AIDWA Observes International Women’s Day
Mariam Dhawale
MARCH 8, 2022 - 112 years of a long and arduous struggle for women’s rights. International Women’s Day (IWD) is observed all over the world to reiterate the struggle for equality, justice and a violence free life for women. The last two years have seen an intensification of exploitation. The profits of the corporate world are soaring while the masses are living in the worst conditions of deprivation. The Modi-led BJP-RSS government has ruthlessly pursued policies which have increased insecurity in the lives of the majority of Indians. The politics of hatred, communalism and casteism has damaged the social fabric of our country.
The AIDWA, CITU, DYFI and SFI decided to jointly observe international women’s day and bring all sections of women including young women and girl students together for taking forward the struggle against inequality. The programmes were jointly held in many places. In many other places AIDWA held the programmes independently.
The organisations agreed to focus on the issues of women’s employment, unpaid care work, recognition of scheme workers as government employees, cuts in budget for central schemes, increase of budget allocations for schemes for women and MNREGA, discrimination at workplace, sexual harassment and violence against women, 33 per cent reservation for women in elected bodies, food and income security, right to education and health, equal rights for women, and the defence of secularism.
Women held seminars, marches, dharnas, demonstrations, discussions and cultural programmes all over the country.
A well-attended joint women’s organisations rally was held at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.
Seminars were conducted in collaboration with the Working Women’s Coordination Committee of CITU in 189 areas in Kerala. 38,668 women attended these seminars. Women's day was observed energetically across West Bengal. Huge rallies, street corner meetings, leafleteering, badge pinning, demonstrations were held. More than 3000 women participated in these programmes. Programmes were held in all districts in Tripura where 1200 women took part.
Tamil Nadu observed March 8 in 60 centres in the state in which around 5,537 women participated. Joint programmes with CITU, DYFI and SFI were held in 11 centres. The AIDWA flag was hoisted in several centres and sweets, cakes were distributed. Self help groups and women’s federations participated in some districts. Street corner meetings and seminars were also conducted.
5,335 women took part in 88 centres in Andhra Pradesh and 9000 leaflets were distributed. Several programmes were also held in Telangana.
AIDWA and CITU held joint programmes in 22 districts Haryana. Sarva Shramik Sangh and AIAWU also joined in some districts. Women’s participation in each ranged from 200 to 1500. 10,000 leaflets were distributed. The organisations condemned the repression let loose on the anganwadi workers by the BJP state government. AIDWA is actively supporting their three-month long struggle.
A joint procession by students, youth and like-minded women's organisations with slogans like 'Education is my right, food and dress is my choice' was held in Karnataka. Slogans and songs reverberated in the air. Candle light protests were held. A joint press conference was also held. A 1000 strong enthusiastic meeting was held in Gulbarga by a joint women's forum against atrocities on women. Programmes were also held in Mangalore and Bangalore South. An AIDWA and CITU joint programme was held in Bangalore North.
More than 5000 women participated in rallies, meetings, conventions, group discussions and public meetings held jointly with CITU in Balasore, Jaleswar, Lakhannath, Bhadrak, Bhadrak Town, Chandbali, Tihidi, Cuttack, Cuttack City, Tangi, Bhubaneswar, Saliasahi, Nayagarh, Ranpur, Sarankul, Sundargarh, Rourkela, Banei, Raxi and Koida in Odisha. Cultural programmes of dance, songs and a one act play were staged.
Agitations, conventions and women's meetings were enthusiastically held in 24 centres in 14 districts in Maharashtra, namely Solapur, Thane-Palghar, Mumbai, Pune, Sangli, Raigad, Nagpur, Kolhapur, Jalna, Amravati, Parbhani, Nanded, Chandrapur and Satara. More than 3000 women participated in these programmes.
In Himachal Pradesh, AIDWA-DYFI-SFI held joint programmes in Shimla, Mandi, Solan and Kullu and they were attended by around 500 women. A cultural programme was also held by AIDWA and CITU jointly in Kullu.
In Punjab, programmes were held in Amritsar, Chandigarh, Hoshiarpur, Navashahar, Gurdaspur, Pathankot, Ludhiana and Jalandhar.
Rajasthan mobilised women in Hanumangarh, Ganganagar, Bikaner, Sikar, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Boondi, Udaipur and Alwar.
In Uttar Pradesh, women took part in programmes in Lucknow, Kanpur, Mathura, Gazipur, Jalaun, Mirzapur, Agra and Kanauj. IPTA staged a play on the life struggles of single women in Lucknow.
Women took part in the sports competition, read poems and sang songs after the meeting in Korba, Chhattisgarh. Women took part in 14 districts in Jharkhand.
Programmes were also held in various districts in Assam, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
The impact of the false propaganda of the Modi government regarding provision of help for women has to be countered more effectively. The sustained preaching of anti-women Manuwadi practices through the various outfits of the RSS in the local areas is poisonous for the secular tradition of our country. All sections of women are affected by this hate-filled propaganda. In unity lies our strength. All secular, progressive and democratic sections will have to redouble their efforts, coordinate their activities and mobilise women, working women, young women and girl students in larger numbers in our struggle for women’s equality and for reclaiming a secular India.
