BHUBANESWAR: Sasmita Mallick of Jhimangia village in Kandhamal and Laxmi Bag of Kiralaga in Sundargarh are just two faces of a social revolution that is bringing sweeping changes in rural communities even in the most remote and backward parts of the State.
They epitomise women’s empowerment effected by enforcing the collective strength of womenfolk to demand and assert their rights and equal position in the society.
And, the Gram Sabha has provided them the platform to come together and compel the patriarchal society to listen to their voice and act accordingly.
Be it, social issues like liquor addiction or domestic violence or development of their areas, the women are now taking the lead to get rid of the vices and ills in the communities while setting priorities for their villages.
For Sasmita Mallick, educated till Plus Two, getting married was all about looking after the house work and remaining a ‘yes husband’ woman. But she wanted to break free.
Augmenting support of girls and women from her village and nearby areas, she started meetings to discuss issues that affected them.
The Gram Sabhas were the place that promised hopes to many of the ilk. Once a place only for the husbands who acted as proxies of the women, Sasmita took the initiative to break the shackles. She made sure the womenfolk had equal participation in village panchayats or Gram Sabhas.
“As tribals, every house here prepares country liquor and the men indulge every night. What usually follows is domestic violence. The combined strength of womenfolk against the evil had its effect. We stopped the brewing. Though liquor outlets also operate, the curb on home supply did the work,” says Sasmita, who has been a lead member in rallying against domestic violence and liquor addiction.
She now leads a group of 30 women from 150 households who meet regularly at the Gram Sabhas. “We have stopped domestic violence and child marriages in our villages and encouraging more women to join decision making at Gram Sabhas,” says a confident Sasmita.
What Sasmita has been to Kandhamal’s village women, Laxmi Bag is to tiny hamlets in Sundargarh district. A graduate, 35-year-old Laxmi’s journey began as an SHG member and she now is the village leader.
“As we have all got together, the menfolk have started listening to us. The local police have also started cooperating with us in registering complaints while earlier they used to shoo us away tagging domestic violence as family issues. It gives us a sense of fearlessness and confidence,” says Laxmi as she shouts a slogan leading a rally against female foeticide.
Laxmi with a group of 60-70 women attend GSs regularly. They meet other women leaders from various villages in and around the block and district and discuss many issues.
“Some of our solutions help them and vice versa. Sex determination and child birth are major issues we fight for, through awareness and strict vigil. There are instances when repair of water pipes and transformers were delayed for months but now all has changed,” she says.
Recently, Sasmita and Laxmi were among the 1,000 women who participated in a unique 16-day Gram Sabha organised as per UN System’s 16 Days of Activism campaign to discuss gender-based violence across 17 districts in Odisha.