Indian Feminist Campaigns that Made Great Strides for Equality and Beyond

SOCIAL

Indian Feminist Campaigns that Made Great Strides for Equality and Beyond

15 NOV 2024

Feminist movements in India have adapted with memorable and engaging names. To shed light on the many forms of violence experienced by women and gender minorities in India that is often normalized and overlooked, feminist groups have embraced creative forms of protest. Addressing issues such as street harassment, moral policing, domestic abuse and more, these movements in the past years have effectively captured public attention with their innovative approaches. Here are some stand-out campaigns from the past few years.

Protesters at #IWillGoOut Campaign (left) and Pinjra Tod Campaign (right)

#LahuKaLagaan (The Tax on Blood)

This campaign, launched by SheSays India, took on the issue of the "pink tax" on menstrual products in India. In a video featuring comedian Mallika Dua, the campaign highlighted how menstrual products were taxed as luxury items. By humorously equating menstruation with luxury, the campaign drew attention to the injustice of taxing essentials like sanitary napkins. The pressure led to the Indian government eventually removing the tax on menstrual products in 2018.

#IWillGoOut

This grassroots movement emerged in response to several incidents of public harassment and victim-blaming that discouraged women from being out at night. On January 21, 2017, women across Indian cities took to the streets as part of the #IWillGoOut march to reclaim public spaces and demand safer environments. By gathering in public spaces and sharing experiences online, the campaign emphasized women’s right to freedom and safety in public areas.

#Pinjra Tod (Break the Cage)

This was a movement initiated by college-going women in New Delhi, the Indian capital, in 2015, Pinjra Tod, or ‘Break the Cage’, brought forth a utopian vision by young women in India – freedom of movement at night. As providers of shelter to young women in exchange for rent money, hostels and PG accommodations in and around educational campuses have played their role in protecting the young women, through rules and regulations to ensure their safety, which is undoubtedly admirable. Pinjra Tod, highlighting that women too must have the right to loiter streets like their male counterparts, have challenged the discriminatory curfews and practices in some of the most elite institutions of the country, who perhaps by mistake, ‘miss out’ in addressing the actual perpetrators of crime through such practices.

#SharetheLoad by Ariel

Ariel’s award winning #ShareTheLoad campaign tackled gender inequality at home, focusing on the unequal division of household chores. Using the slogan, “Is laundry only a woman’s job?” the campaign encouraged men to contribute to household chores and support their partners. Videos and social media posts featured fathers and husbands learning to do laundry, drawing attention to the expectation that domestic work is “women’s work.”

#WhyLoiter?

Inspired by the book Why Loiter? Women and Risk on Mumbai Streets, this campaign encouraged women to “loiter” in public spaces without purpose, to challenge the idea that women only belong in public spaces when they have a “reason.” It advocated for the normalization of women’s presence in public spaces at any time, without restrictions. Participants shared photos and stories of themselves loitering, sparking a conversation on women’s right to public spaces. The campaign was featured in BBC 100 Women in 2016

#Chappal Marungi

A phrase that loosely translates to ‘I will hit you with slippers’, Chappal Marungi was the result of angry young women raging against the sexual violence that they face on the streets of India. Originally conceived by five students at a college in Mumbai, in western India, this campaign dared to propagate the unthinkable – fighting back against molesters and empowering women through self-defence training. While the campaign itself received much attention when it was launched almost six years ago, it has largely died out as a movement today.