Always been inspired by the daring women of this world, some of the people who know me call me a feminist. Taking off from the UN theme
for International Women's Day this year, I want to talk about a few women who are fighting battles for basic rights.
“Equality for women is progress for all” –
UN theme for International Women’s Day 2014
It was an absolutely great message given by
UN Secretary General Ban-Ki-moon on the eve of International Women’s Day -
“Equality for women is progress for all”. He explained that achieving equality
for women and girls is not simply a matter of fairness and fundamental human
rights. It is required because it means progress in so many other areas also.
He further described how countries with more gender equality had better
economic growth, companies with more women leaders performed better, peace
agreements that included women are more durable and parliaments with more women
enacted more legislation on key social issues such as health, education,
anti-discrimination and child support.
Every individual whether man or woman has to
perform many roles. However, it is the woman who has a stronger influence on
people close to her, especially in her role as a mother and wife. Children will
be what their mother teaches them to be. Thus the saying, ‘You educate a man,
you educate an individual. You educate a woman, you educate a family.’ Not all
women may grow up to be an Indra Nooyi or a Chanda Kochhar, but they can groom
one to be. There are many women across the world who are fighting difficult
battles, some of these being battles for basic rights. In this article, I want
to focus on a few of these women who are as much a role model for us as the
women corporate leaders.
Malala Yousoufzai - The Girl Who Stood Up for
Education and Was Shot by the Taliban
She was talked about most when she was
nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2013 which unfortunately she could not
win. She became an advocate for girls' education in Pakistan, which resulted in
the Taliban issuing a death threat against her. On October 9, 2012, a gunman
shot Malala on the left side of her head when she was traveling home from
school. The shooting left Malala in a critical condition. So she was flown to a
military hospital in Peshawar. A portion of her skull was removed to treat her
swelling brain. To receive further care, she was transferred to Birmingham,
England. Once she was in the United Kingdom, Malala was taken out of a
medically induced coma. Though she required multiple surgeries including repair
of a facial nerve to fix the paralyzed left side of her face, she had suffered
no major brain damage. In March 2013, she was able to begin attending school in
Birmingham.
The shooting resulted in a massive
outpouring of support for Yousafzai, which continued during her recovery. She
gave a speech at the United Nations on her 16th birthday in 2013. She has also
written an autobiography, ‘I Am Yousafzai: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education
and Was Shot by the Taliban’, which was released in October 2013. She has been
again nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize 2014.
Irom Sharmila - The Iron Lady of Manipur
Irom Sharmila, a civil rights activist whose
hunger strike against the controversial AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act) in Manipur continues
even after 13 years of self-sacrifice and hardships! Having refused food and
water for more than 500 weeks, she has been called “the world’s longest hunger
striker“. Right from an early age, Sharmila was passionate about defending the
causes that she deeply cared about. She actively espoused social issues during
her college days and participated in rallies to protest against violation of
civil rights. However, in November 2000, 10 civilians were killed in a shooting
allegedly perpetrated by the Assam Rifles, which is part of the Indian paramilitary
forces. Among the victims were a 62 year old woman and an 18 year old boy. The
incident which became known as the Malom Massacre outraged the 28 year old
Sharmila to such an extent that she announced a fast unto death, unless the
AFSPA was revoked. This declaration from Sharmila brought the contentious Act
under the glare of national and international media, springing Irom Sharmila
into the spotlight. It has been 13 years since Sharmila waged her protest
against the Malom Massacre despite her multiple pleas, the government has been
reluctant to act on the matter.
Linkan Subudhi - The
braveheart software engineer
Linkan Subudhi was chosen for the State Bravery Award (Biju Patnaik Bravery Award) for her audacity and courage in fighting against the social evils. The decision was taken by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on October 7, 2013.
A software engineer and social activist,
Linkan Subudhi was brutally attacked for trying to rescue a minor girl (15 years
old) student from being forcibly married in Noida. She was attacked by the
girl’s prospective groom and her mother, who allegedly stabbed and hit her with
bricks, causing serious head injuries. She was working for the Noida chapter of
Aid India, an NGO since 2008 as a project coordinator, where she taught slum children
in the morning and then went to work. “The attack just hurt me physically, but
it cannot deter me from helping people,” said the Subudhi. She worked hard even
after recovering from the attack so that the culprits bore the brunt of not
only attacking her but trying to marry her student.
