GRSJ224/GulabiGang

Introduction

The Gulabi Gang is a women’s vigilante movement formed in 2006 by Sampat Pal Devi in the Banda District of Uttar Pradesh, Northern India. This area which these women are from is one of the poorest districts in the country and is marked by a significant patriarchal culture, unruly caste divisions, female illiteracy, domestic violence, child labour, child marriages and dowry demands. This group is know as the Gulabi (pink) Gang because the members wear bright pink saris and wield bamboo sticks. The women wear uniform pink saris because they symbolize strength and carry around bamboo sticks that can be used as weapons if needed. Their leader Sampat Pal states that “[They] are not a gang in the usual sense of the term, [and that they] are a gang for justice". The Gulabi Gang initially set out to punish oppressive men (husbands, fathers and brothers) and combat domestic violence although have turned into a women and men's rights group combating inequality for both sexes yet still focusing on the oppression of women. They take a feminist approach to their deeds. Members of the group confront male offenders and forcibly make them listen and understand that what they are doing is wrong, they use their sticks if necessary and violent male offenders will be send to jail.

gulabi

Historical Background

In the early 2000s, Sampat Pal Devi witnessed a man physically abusing his wife. After she stepped in to try to help, the man began abusing her too. The following day, Sampat Pal Devi accompanied by five other women and bamboo sticks, returned to fight for the justice and equality of all women in unreported and ongoing domestic violence situations. Sampat Pal Devi was a child bride herself, having studied up to the fourth grade then being taken out of school and married off to an ice-cream vendor at the tender age of twelve. At 15 she became a mother and went on to raise five children, which made this topic even closer to her heart. The news of her vigilante group spread and many women pleaded for Sampat to help them the same way she helped the women who was being abused by her husband. Many women joined her movement and in 2006 she decided to create the Gulabi Gang . One such incident of their vigilante ways can be seen in a 2007/2008 case of a lower caste woman who was raped by an upper-caste man, which went unnoticed and the man went uncharged. Many villagers in the area were shaken by this event and protested for the woman although were arrested for doing so. When the Gulabi Gang got wind of this occurence they stormed the police station demanding the release of the arrested villagers and the registration of the case against the rapist. When they did not receive what they wanted they physically beat a police man with their sticks.

Reasons The Gulabi Gang is Needed

Gulabi Gang's Mission

The Gulabi Gang's inital mission was to support and train women to become economically secure and develop confidence an strength to protect themselves from abuse. They have since spread their support onto men as well by supporting those oppressed and also all other human rights as well. Some of their missions' goals are to:

• Stop child marriages
• Persuade families to educate girl-child
• Train women in self-defense
• Oppose corruption in administration
• Create awareness about the evils of dowry
• Register FIRs against sex-offenders and abusive husbands
• Publicly shame molesters
• Encourage women to become financially independent

Patriarchy in India

Patriarchy in India is a problem that affects women all over the nation. So many people grow up thinking that a girl is less important than a boy is as sons are usually favoured. Because girls are perceived as less important than men, it is assumed that one can do whatever they like with her .Women in India have been and still are continued to be seen as helpless and as the responsibility of others and it is believed that women should do nothing even in their own homes. In childhood they are subject to their fathers, in youth to their husbands, and when their husbands are dead they are subject to their sons and “[women] should never enjoy independence” . Through lifelong struggles with their intersectionalities (poor, minority women) these women have recognized that the only way they will receive gender equality is by using numbers to enforce a popular justice of their own, hence forming the Gulabi Gang. Gender discrimination is apparent in India, due to strong patriarchal roots. The Gulabi Gangs’ gender equality enforcement is in response to the gender oppression women in India face. Their goals are to teach self-defence, create the opportunity for independence, for economic stability, and for a life free from abuse of any kind. The Gulabi Gang is one of India's ways of overthrowing patriarchy and challenging the norms.

