Women Workers in India Abused and Discriminated
	Sindhu Menon

Society has traditionally considered woman as subordinate to man. Hence gender inequality remains a fact of life. Women worldwide are still relegated to second-class status which makes them vulnerable to all kinds of abuses and discrimination.

In a democracy we expect the government to protect the basic rights of all workers including women. However, as the number of working women increases their abuses continues to grow and new challenges emerge. The male-dominated society uses every instrument of oppression like rape, sexual harassment and murder to suppress the struggle of women for self-expression and freedom to maintain and prove their supremacy. The brutal murders of the three women trade unionists in the Mornoi Tea estate of Kokrajhar area in Assam, is a typical example for this.

On 16 May 1999, while the workers and the residents of the Mornoi Tea Estate were engaged in their routine work, Sita Marandi, an active trade unionist along with two other colleagues Tamling Guria and Fa Guria, were shot dead on their way to the tea estate by goons hired by the management.

As General Secretary of the Mornoi unit of Namoni Asom Mazdoor Sangh, Sita Marandi was trying to unionise women workforce who constituted more than 50 per cent of the workers. Due to her union activity, Sita was dismissed from service in 1998, but she continued to organise the workers.

In March 1999, Anabrita Baria, a woman activist in the plantaion was murdered by suspected goons of the management. Sita demanded the arrest of the murderers of Anabrita, but it resulted in her own death. Tamling and Fa, were also union members.

Centuries back, Manu said, "dhol shudra, pashu nari yei sub hei thadan ke adhikari," even centuries later, there is no attitudinal change. The Mornoi Tea estate proves the fact that suppression and oppression still persists.

Anganwadi Workers Struggle for Basic Rights

The Anganwadi workers' relentless struggle for their legitimate rights have entered a new phase in 1999. All over India the Anganwadi workers launched an agitation demanding regularisation, minimum wages, social security provisions and the status of primary or pre-school teachers.

The secretariat meeting of the All India Federation of Anganwadi Workers and Helpers (AIFAWH), organised rail roko, raasta roko and picketing of district Collectorate throughout the country on 18 February 1999. More than 1000 Anganwadi workers in Assam held a huge procession at Guwahati.

Prior to this, on 11 February 1999, the All India Anganwadi Workers Federation (AIAWF) protested against the government's plan to handover the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) programme to state governments without holding any discussion with the Anganwadi workers. "We oppose government's move", says Amarjeet Kaur, the secretary of AIAWF, "None of us are aware of the terms, conditions and modalities of implementation in the proposed dispensation," she adds. Hemalatha, General Secretary of the AIFAWH says, "The major portion of the fund is being used to pay the officials at the level of supervisor, but the actual implementers at the grassroots level - the workers and helpers, are only paid honorarium." The workers and helpers are paid between Rs 510 to Rs 600 and Rs 250 to Rs 350 respectively in accordance with the time period of the service. "The scheme is aimed at the poor in both the rural and urban areas. But the irony is that the very service providers themselves are a miserable and neglected lot. Their work is insecure and they are the worst paid," comments Hemlatha.

Unions are quite active among the Anganwadi workers, but even then their long-standing demands for minimum wage and the status of government employees have not been met. "Our major demands are to get minimum wages, regularisation of the employees and to provide them with social security benefits", says Amarjeet Kaur. None of the political parties have shown any interest to provide relief to the employees of the Anganvadis. "Our struggle has been going on for the last 23 years," says KC Basawaraj, Secretary of the Karnataka State Anganwadi Workers and Assistants ssociation.

The AIFAWH has called for a countrywide campaign against the liberal economic policies initiated by the government and their attempt for privatization. More than 15,000 Anganwadi women participated in a massive rally in Bangalore on 25 February 99, to persuade the government for the speedy implementation of their demands. They were encouraged by the case won in the Karnataka Tribunal by the state AITUC which accepted the claim of Anganwadi workers to be treated as government employees.

Conceding to their demands the state government raised the monthly allowance of Anganwadi workers and assistants by Rs 150 and Rs 76 respectively. The Karnataka State Anganwadi Workers union hailed the decision of the state government. The case is now in appeal at the Supreme Court of India.

Meanwhile, in Bhopal on 15 November 99, Suchitra Mohapatra, General Secretary of Anaganwadi Mahasangh, announced that thousands of Anganwadi workers associated with the Akhil Barathiya Karamchari Mahasangh will launch a nationwide agitation if the government failed to fulfill their demands like providing minimum wages according to the latest price index, giving social security benefits and incorporating the services of the Anganwadi workers and Sahayiks in the projects run by the state governments.

Physical and Mental Harassment

These women workers, are quite often subjected to sexual harassment. On March 1999, the Anganwadi workers of Rohtak, Haryana, held a huge rally in protest against the sexual harassment of a worker by the block development officer. The district collector, ordered an enquiry into the incident and the BDO was suspended.

