her while waving saffron shawls and chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’. This effrontery is an anti-democratic and anti-constitutional act. If Hindu students in our country can go to school wearing their religious identity – top plait on their heads or girls wearing bindi, vermilion, bangles-- or Sikh students can wear turbans, then how does secularism become a threat if only Muslim girl students wear hijab (head covering) ? In reality it is discrimination and a hate crime against Muslims. Not only ministers and MLAs of the Karnataka government but also BJP-RSS leaders in many parts of the country tried to fuel the flames of this hate crime, but they did not get the support of the common people and women as people today are beginning to understand that hijab is just being used as a new excuse by communal Manuvadi patriarchal forces to ‘otherize’ Muslim women on the lines of untouchability and apartheid.
“Today everyone is suffering from inflation and price rise, be they farmers, workers, women or housewives. Gas cylinders are becoming more and more expensive. Unemployment is at its peak. Crime and corruption prevail everywhere. The general public is upset and the government is afraid that people will start asking questions and demanding answers, so constant efforts are being made to pit them against Muslims. At the cost of the common people’s plight, the Modi government is openly pandering to the interests of a handful of privileged rich capitalists like Ambani and Adani. Therefore, let us intervene actively against hate, violence and bigotry, for love, sisterhood and freedom to defeat the autocratic government’s politics of isolationism and divisiveness.
“At present Russia has attacked Ukraine and pushed the people of Ukraine into war. Let us demand that Russia should stop the attack on Ukraine and end the war immediately. Let us also demand from America and NATO that they should end their veiled conspiracy of expansionism because nothing is achieved by war except the destruction and ruin of common people.”
The All India Progressive Women's Association (AIPWA) organized rallies and meetings across the country on 8 March 2022 on the occasion of International Women's Day with the demand for jobs, livelihood, equality, against hate and violence and for love, sisterhood and dignity.
Bihar:
Women in large numbers joined in a rally Samastipur with flags, placards and banners. In addition to the above demand, they also demanded the arrest of the persons accused in the Bhairopatti rape case. The march culminated in a meeting at Gandhi Chowk presided over by AIPWA District President Vandana Singh. Addressing the meeting, AIPWA State Secretary Shashi Yadav said that women are today treated as second class citizens in the country. Crimes of rape, murder and violence against women, minorities and dalits are on the increase, the most recent examples being at Aadharpur, Rupauli, Miyan Toli and Altalha. She appealed to women to unite and oust such a criminal government. Vandana Singh said that the ruling powers today are protecting criminals instead of the victim women. She pledged that AIPWA would fight relentlessly till justice is delivered.
A convention was organized at Rupauli in Purnea District. At Bhagalpur a march was organized through Naugachhia Bazaar culminating in a meeting at Shaheed Manshi Sah Chowk. AIPWA District Secretary Renu Devi said that the BJP government is making a mockery of Savitri Bai's dreams and denying education to girls by creating the hijab controversy. Joint Secretary Kanchan Devi, Puja Devi and Shakuntala Devi termed the Modi-Nitish governments are anti-people and anti-women.
A march was organized at Arwal led by Kiran Devi, Phulwati Devi, Gunjan Devi, Kunti Devi and other leaders who demanded action against perpetrators of violence against women and said the NDA government in Bihar is protecting criminals who violate women and children in shelter homes.
A big women’s march was held in Patna which was addressed by AIPWA leaders.
Jharkhand:
International Women's Day was observed in all districts of Jharkhand by AIPWA highlighting the following additional issues like Jharkhand state is without a duly appointed Women's Commission for the last 2 years, killings or social boycott is perpetrated on women due to blind superstitions in the name of witchcraft, out of 54 cases of mob lynching, not a single woman victim has got justice so far, the Mahila Thanas are very few in the state, and, women’s trafficking continues unabated due to laxity on the part of the state government.
District level International Women's Day programs were organized in Dhanbad. A meeting was held condemning attacks on women. The marched called upon women to organize themselves under a progressive ideology and scientific thinking to defeat fascist patriarchal attacks and to secure their rights. The constitutional rights of women enshrined by Dr. Ambedkar in the Constitution of India must be protected from Manuvadi ideology. A memorandum with the resolutions passed at the meeting was submitted to the Deputy Commissioner of Dhanbad.
Hundreds of women organized a march in Ramgarh with slogans for equality and dignity, against the Russian war in Ukraine and demanding that the Indian government should safely bring back Indian students stranded in Ukraine. Their demands included full rights for scheme workers. The march culminated in a meeting at Subhash Chowk.
In Latehar District members of the Rasoiya Sangh led by Leelavati Devi, Panpati Devi and Basanti Devi marched to the Block headquarter. International Women's Day program was also organized at Lohardaga that commenced with 88-year old retired teacher Suryamukhi Kujur garlanding the portrait of Savitri Bai Phule and statue of Birsa Munda. The AIPWA Bokaro District Committee organized a Women's Day program at Sadam West Panchayat in Gomia Block.
Uttarakhand:
AIPWA observed International Women's Day at Lalkuan, Bindukhatta with a march and meeting to create awareness among women about their rights. Speaking on the occasion, AIPWA convener Vimla Rauthan said that women have always been victims of discrimination and even in modern times they are victims of feudal patriarchal dominance. They bear the heaviest brunt of inflation and unemployment caused by the government's anti-people policies.
Punjab:
AIPWA organized a dharna in Mansa on International Women's Day. Addressing the meeting, AIPWA leader Jasbir Kaur Natt said that hundreds of women have gathered here at Baba Bujha Singh Bhavan in response to AIPWA's call to discuss the history of International Women's Day and the issues facing women today. The speakers including Balwinder Kaur Bairagi, Kamalpreet Kaur Jhuneer, Bindar Kaur, Amarjeet Kaur, Krishna Kaur, Shinder Kaur, Pradeep Guru and Sarajpal Kaur Bahadur pointed out that the Modi government's communal and pro-corporate policies have created high unemployment and vitiated social harmony. Women's organizations across the country are working to develop an extensive movement against these policies and attacks on women, minorities, dalits and adivasis. Progressive singer Sukhbir Khara presented revolutionary songs.