Rape Culture in India

Statistics

Only 1% of victims of sexual violence report the crime to the police and this is because marital rape is not a crime in India and rape is seen as a shameful event so most women want to keep that shame hidden and so, they remain quiet. In a rape court case, it was said that “When a woman is ravished what is inflicted is not merely physical injury, but the deep sense of some deathless shame” making it clear that remaining quiet about rape is being a good girl . 10% of married women report sexual violence from husbands and adolescent wives are most vulnerable. Adolescent girls also account for 24% of rape cases in the entire country of India, and about 2·5 million adolescent girls (15–19 years old) are victims of sexual violence in India.

gulabi gang

Case Study- India's Daughter

A tragic event shook the country of India on December 16th 2012. Jyoti Singh, a 23 year old student, was demoniacally gang raped by six men on a bus in South Delhi. She died of the injuries she sustained thirteen days later. Due to the severity of the attack and the inadequate and incompetent response of the Indian government to the rape crime, the entire nation revolted with an uproar provoking nationwide protests and demands for legal change to rape laws. Current rape laws in India do not do much or anything at all to help the victim, rather they focus on the stigma and dishonour of rape crimes against women. Indian Jurist Jagdish Verma pointed out the never ending flaws in India's socio-legal response to rape cases as they tend to focus on blaming the victim. Many politicians as shown in the documentary "India's Daughter" make unwanted foot in mouth comments about rape victims saying that “no man will harass a woman unless led on by her” and the “Westernization” of Indian culture had caused the violence because the “Westernized” dress and behavior of women like Jyoti Singh sends men the wrong signals" . After the heinous crime was committed, an unexpected set of responses from politicians during the debate on the anti-rape bill revealed misogynistic assumptions about “acceptable” female behavior and narrow constructions of “legitimate” victimhood. These responses show the true nature of the patriarchal norms and values that shape the state's perceptions of rape. India and its misogynistic ways go so far as to perform a "two-finger" test on all raped victims irrespective of age to determine if she is habituated to sexual intercourse and see how far the fingers go. Essentially this is a means to make the victim look guilty, by doing this test not only is it an invasive mimicry of the act of the sexual assault but it is also clear that this is India's way of victim blaming. A woman in India who was raped is known as Zinda Laash meaning Living Corpse.

The documentary on India's Daughter:

India's Daughter

Khirron Kher's speech on women's right to consent- A response to what was said in the documentary India's Daughter and in regards to India's rape culture.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_a_lhogMd0

Feminism in India

It is a tough job to overthrow years of patriarchy and misogynistic thinking in a nation that prides its men over their women, although here are some famous Indian feminists who broke barriers and stood up for women's rights other than Sampat Pal Devi:

• Indira Jaising- Fought tirelessly for human rights and played a big role in fraing the 2005 Domestic Violence Act
• Rupan Deol Bajaj- Paved the way for women to become more vocal and report their sexual harrassment
• Flavia Agnes- Fights for women's rights and is the co-founder of 'Majlis' - an organization that provides legal representation for women
• Kavita Krishnan- After the 2012 gang rape case she protested in anti-rape protests which led to the legislation of the Criminal Law Amendment 2013 and made dramatic changes in the existing rape laws in India
• Nivedita Menon- Hailed one of the pioneers in feminist history, she works towards changing the minds of those who do not believe in equality of the sexes

Effects of Gulabi Gang

Although violence is never the answer these women of the Gulabi Gang "view their violence as a form of self-defence against disrespect for an individual woman” . Sampat Pal Devi has proven and done. With all of the rape cases and women needing her help to overthrow patriarchy and misogynistic minds, Sampat Pal and her gang of courageous women have made a difference in India. She began with only herself and has now changed the views of women all over india, expanding her following from only a few thousand women to a whopping 400,000 plus members. The gang members do emphasize that their organization does not follow hierarchies, and everyone is treated equally while pursuing a common goal to defeat the norms.The most effective forms of organization have all been implemented by the Gulabi Gang. As for future goals of the Gulabi Gang they have continued to fight for victims like Jyoti Singh and have recently opted to act without political affiliation Pal Devi has said that “joining politics is not my chosen way to help people. We will keep up our good work, so the state does not take us for granted” . The Gulabi Gang gets about six women a day asking for their help . Sampat insists that women join the gang in order to receive their help and support as mutual support is key to fighting patriarchy and prevailing with a new found feminist way of thinking. With a lot of hard work Sampat Pal Devi has created a social movement that instills values of loyalty, mutual support, and individual responsibility.

