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Tamil Nadu Women's Forum joins hands with people's movements, women's groups,
trade unions, leftist political parties, human rights forums, and other
organisations at local, national, regional and international levels to
uphold the rights of marginalised indigenous oppressed and discriminated
communities. Moreover, TNWF campaigns for women's reservation, land and
food without poison, food security, in combating communalism and globalisation,
against violence on women, child abuses, female infanticide and foeticide,
and illegal patent by the MNCs.
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TNWF also conducts not only political actions but also legal activities. TNWF uses law as a tool for social change. TNWF creates access to justice for women by adopting legal and meta-legal strategies. Women leaders are enlightend on legal procedures and are encouraged to support the other women to approach the appropriate forums.
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TNWF's page on Asian Rural Women's Conference: Click Here
Official Website of Asian Rural Women's Conference: Click Here (Under Construction)
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Up Date 20 Aug 07 |
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 Tamil Nadu Dalit Women's Movement has organised the 9th state level conference
on Dalit Women on 19-20 Jul 07 at Palavoy, Arakkonam, Vellore Distr. Tamil
Nadu. (Go to the report)
TNWF, with PAN AP and PCFS, has conducted 4-nation Fact Finding Mission on Aqua Farm Pollution to Kolathur. For the Press Statement, please click here.
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 Food is one of the important items for the living of human beings. Indian
Agriculture, however, is now threatened by international agri-business.
The so-called "development" of technologies in agriculture; machines
for cultivation, pesticide or genetically modified plants, has spread negative
impacts out to the farmers, to the natural environment, and to consumers
as well. The authoritarianism of agri-business dealers can also produce
discrimination towards lower caste peoples and women. In India, most of
labourers in the field are Dalit women. With influence of pesticide, they
can easily have skin desease.
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| The recent development of the security system of patent rights also threatens
mass interests in food. For over 4000 years in Indian History, tribal peoples,
for example, have preserved abundant knowledge on their plants such as
nimes or other herbs, which is nothing to do with the recent modern patent
formulated by international companies. With this lucrative patent system,
our food is in danger of colonisation. In order to protest such situation,
Tamil Nadu Women's Forum, Society for Rural Education and Development,
and Rural Women's Liberation Movement are taking actions in Tamil Nadu
for food sovereignty, as a part of regional initiatives led by PAN-AP: Pesticide Action network, Asia and Pacific. Also, TNWF keeps link with other organisation for working on the issue
of food security and food sovereignty. For further details on our action,
please check here (under construction). |
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With a lot of support from PAN AP with other friend's organisation; namely, IBON Foundation Inc. and APRN, TNWF has now Tamil training material on food sovereignty; "Food Sovereignty Module" (Click here for reading format, and here for book format: in Tamil)
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" Everyhour two Dalits are assaulted!"
"Everyday Three Dalit Women are murdered!"
"Everyday Two Dalit houses are burnt in India"
Dalit Rights are Human Rights
Let us cast out caste |
Dalits are the victims of India's oppressive caste system. They are at the
lowest strata and are identified as "untouchables". DALIT means
broken, discriminated, disowned, subjugated and a victim of apartheid.
But for the Dalit people, the real meaning of Dalit is 'the struggle for
Human Rights'. Dalit is not just one community- Dalit, a word which brings
more than 76 castes under one umbrella. There are 300 million Dalit people
in the world 250 million in Asia and 150 million in India. Dalit consist
19.18 percent of the total Indian population. 80 percent of Dalits live
in rural areas most of whom are landless agrecultural labourers.
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 The only ray of hope for Dalits rests on the movilisation of strong resistance movements among the Dalits under able, unlike the existing self centered, and vested interested caste leaders. A global effort is required to eradicate the age-old practices of untouchability, in its manifold forms and to bring the atrocities and discriminations on Dalits, by the state and the civil society, within the purview of violations of Human Rights. All the more it is highly necessary to create consciousness among various sections of the society to bring attitudinal change and to seek their solidarity.
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Global Action for Dalits is a part of the international campaign for Dalits, aiming to alarm and to educate the international community on the atrocities against Dalits and to mobilize people around the world in helping Dalits' efforts for protecting their rights. Tamil Nadu Women's Forum as partner of this action focuses its programs at the grass root and the regional levels with support from various grass toot organisations, activists, professionals and academics.
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 So far, TNWF published two reports as one of the actions for GAD
- 1st Report; 1998-1999
- 2nd Report; "Picture of the Brutally Murderd Elected- Dalit Panchayat President Menaka" 2000-2001
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Also, TNWF has maintained closer contacts with other discriminated peoples'
movement worldwide
- Programme Partner; IMADR (Go to IMADR's GAD Homepage)
- Other Participants to the programme: BLL and other IMADR's member organisations
* TNWF is a member organisation of IMADR
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With suppot of PAN AP, TNWF has now a Tamil training material on food Sovereignty- "Food Sovereignty Module". Please click here (in Tamil: 2 Apr 2007).
TNWF joins PAN AP's campaign on Week of Rice Action (WORA) 2007 (from 28 Mar. 2007; takes off from Thakkolam, Tamil Nadu). See our message for WORA 2007.
TNWF submitted an alternative report for the 15th-19th periodic report
on India for the 70th session of UN CERD: "Unheard Voices- DALIT WOMEN"
(Jan 2007: Go to the report)
SRED and APWLD organised a Conference on Women and Disaster manaement on 16-18 Dec. 2006 (go to the final statement) (Dec 2006)
Action against Khairlanji atorocities, on 04 Dec. 2006
For the atrocity of Khairlanji in Maharastra, Tamil Nadu Dalit Women's
movement conducted a protest demonstration in Chennai on 4th Dec 2006.
Around 1000 people from Vellore, Kancheepuram and Thiruuvellore district
were participated. Protest slogan were raised against the atrocities.
Action Report Dec 2006: Protest demonstration against pesticide day (go to the report)
Conference Report Sept. 06 : Self organised workshop- Women Affected by Natural Disasters (Go to the report)
Conference Report Aug.06: State level Dalit women's Conference on Land and Political Power for Dalit Women (Go to the report)
Conference Report May.06: Consultation on Women and livelifood (Go to the report)
Conference Report Apr. 06: Is there a need for women's political party? (Go to the report)
Alliance People's Movement's Action against the construction of Dam at
the river Palaru, on 10 Feb. 2006
A protest meeting was held near Taluk office on February 10th 2006 at Arakkonam
against the construction of dam at the river Palaru by the Andhra Pradesh
Government. Due to the construction, problem of famine and drought will
be faced by the people. The meeting was organized by Alliance of People’s
Movement. The problems of agriculturist were discussed. The proceeding
of the construction of the dam is stopped temporarily. Petitions were submitted
to the Governor of Andhra Pradesh, local collector, Chief minister cell
and to Prime Minister cell.
TNWF in Asia Pacific NGO Forum on Beijing plus 10- 2004 in Bangkok (Go to the report)
TNWF in Asia Social Forum - 2003 in Hyderabad (Go to the report)
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