Tell us about yourself ?
Myself Ashwina Yadav. I am currently pursuing five-Year law at Rajasthan University, Jaipur. I’m passionate about my choices and goals the helps me to perform better and myself by learning new skills. I am always keen on enriching my knowledge in different fields of law. I have written many articles and presented numerous research papers at national seminars. I like reading researching and noting it down.
What are the challenges faced by tribal women despite the constitutional privileges guaranteed to them?
The constitution privileged everyone with right to equality but still tribal women suffers gender inequality. They are not given proper opportunity to attain education. Due to extreme poverty women are considered as economic assets in their society. They are compelled to do work and are forced to get married in the early age. Tribal women are not healthy and suffer malnutrition. Tribal women are financially dependent on their spouses which results in decrease of their work participation in the society. They don’t have property rights and lag far behind in social networking.
What are the elements influencing this gender injustice?
Some of the elements of stratification of male and female includes strong Patriarchal custom where inheritance passes from father to son. Women have less authority then man to legal recognition and protection as well as less decision-making power both within an outside the home. Sons are often the only person entitled to performing funeral rights for their parents.All household works done by women are considered as menial works and home-making is not considered as ‘work’ even by the government.
How did you arrive at the conclusion that the Indian Tribes share a common history of injustice?
The Jaunsar-Bawar, women have no place in matters of religion and ritual performances. Among the Toda and Kota of Southern India, the women are prohibited from crossing the threshold of a temple. A Santhal woman cannot attend communal worships nor partake of the sacrificial meat.For the Kharia tribal people living in Jharkhand and Odisha states, it is taboo for women to touch a plough or roofing the house. Moreover, they are excluded from certain religious festivals and ritualistic observance during their menstrual period. Among the Gonds of Madhya Pradesh, touching a menstruating woman is sufficient to destroy a good harvest. women in general are considered to be in a state of pollution which is enhanced during their menstruation period and child-birth. Hence, they are grossly oppressed and discriminated because of this. The various tribal communities share common history of injustice towards women.
What methods would you suggest for the empowerment of Tribal women in India?
Empowerment for tribal women in India requires a crosscutting approach and one which addresses the diversity of social structures that govern women’s lives. Abolition of gender-injustice against tribal women is not only about providing services, but also about recognizing their lived realities of multiple layers of discrimination that hinder their access to services like health, nutrition, equal pay, and education being the primary and most important.
La Senatus Scriptors 