TRIBAL WOMEN EMPOWERMENT: Multiple Impediments : TRIBAL WOMEN EMPOWERMENT: Multiple Impediments Dr. B. Ratna Kumari, Director
&
Dr. K. Mary Sujatha, Asst. Professor
Dr. Durgabai Deshmukh Centre for Women’s Studies
Andhra University, Visakhapatnam
Introduction : Introduction Whatever be the discrimination against women, it is always culture specific.
In this context, discrimination against tribal women has to be understood in relation to tribal customs.
When tribal communities face discrimination in India, the discrimination against tribal women is two fold because they are females and also tribals.
Slide 3 : Discrimination against tribals have increased with changing land rights pattern – Where as the individual rights over land, mainly agricultural land alone is officially recognized, the age old community ownership over land and the forest rights are disregarded.
The tribals are being deprived of their rights to livelihood also.
The languages, dialects, cultures, faiths, social arrangement are sidelined by the established, majority, dominant groups/ religions.
This experience is common among tribal communities almost all over the world.
The struggles for assertion are brutally suppressed.
Slide 4 : Government of India has been implementing many development projects in the tribal areas by constructing dams, roads and forest conservation programmes.
In all these projects, tribals have not been recognized as equal citizens to partner with, and take into confidence into planning, policy formulation.
They were literally chased away from their own traditional land and turned into displaced, landless, migrant persons in search of a livelihood.
The internally displaced persons have no support delivery system in place.
The Rehabilitation and resettlement policy of the government is yet to be tried.
In certain states the governments even do not have any R&R Policy.
Major Impediments for Tribal Women: : Major Impediments for Tribal Women: The tribal women suffer both by the state machineries as well as tribal customary practices. They continue to live with the various discriminations.
Rigid practices that aim to control their mobility, sexuality and reproductive capacity with in the different cultural practices of the hundreds of tribes.
There is no effort to identity the discriminatory (or) anti women practices of the 683 tribal communities in India in the name of noninterference policy, to provide succor and redressal to the suffering women.
Slide 6 : Present paper throws light on certain impediments which are hindering the empowerment of tribal women.
Following are the impediments:
Livelihood,
Alcoholism,
Food Security, Health,
Control our Resources and
Conflict situation
Violence in the lives of the tribals
Religious codes and norms & practices of cults and communities
Livelihood: : Livelihood: Because of globalization and development projects and entry of MNCs engaged in mining and industries, the displacement of Adivasi/Tribal people from their own land is on the rise.
Since 1990, 55.19% of the internally displaced are tribals. The RR Policy is state specific and at times, project specific and do not provide comprehensive package for rehabilitation.
Though provision for some compensation is there, the livelihood issue is not addressed at all.
This has been leading to mass migration of tribal families to unknown destinations in search of livelihood issue is not addressed at all.
This has been leading to mass migration of tribal families to unknown destinations in search of livelihoods for survival.
Due to lack of literacy and skills, thousands of migrant young women become exposed to labour exploitation and trafficking.
Alcoholism: : Alcoholism: According to civil society studies, 60% of earnings among the adivasi families are wasted on alcohol, which is also a cause of the increasing domestic violence and violation of women’s human rights.
The Beverage Policy of some states has become instrumental in increasing violence against women, especially tribal women, marginalizing from their natural resources and their livelihood assets.
Food Security: : Food Security: Threat to food security due to the commercialization of agriculture and change in pattern of cropping is palpable.
And food for local consumption is not on priority agenda of government.
There is also no assurance of good returns of the Commercial Crops.
The PDs is also not effective. And owing to import of skilled labourers to work in large commercial agricultural farms in the tribal areas, the unemployment amongst tribal women is also on the increase.
Health: : Health: The lack of infrastructure in the health sector in the tribal dominated areas is still there.
Whatever facilities are there are beyond the reach of the poor tribals.
Traditional health practice is also eroding owing to the depletion of forest and its degradation due to various mega projects.
The practitioners of traditional healers are not appreciated for their knowledge and wisdom.
The privatization of health sector has made the government delivery system slacken down further on the one hand and also made the services inaccessible and unaffordable to the poor tribals.
Certain practice (traditional) during reproductive period also plays negative impact on the health of tribal women.
Nutrition status is also sliding down further because of the depletion of foods from the forests.
Control over Resources: : Control over Resources: Tribal Communities and their community ownership of land is highly disturbed due to privatization of tribal land and BENAAMI transfer of tribal land with the collusion of some greedy tribals.
Government’s priority for development in national interest at the expense of the rights of the tribals over their own resources is leading to a complex problem situation;
Where by women in these communities are put at the crossroads to suffer in various ways.
Conflict situation: : Conflict situation: The tribal people’s political aspirations to ‘Self-determination’ and assertion to have full control over their resources have led to the armed conflict situation in north east India, which is dominantly a tribal region.
The militant up springs among many tribes in different states of the region has seen thousands and thousands of women being molested, jailed, abducted, raped, killed, widowed, deserted, impoverished to destitution, charged for sheltering terrorists etc.,
This perhaps is just an indicator of the GOI’s high insensitivity to the cultural and economic tensions.
The recent announcement of the Prime Minister of India for a Review Committee of the AFSPA is a welcome step towards ameliorating the sufferings of the people.
Violence in the lives of the tribals: : Violence in the lives of the tribals: Industrialization in the tribal areas is causing increased alcoholism resulting in more violence against women.
The infiltration of non-tribals into tribal areas also adding to the woos of the tribal women, loss of livelihood is compelling the tribal people, especially the tribal women to migrate and thus migration and trafficking is increasing.
Religious codes and norms & practices of cults and communities: : Religious codes and norms & practices of cults and communities: Religious conversions and reconversions of the tribals by the dominant / majority established religions at the expense of the faiths and beliefs of the tribals are eroding the religio-cultural base of the tribals.
Thank you! : Thank you!