The trailer and documentary about the Gulabi Gang: Trailer for Gulabi Gang Documentary

Gulabi Gang Documentary

References/Notes

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• Brown, W. Norman, and A. L. Basham. "The Wonder That Was India." The Journal of Asian Studies 16.3 (1967): n. pag. Web.
• Froelich, Amanda. "Meet India's Gulabi Gang- Female Activists for Change." True Activist. N.p., 26 Nov. 2013. Web. 9 Feb. 2015.
• "India's Unwanted Girls." BBC News. BBC, 23 May 2011. Web. 9 Feb. 2015. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13264301>
• Vlassoff, Carol. "1." Gender Equality and Inequality in Rural India: Blessed with a Son. N.p.: n.p., n.d. 1-15. Print.
• White, A., and S. Rastogi. "Justice by Any Means Necessary: Vigilantism among Indian Women." Feminism & Psychology 19.3 (2009): 313-27. Web.
• Raj, A., & McDougal, L. (03/08/2014). The lancet (british edition): Sexual violence and rape in india J. Onwhyn. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60435-9 http://gw2jh3xr2c.search.serialssolutions.com/?ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fsummon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Sexual+violence+and+rape+in+India&rft.jtitle=Lancet+%28London%2C+England%29&rft.au=Raj%2C+Anita&rft.au=McDougal%2C+Lotus&rft.date=2014-03-08&rft.eissn=1474-547X&rft.volume=383&rft.issue=9920&rft.spage=865&rft_id=info%3Apmid%2F24607092&rft.externalDocID=24607092&paramdict=en-US
• Sharmila Lodhia, From “living corpse” to India's daughter: Exploring the social, political and legal landscape of the 2012 Delhi gang rape, Women's Studies International Forum, Volume 50, May–June 2015, Pages 89-101, ISSN 0277-5395, http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2015.03.007. (http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277539515000667)
• Baxi, P. (2014). Public secrets of law : Rape trials in india Oxford University Press. http://gw2jh3xr2c.search.serialssolutions.com/?sid=sersol&SS_jc=TC0001290073&title=Public%20secrets%20of%20law%20%3A%20rape%20trials%20in%20India
• Das, Sanjit. "A Flux Of Pink Indians | VICE United States." VICE. Web. 20 Oct. 2014. <http://www.vice.com/read/flux-pink-indians-v15n2
• Burke, J. (2013, March 12). Delhi gang rape victim's tragic death transforms family's life. The Guardian. Retrieved at http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/mar/12/delhi-gang-rape-death-transformed-lives.
• Zee Media Bureau. (2013, April 24). Women invite harassment: MP Cong leader.Zee News. Retrieved from http://zeenews.india.com/news/madhya-pradesh/women-invite-harassment-mp-cong-leader_844322.html.
• Sen, Atreyee. “Women’s Vigilantism in India: A Case Study of the Pink Sari Gang.” Online Encyclopedia of Mass Violence, December 20, 2012. http://www.massviolence.org/Article?id_article=574.
• Miller, Katy. "The Gulabi Gang as a Social Movement: An Analysis of Strategic Choice." George Mason University, n.d. Web. <http://digilib.gmu.edu/jspui/bitstream/handle/1920/8670/Miller_thesis_2013.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y>.
• Udwin, Leslie. "India’s Daughter - The Passionate Eye." CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 10 Apr. 2013. Web. <http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeye/episodes/indias-daughter>.
• Gulabi Gang. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://gulabigangofficial.in/>.