Day 10 – Q 5.Thee have been multiple instances wherein women been able to mobilise themselves as pressure groups. Can you recall such instances? Also bring out their significance.

5. Thee have been multiple instances wherein women been able to mobilise themselves as pressure groups. Can you recall such instances? Also bring out their significance. 

ऐसे कई उदाहरण हैं, जहाँ महिलाएं खुद को दबाव समूहों के रूप में जुटाने में सक्षम रही हैं। क्या आप ऐसे उदाहरणों को उद्धृत कर सकते हैं? उनके महत्व की भी चर्चा करें।

Introduction

Pressure groups are forms of organizations, which exert pressure on the political or administrative system of a country to extract benefits out of it and to advance their own interests. They pursue their interests by organizing themselves and by influencing the governmental policies.

Body

List of pressure groups in India:

• Gulabi gang: Sampatlal devi started a society called the Gulabi Gang with a group of women from her village to fight various forms of social injustice. This developed into an organized women’s movement with tens of thousands of members spread over several districts in Uttar Pradesh.
• Nirbhaya vahini: Nirbhaya Vahini is a volunteer unit of the Honour for Women National Campaign founded by Manasi Pradhan. It helps to mobilize public opinion and launch a sustained campaign for the implementation of the movement’s Four-Point charter of demand such as ban on liquor trade, self-defence training for girls, special protection for women security in every district, and Fast-track court and special investigating & prosecuting wing in every district.
• The RAHI Foundation (Recovering and Healing from Incest): This specializes in working with adult women survivors of incest and childhood sexual abuse and offers services that are uniquely important to their recovery process located in Delhi.
• Sabala: This focus on the “empowerment of women”, including the tribal Lambani, through enabling financial freedom, political voice, social acceptance, and educational opportunities, located in Bijapur, Karnataka.
• Sanlaap: Sanlaap is a developmental organization that works towards correction of social imbalances which present themselves as gender injustice and violence against women and children. The primary work is focused against trafficking of women and children for commercial sexual exploitation, sexual abuse and forced prostitution located in Kolkata.

List of pressure groups in world:

• Equality Now (United States): The organization lists its primary concerns as being sexual violence, trafficking of women, female genital mutilation and discrimination in law.
• WASH United: WASH (WAter, Sanitation and Hygiene) United (Berlin): It is a non-profit organization that works to end the global sanitation and hygiene crisis by making toilets and good hygiene.
• Women for Women International (WfWI) (Washington): It is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides practical and moral support to women survivors of war.
• Orchid project (London): Persistent cultural traditions endorse the practice of female genital cutting (FGC), which involves the removal of external female genitalia. Risky, unnecessary, and invasive, the tradition is being challenged by Orchid Project, which aims to end the practice by circulating educational information.
• Centre for reproductive rights (New York):  It is a global legal advocacy organization that seeks to advance reproductive rights, such as abortion.

Significance:

• Global distribution: Pressure group operates at various levels like local, regional, national and international level. They can be non-profit and volunteer organization. Due to its global presence, they are able to mobilizing women and exerting pressure on the authority to bring about changes in areas of their interests. 
• Chance to be heard: Pressure groups enable particular interests and cause to be heard and to exert influence in public decision and decision-making.
• Raising voices: They help in raising voices and bring to the public, issues affecting them. Several cases of sexual abuse, rape, acid attacks, genetic mutilation, women are being spoken about and consensus is built to fight against those across the globe. 
• Rural participation: Because of these pressure groups, even rural women are coming to mainstream and asserting their rights and fighting for their due share be it equal wages, political representation at village level etc. 
• Fight for Basic needs: Pressure groups led by women have been focusing more on providing basic rights like education, health, human rights as these are primary concerns.
• Women empowerment:  They have played a major role in empowering women in areas like micro financing, employment, Shelter, etc.
• Diversified interests: They work on social, political, economic, environmental, cultural and humanitarian issues across the world.

Conclusion

There is a need for women to organize themselves as pressure groups to be able to carve a niche in all sectors of the society and fight for their needs.