I endorse. In Solidarity,
Rohit On Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 11:53 AM, jenny rowena <[email protected]>wrote: > Manohar Elavarthi - SANGAMA - Bangalore > Pradeep Esteves - Coordinator CERI - Karnataka > Edwin - OPEN SPACE Bangalore > Anita Cherian – OPEN SPACE Bangalore > Jyotiraj - REDS - Karnataka > Evangeline Anderson Rajkumar - Professor - UTC Bangalore > > > On Mon, Jan 25, 2010 at 11:49 AM, Kavita Krishnan <[email protected] > > wrote: > >> I endorse. Kavita Krishnan, All India Progressive Women's Association >> (AIPWA) >> >> 2010/1/25 jenny rowena <[email protected]> >> >>> We a group of concerned academicians and activists belonging to the >>> Kerala Feminist Network have come to know that Chithralekha, a Dalit woman >>> who is making a living as an auto driver, has been harassed by the CITU >>> and the police in Payyanur, Kannur District, Kerala, on 20th January >>> 2010. It is also extremely disconcerting to note that while the general >>> apathy of the police continue, the trade unions of the CPI (M) has resorted >>> to other ways of demoralizing the struggle of a woman for just and equal, >>> civil, political and human rights. >>> >>> >>> >>> *BACKGROUND* >>> >>> >>> >>> Chithralekha, a Dalit woman, from Payyanur in Kannur, Kerala, was one of >>> the first woman auto drivers to enter a workplace dominated by men from >>> higher castes. Right from the beginning there was a strong resistance to her >>> and there was a three month delay in giving her a membership of the union. >>> Later, when she went on to become an efficient and extremely popular auto >>> rickshaw driver, the resistance against her took a violent turn. Soon she >>> was subject to many acts of workplace harassment by her fellow auto drivers. >>> On one occasion, the hood of her auto was torn off, she was called >>> derogatory caste names, and a fellow driver even tried to run her over with >>> his vehicle. Chithralekha protested against this, lodging complaints with >>> the police and even managing to get one of the workers arrested with the >>> help of a local Dalit activist. In the course of her protest, she also >>> brought to light the fact that her district and locality still practiced >>> untouchability, albeit in modern forms. Once the issue went outside the >>> purview of the local auto stand, the CITU and the local CPI (M) goons >>> adopted a new tactic and started tarnishing her image with wide spread >>> poster campaigns. Through these posters, Chithralekha was branded as a >>> sexually loose woman, a woman who drinks, whose mother was a sex worker, who >>> talks like a man, who does not listen and who does not know how to behave. >>> With such a campaign, Chithralekha lost all support in the locality. >>> >>> >>> >>> On December 30th, 2005, they burned down her auto, depriving her of her >>> only source of livelihood. However, Chithralekha continued with her struggle >>> and managed to procure a new auto through her association with various >>> Dalit, Feminists and Citizen’s initiatives in June 2008. Chithralekha had >>> been slowly trying to get on with her life, though she and her husband were >>> often being attacked in various ways by the local CITU. It was at this point >>> that the current incident occurred. >>> >>> * * >>> >>> *THE CURRENT INCIDENT* >>> >>> >>> On the morning of 20th January 2010, Chithralekha (along with her >>> husband Shreeshanth) who was about to park her auto rickshaw in front of a >>> medical shop, was asked to move her vehicle from the parking spot by one Mr >>> Ramachandran who is an office bearer of the CITU auto rickshaw Union in >>> Payyanur. When Chithralekha protested, an altercation followed between them >>> and the CITU workers started beating her up. Soon, a police jeep arrived and >>> bundled the couple into the vehicle. They were taken to the police station >>> and severely beaten up. Later she was allowed to go without even registering >>> a case!! She has visible wounds all over her body and has had to go to the >>> hospital twice after the incident. Moreover, she is unable to move out of >>> her house or drive her auto as she is afraid of further violence. Shockingly >>> there is very little media coverage of this issue and no local support >>> available to her in defending against the attack. >>> >>> >>> >>> In this context, we strongly demand the State Government to: >>> >>> * * >>> >>> Ø *Take immediate steps to ensure the fundamental rights of >>> Chithralekha to be able to work and live in her own native place, free of >>> mental and physical torture. * >>> >>> * * >>> >>> Ø *Implement the provisions of the Vishakha Guidelines on Sexual >>> Harassment at the Workplace for Chithralekha, an auto rickshaw driver.* >>> >>> * * >>> >>> * * >>> >>> Ø *Take stringent actions against the CITU workers and police >>> officers on duty who inflicted violence on Chithralekha during the incident. >>> * >>> >>> * * >>> >>> Ø *Constitute an Independent Judicial Commission to conduct >>> thorough investigation into the whole issue* >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> Chithralekha Solidarity, >>> >>> Kerala Feminist Network >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >>> "Green Youth Movement" group. >>> To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. >>> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >>> [email protected]<greenyouth%[email protected]> >>> . >>> For more options, visit this group at >>> http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB. >>> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Green Youth Movement" group. >> To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. >> To unsubscribe from this group, send email to >> [email protected]<greenyouth%[email protected]> >> . >> For more options, visit this group at >> http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB. >> > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Green Youth Movement" group. > To post to this group, send an email to [email protected]. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > [email protected]<greenyouth%[email protected]> > . > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. 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