Many times the culprits are not punished. In India, working women constitute 14.8 per cent of the total workforce in the organised sector and occupy 7.5 per cent jobs in the Central government. According to study conducted by the National Commission for Women about 50 per cent working women of our country face mental and physical harassment and gender discrimination at workplace.

"Humiliation, discrimination and deprivation of opportunity is very commonly faced by working women, but their trauma is aggravated by the male-dominated societies' indifference and apathy to their problems" media quotes Jayasree Gupta, Joint Registrar General and Census Commissioner in the Home Ministry.

Though Supreme Court defined sexual harassment on 20 August 1997 (Vishaka v/s The State of Rajasthan), it was only in 1999, that it enlarged its definition while giving its judgement in the Apparel Export Promotion Council's case. The Court was dealing with a case filed by an employee of the Delhi-based Apparel Export Promotion Council alleging sexual harassment by A K Chopra, Private Secretary to the company's chairman. The Court held that "sexual harassment at the place of work is incompatible with the dignity and honour of a female and needs to be eliminated and there can be no compromise with such violations".

This is considered a landmark judgement. But how often are actions taken against sexual harassment at workplace? Do the management and the employers take any legal steps to implement the courts' decisions and suggestions? The year 1999, witnessed many cases of harassments from all over the country.

Two lady teachers and a staff member of a reputed public school in Faridabad levelled charges of sexual harassment against the principal of the school U S Verma. On 13 May 1999, briefing the media one of the complainant said, "He even offered to pay us for sexual favours. When we refused to succumb to his advances, he began sending us memos at the flimsiest of reasons." Though the matter has been brought to the notice of the National Commission for Women, so far no action has been taken against the principal despite the committee, set up at the instance of the commission, upholding the allegations of the complainants. The NCW member Poornima Advani confirmed this. According to Naina Kapoor, the director of Sakshi, "the DPS case is a perfect example of the manner in which the private sector had failed to comply with the Supreme Court guidelines vis-a vis sexual harassment."

Rani (not her real name) a nurse in Lala Ram Swaroop Institute of TB and Allied Diseases in Mehrauli, Delhi was sexually harassed by a senior doctor. On 26 March 1999, the nurses under the banner of Pragiteesheel Mahila Sangathan staged a dharna outside Nirman Bhawan to protest against alleged sexual harassment.

The case of five women medicos of the Maulana Azad Medical College's Department of Skin and Venereal Diseases is similar. They had complained against the head of the department three years ago. Shunned by the faculty and even by the students whose initial enthusiasm gave way to career concerns, the girls continued to do the rounds of courts and now are a bitter lot. Media reports on the issue suggests that they are now being projected as villains.

The cases of sexual harassment can be filed with State Women's Commission and State Human Rights Commission. But in spite of these mechanisms, women should unitedly shoulder the responsibility to fight for their rights. Rampant abuses against working women have traditionally been ignored. The story takes a new turn when the protectors of law become the violators. The case of women constables in TT Nagar, Bhopal is a typical example.

Within a span of six months, five women constables, posted at the TT Nagar police station, Bhopal pressed for transfer and moved out because of the unbearable behaviour of the head constable. The case came into limelight when the sixth women constable also tried to move out. Incidently the senior officers have ignored the unusual behaviour of these women constable and no action was taken regarding the matter.

The behaviour of the police force to their women colleagues was made more obvious from the comments made by policewomen who attended a five day training programme to sensitise police personnel to curb the increasing gender specific violence. According to women personnel, including middle level officers, the force should first clean up their own stables. Most of them complained that they were given soft postings or clerical jobs at police stations. "We are given the same training as our male counterparts, but why is that we are not assigned field duties. Is this being gender sensitive?" asks an Assistant Commissioner of police pointing out that out of 62 women inspectors only two have been appointed as Station House Officers.

The amendment of the Industrial Employment Rules, 1946 by the Union Government to curb sexual harassment in the workplace was welcomed by a number of organisations. "The announcement is a move in the right direction. If not anything else, it will have a deterrent effect on those who don't think twice before passing derogatory remarks in front of their female colleagues or harassing them in other ways," says Nandita Shah director of women's resource centre Akshara.

"What we now need to focus on is the implementation of these rules. Organisations may set up cells to handle grievances of sexual harassment, but will they be managed by officials who are sensitive to the issues?" doubts Vijayashree Iyengar, coordinator of women's guidance cell, Sakhya. "How does one ensure that the punitive action is taken against the errant ?" she questions.

One is reminded of Mahatma Gandhi's words, "Woman is not helpless. She must never regard herself as weaker than man. She should not, therefore, beg for any man's mercy, nor depend on."

http://www.labourfile.org/Lab99/Women%20Workers%20in%20India%20Abused%20and%20Discriminated.htm