Report of the correspondent of Mazdoor Ekta Committee
Mazdoor Ekta Committee organized a discussion on 9th July, 2023 on the issue of ‘increasing sexual exploitation of women’ in Okhla industrial area of South Delhi. It was attended by a large number of women and men, young boys and girls.
A member of Mazdoor Ekta Committee moderated the discussion.
The discussion started with a power point presentation. In the presentation, it was explained through statistics that cases of discrimination, sexual exploitation and violence against women are increasing across the country. Women are not safe anywhere – from roads to homes to schools-colleges, from playground to factories, companies and offices. Women face rape and violence in state-sponsored communal violence, as seen in the 1984 genocide against Sikhs and the 2002 genocide in Gujarat.
The presentation highlighted that we workers have no power to choose our candidates in the elections. The trusted political parties of the capitalists, the owners of big industrial houses, nominate as their candidates those people who often have criminal cases already registered. The capitalists, with the help of their money power, muscle power and media power, make the party that implements their program in the best way win the election. We can neither question the elected representatives nor recall them. In such a situation, the question arises that: would it be right to expect justice for women from these criminal rulers? What is the option before us?
Birju Nayak addressed these questions on behalf of Mazdoor Ekta Committee. He said that when women raise their voice against the increasing crimes against them, then their own character is questioned. In court, the victim is often blamed.
He cited the example of Bhanwari Devi of Rajasthan, who took a bold step in 1992 to stop child marriage. For this she was raped. Instead of delivering justice, the court, the police and the government put her in the dock as if she had committed a crime!
Birju Nayak also gave the example of the recent struggle of women wrestlers. If the accused of sexual abuse is in a high position of power, he is spared.
He pointed out that due to the current capitalist system, women are treated as an object of consumption. Women are discriminated against and exploited at every level. Even in the factories where women go to work, capitalists exploit them by paying them less wages than men. And use this to reduce the wages of all workers. The capitalists get direct benefit from the exploitation and oppression of women.
Women have to come forward in the struggle against all kinds of exploitation-oppression and injustice in the society, together with men, to stop the discrimination and crime against them. Women and men – all workers will have to establish their rule in place of the capitalist system and end all forms of exploitation and oppression. Only by doing this the path to the liberation of women will open.
There was a serious discussion among all the participants on the presentation and the address of Mazdoor Ekta Committee.
The state was strongly criticized for not guaranteeing the safety of women and for giving impunity to those who commit crimes against women. Efforts of the state and the courts to shield influential people in high positions of power who are accused of rape and sexual violence were strongly condemned.
The discussion ended with a consensus that women and men must stand shoulder to shoulder against all forms of exploitation and injustice and fight to end capitalist exploitation and oppression.