Empowerment of Rural and Tribal Women by Barli Development Institute for Rural Women
By: Mrs. Janak Palta McGilligan[1]
The Barli Development Institute for Rural Women[2], established in Indore in Central India in 1985, provides holistic training for rural and tribal women in India. Based on universal principles of unity and equality, It is dedicated to empowering these young women as agents of social change. Though the training at BDIRW is focused on women, it results in the progress of the whole of society. In order for development to be effective, it is necessary for there to be a large emphasis put on the education and empowerment of women. This is not only because women are the most neglected and oppressed people worldwide but also because they have the greatest potential for changing the state of the world.
It is an obvious reality that women everywhere have a lower status than men. They are not given the same opportunities for education, employment, health services and even basic necessities, such as food and shelter. They are underpaid for the work they do and unappreciated for the sacrifices they make. They are often seen by others and themselves as being of little value. The result of this is that women are amongst the most deprived and disadvantaged people in the world. Two-thirds of the world's 876 million illiterates are female. Of the world's one billion poorest people, approximately 60 percent are women and girls. In India, the average household will spend less money on ill women than on men. One quarter of all females born in India are not even able to survive until their 15th birthday due to infanticide and a lack of access to health care.[3] The statistics make it clear that women are struggling under the burden of inequality. Before true development can occur this inequality must be eliminated.
The low status of women causes them to lack the self-confidence and strength needed to improve their situation. This further perpetuates the misconception that women are innately weak and inferior and also makes women an easy target for oppression, violence and crime. More than one-quarter of all women have suffered one form or another of physical abuse and 80% of the victims of armed conflicts are women and children.[4] The psychological oppression of women makes them afraid to speak out against the violence committed against them. Even when a woman who has been abused does try speak out she is often discouraged, ignored or silenced by both members of her community and by the people responsible for enforcing the laws. In India, an estimated 80% of crimes committed against women are not reported. This results in perpetrators of crimes not meeting any consequences and reinforces the idea that crimes committed against women are acceptable. So the vast majority of victimized women go unheard, silently struggling against societal barriers which impede their personal development and therefore the development of all of society. It is because of the negative attitudes, based on male superiority, that are ingrained in our society that this cycle of physical and psychological violence is allowed to continue.
For the world to become a united global community, these harmful attitudes must be changed and this has to start where they are first learned, at the family level. If families can not function with unity, love and respect then society at large will not be able to move forwards towards an equality-based, violence-free world. Women, as mothers, are the first educators of children and are thus the driving force behind the family. Therefore development focused on women provides the basis for strengthening the family and transforming society. Women are responsible for training the next generation. If they themselves are not educated they can not give their children the skills needed to bring about positive changes in society. Children must be taught the principles of mutual respect, caring, sharing, consultation, love and unity. Both boys and girls must be educated side by side about the importance of equality. They must be taught how to find strength in each other and how to work together to improve the situation of the world. In order to teach their children the importance of equality, women must first realize their own value.
The fate of the world rests on its children and the fate of its children rests on its women.
[1] Mrs. Janak Palta McGilligan has been the director of the Barli Development Institute for Rural Women since its establishment. She has almost two decades of experience working with the empowerment of rural and tribal women in India and has made significant contributions to development in rural India.
[2] The Barli Development Institute for Rural Women was established in 1985 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha’is of India under the name Baha’i Vocational Institute for Rural Women. In 2001, it became and independent NGO and its name was changed to what it is today. Barli is commonly a tribal female name in the area from where a vast majority of trainees of the Institute come from. The literal meaning is the central pillar of the tribal house that it supports. Conceptually we believe that women are the central pillars of society.
[3]What Has Changed For Women and Girls Since 1995?: The NGO Country Report on Beijing Plus FIve from the Indian Women’s Movement, 2000, p.24, p.50
[4]Ibid, p. 1