Fighting sexism – 30 years on -- New Internationalist

Fighting sexism – 30 years on -- New Internationalist

Three
decades later, when dealing with a sexual molestation case, I realized
grimly that nothing I ever read or wrote had prepared me for the reality
on the ground. A 21-year-old adivasi woman, Badichi (name changed),
reported a sexual molestation by a forest guard. Horrified, young women
colleagues rushed to her aid, only to find the village wanted nothing to
do with it. A protest march was planned. The adivasi village refused to
participate. ‘She has had two kids, by two different men. She gave her
kid away. She is not a decent girl so why should we fight this case?’
the community asked. The young women on our team were aghast.

Were people in the community really turning their backs on an adivasi woman? 

 

International Women's Day in Omkareshwar, India. Nevil Zaveri under a Creative Commons Licence

 http://newint.org/blog/2014/06/23/sexism-india-adivasi/