National Women's Front

National Women's Front (NWF)
Formation 2009
President
 Zainaba AS[1]
Website www.nwfindia.com//

The National Women's Front (NWF) was formed in 2009 with the stated objective of empowerment of women of India. In the view of the NWF, "the world's largest democracy still has women marginalized and oppressed". The NWF seeks to create a platform for Indian women to oppose injustice and claim their rights.

Background

The status of Indian women is progressing towards gender equality, but women continue to encounter patriarchal standards. Despite the steps towards gender equality, women still face abuse from society. India has a high rate of rapes, while physical assault and acid attacks are on the rise as well.[2] The National Women's Front was founded with the hope of empowering women in the fight for justice and equality.

History of the organization

Although NGOs and humanitarian organizations lend support to women's rights in India, western approaches to feminism may not provide the relief necessary.[3]. In 2009, the National Women's Front was launched to "create a platform for women through which women can stand up against injustice and fight for their rights".[4] The organization started and worked in three states, but is now working within eight states. The aim is to provide support and encourage women living in rural communities that are often overlooked by the government to fight for their equality.

Programs and campaigns

In 2014, the NWF Delhi State unit held an International Women's Day celebration with their nationwide campaign "Women Representation – The Power to Empower".[5]

In November of the same year, the NWF organised a conference ‘Awakening’ to debate issues concerning Indian women at Coimbatore.[6] On the eve of the conference, an expo on women’s rights and issues was inaugurated by Popular Front of India state president A.S.Ismail. Graphic illustrations of domestic violence, rape, female foeticide and riots victims have been presented at the expo.[6]

A workshop on Women Safety was organized by the National Women's Front at the India Islamic Cultural Center in New Delhi in 2013.[7] In September of the same year National Women's Front organized the national campaign "Right to Hijab" across the country to create awareness about hijab and also promote the right to cultural identity.[8]

NWF conducted a campaign related to human rights and legal awareness in various States of India.[9] This campaign sprang from a perception that, under the garb of preventing terrorism, extremism, and Maoism, law enforcement targets minorities, dalits, and tribals by taking them into illegal custody, keeping them in jail, and even killing them in fake encounters, and that none of the political parties were taking a principled stand against what NWF regarded as this injustice.

The Kerala State committee of National Women's Front organized a campaign against the Uniform Civil Code, as a part of national level of initiative to create awareness of the threat posed by the Code to the cultural diversity of India.[10] They termed the Uniform Civil Code 'anti-national' as it eliminates the diversity of different communities ultimately destroying Indian Nationalism.[10] According to them it is a manifestation of anti-Muslim and anti-dalit tendencies of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.[10]

Condemnation of the arrest of Irom Chanu Sharmila

Irom Chanu Sharmila has been fasting since 2000 demanding the withdrawal of Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) imposed in Manipur. The arrest of Irom Chanu Sharmila, after the release order from the Imphal Sessions Court, was condemned by the NWF national secretariat members who gathered a meeting in their headquarters.[11] When Irom Chanu Sharmila called an end to her 16 long year fast to enter politics, she received a negative response from the people of Manipur itself. But NWF supported her decision in this cause.[12]

NWF president AS Sainaba strongly condemned the disgraceful attack on Muslim women at the Mandsaur railway station in Madhya Pradesh. It was an attack of cow protection vigilantes. She called for an end to violence, for the culprits to be brought to justice, and for the Government to control hate speakers.[13]

References

  1. ↑ National Women's Front http://www.nwfindia.com/home/news. Retrieved 2017-05-06. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ↑ "Acid Attacks on Women in India: Survivors Fight Back". USA Today.
  3. ↑ Subramaniam, M. (2004). The Indian Women's Movement. Contemporary Sociology, 33(6), 635-639. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/stable/3593826
  4. ↑ "The National Women's Front". NWFIndia.
  5. ↑ "NWF Organized a women's march at India gate". nwfindia.com.
  6. 1 2 "Women's conference in Coimbatore today". Deccan Chronicle. 2014-11-16. Retrieved 2016-05-08.
  7. ↑ "NWF organizes workshop for women". TCN News. 2013-02-18. Retrieved 2016-05-04.
  8. ↑ "Right to Hijab". National Women's Front.
  9. ↑ "Human Rights". nwfindia.com.
  10. 1 2 3 "National Women's Front opposes Uniform Civil Code". The Hindu. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
  11. ↑ "NWF strongly condemns the arrest of irom sharmila". 2014-10-16. Retrieved 2016-05-09.
  12. ↑ "National Women's Front appreciates Irom Sharmila's initiative". Popular Front of India. Retrieved 2016-08-13.
  13. ↑ "control hindutwa vigilante". Popular Front of India.

Official website


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.