SANGRAM celebrates 100th International Women’s Day, March 8th 2010

[Guest guest]

SANGRAM celebrates 100th International Women’s Day, March 8th 2010

SANGRAM works to create a collective consciousness among women living with

HIV/AIDS (WLHA) in Sangli district, to strengthen their ability to assert their

rights and negotiate safety.

Women’s rights are particularly difficult to talk about because they challenge

traditional patriarchal structures.

In 2007 a collective of HIV affected women in Sangli district was formed called

SANGRAM Plus. This group creates a safe space for women to discuss their rights

as well as the legal and ethical issues affecting people living with HIV/AIDS

(PLHA). It works to address the intersection of violence against women and

HIV/AIDS.

The HIV epidemic is being fueled by social inequalities. While the spread of HIV

is contingent on poverty, caste, class and sexual orientation, gender places the

burden of the epidemic on women. The risk of contracting HIV is a gendered risk,

one that is mediated by the actions and behaviors of individual men and women

playing out gender roles that society has scripted for them.

If women face a disproportionately high risk due to their social

status, they also face a greater share of the HIV burden. All, women -

single, married, pregnant, widowed or in sex work - face the whiplash of gender

when it comes to HIV.

The discrimination and stigma they face is much more than what their men face.

The burden of care also falls squarely on their shoulders. In fact, HIV/AIDS

remains yet another arena where traditional gender struggles continue to be

played out at all structural levels- in the family, in the community, and in

society at large.

SANGRAM Plus, works on effective strategies to fight domestic violence and

strengthen women’s access to human rights including the right to health.

On International Women’s day, March 8th, 2010, 1500 rural women came to Sangli

to attend a meeting to discuss strategies to combat domestic violence.

The Domestic Violence Protection Act 2005 was the focus of this discussion.

Women’s activist and Adv. Veena Gowda [High Court, Mumbai] detailed the

intricacies of the act and spoke about the fight for Justice in cases of

Domestic Violence. Adv, Sujatha Kulkarni District Court, Sangli, presided over

the occasion.

The 1500 plus women who attended the meeting demanded that every village takes

responsibility for resolving any altercation in the Husband’s home.

The Tanta Mukti Committee [Dispute resolution Committee] at the village level

must take up issues of violence against women and not limit itself to men’s

issues [property, land, disputes between male family members etc] as is the

practice now.

The prize money for the best Tanta Mukt village must be decided on resolution of

cases of Domestic violence in the village. The letter of demands was faxed to

the Minister of Home affairs R.R. Patil,

Maharashtra State.

The meeting ended with a huge rally to the District Magistrate’s Office. The

demands included

1. Domestic Violence should be included in the Tanta Mukti Committee

agenda in each village.

2. Every committee must have a WLHA [Women living with AIDS] as a

member.

3. Government must ensure Tanta Mukti Committee’s in each village meet

every month according to schedule.

4. The Government programme of `one police per village’ should be

implemented and the police must be present when the committee meets.

5. Domestic Violence must be given priority hearing at the committee

meetings.

6. The prize money for the best Tanta Mukt village must be decided on

resolution of cases of Domestic violence in the village.

Meena Seshu

e-mail: <sangram.vamp@...>