Delhi:
In Delhi CPIML, AIPWA and AICCTU organized a joint program at the Wazirpur Industrial Area on the occasion of International Women's Day.
Protests were organized at the Lady Harding Medical College and Kalawati Saran Children's Hospital by the employees’ Union members.
Chhattisgarh:
AIPWA organized a meeting on the occasion of International Women's Day at Shardapara in Bhilai industrial town. The meeting was addressed by AIPWA leader Lakshmi Krishnan, Savitri Mahilang, Radhika, Ishwari, Neera, Punni Bai, Hemkumari, Pratibha, Seema, Rajni, Girija, Jugri Bai, Meena, Bobby, Ramla and Maya. AICCTU leaders Brijendra Tiwari and Ashok Mirri and AISA leader Dikshit Bhimgarhe also attended the programme. The speakers said that AIPWA would fight relentlessly against the anti-people and anti-woman policies of the Modi government and demanded that the government should stop protecting rapists, murderers and criminals and ensure women's freedom, equality and dignity.
Rajasthan: Convention and Rally in Udaipur
Various progressive women’s organizations in Udaipur organized a rally and a convention on the eve of International Women’s Day at the seminar hall of the Bar Association, Udaipur District Court on the topic ‘Women’s Freedom and Present Day Challenges’.
Usha Chaudhary from Mahila Atyachar Virodhi Manch threw light on the topic for discussion and welcomed the gathering. Speaking about the significance of Women's Day, AIPWA State Secretary Prof Sudha Chaudhury said that this day is a reminder of the revolutionary legacy of securing our civil rights and gives us the strength and courage to enquire into life’s basic questions. This day symbolizes the struggle for women's economic rights, social dignity and political justice. The energy of Women’s Day that emanates from the struggles of working women has led to great movements by women for peace, prosperity and livelihood and against imperialism and wars across the world and has won many victories. Let us get mobilized and make the fight for dignity and rights across religions and castes our strength despite intimidation by state-sponsored Hindutva thugs.
Leela Sharma from the All India Federation of Democratic Women said that in today's anti-women system of rule by loot, our rights gained through long struggles are in danger and women all over the world are fighting to protect their rights. The capital-religion-power-feudalism nexus is engaged with all its might in the attempt to erase the basic spirit and consciousness of International Women's Day. In our country, working women are fighting against the anti-worker labor laws passed by the government. Anganwadi and other scheme workers are fighting to get recognition as government employees and minimum wages.
Muslim Maha Sangh (Women's Wing) President Prof Sarwat Khan said that the attitude of the ruling powers to sexual harassment and institutional murder in schools and colleges is to adopt various tricks and tactics to suppress voices of protest. Recently we saw the incident in Karnataka where a girl student in hijab was surrounded by fanatic goons waving saffron shawls and chanting Jai Shri Ram to intimidate her and prevent her from entering the college. In a democratic country, the ban on hijab on campuses and classrooms is a hate crime. Such anti-constitutional anti-democratic acts are unacceptable and the attitude of the administration and the government in this matter is even more regrettable. This entire incident has created a communal atmosphere in the whole country which is anti-people and bodes ill for the country’s peace and harmony. In the name of hijab this is a direct attack on minority community’s right to education and freedom of personal dress.
AIDWA District Secretary Ganpati said that the relentless and exorbitant increase in the price of petrol, diesel and LPG has created an existential crisis for the unemployed and the poor. But when the women demand employment, the fundamentalist ruling powers make a show of worshipping women as the ‘mother force’ and justify all kinds of caste oppression, violence and oppression on women in the name of culture.
Naseem Rassawala from Bohra Youth said that the foundation for a strong society can be laid only by strong women. A just society demands equal relations between men and women. Therefore, it has become necessary for the women to come together and expose anti-women situations and raise the questions of livelihood, security and dignity.
Prof Hemendra Chandalia said that we must unite firmly against this anti-woman autocratic government and give a befitting reply to patriarchal attacks against women’s freedom and autonomy.
NFIW leader Sadhana pointed out that today tribal women are under attack. Their resources are being looted and their culture and self-dignity are being destroyed, and said that we must all unite and put an end to this injustice. Councilor Najma stressed the need for active political intervention by women for and said that we should unite with all our strength and fight for economic rights, social dignity and political justice. Dr Taslim and Dr Iqbal Shaikh also spoke on the occasion. The program was conducted by Usha Chaudhury and Farhat proposed a vote of thanks.
At the conclusion of the convention a rally and human chain were organized from Ambedkar Circle to Delhi Gate.
Programmes were held in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Tripura and other states. The IWD event in Assam was addressed by AIPWA national general secretary Meena Tiwari.
Tamilnadu:
AIPWA distributed pamphlet among girl students of Fatima College (women) in Madurai. Women participated holding placards demanding stopping of war against Ukraine. In Kandarvakkottai of Pudukkottai district, demanding fair legal wage, elimination of malpractices several hundred women marched through the market and submitted a memorandum to the BDO. The protest procession was organised by women from AIPWA, AIARLA and CPIML. The women workers stoutly shouted against the BDO, made him to accept the demands. In Kambam of Theni district a demonstration was held demanding distribution of Panchamar and Bhoodan land and homestead land and houses in which women were major participants.
In Puducherry a pledge taking meeting was organised by state unit of AIPWA. Several resolutions were passed including stopping the war against Ukraine forthwith.
