Thread by @sns_india

Join us today for the Hum Hi Se Samvidhaan convention aimed at uniting voices of dissent against the targeted attacks on the Constitutional rights of women in India. We'll be tweeting about the convention from this account #HumHiSeSamvidhan

There are huge challenges ahead of us- violence against women, communalism, unemployment & job loss for women, restrictions on what we wear, where we go- we do not have the option of staying apolitical. We have to raise our voice. Silence encourages violence- @ShabnamHashmi

RAAG - revolution, azadi and Aman ke Geet at the #HumHiSeSamvidhan

Apna time aayega - constitution rap by RAAG

Fight against fascist and patriarchal forces is so that we protect and propogate our right to live with dignity. Struggle against patriarchy at home and in society is to establish the right to be as we are, not be forced to conform with the dominant narrative- Uma Chakrobarty

Attack on rights of women, minorities & farmers has become possible because of steady break down of state machinery. There is impunity for violence in the name of cow protection. State agencies are complicit- they prosecute victims while perpetrators roam free- Jagmati Sangwan

We are witnessing a frontal attack on the constitution & on democratic institutions. There is stifling of media, crack down on spaces & voices of dissent, criminalisation of protest to prevent questioning of government- Lara Jesani at #HumHiSeSamvidhan

Crisis in higher education due to-
-Relentless privitization of institutions
-break down of systems of reservation, affirmative action, scholarships which made education accessible
-controlling content, syllabus to undermine critical thinking- Nivedita Menon at #HumHiSeSamvidhan

Deprivation & oppression is experienced at the intersectionality of caste, class and gender. These cannot be separated, the struggle has to be collective. We have to fight against the attempt make the intersectionality invisible- Ruth Manorama at #HumHiSeSamvidhan

Transgenders are struggling to realise our constitutional rights. Our bodies are made sites of humiliation, subjugation. There are no laws to protect us from rape. Human rights are for all- Rachna at #HumHiSeSamvidhan

Now session 2- Voices from across India. Speakers from Meghalya, Chhattisgarh, Kashmir, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh

We are caught in a web of scams, exploitative practices sold as development & attacks on pro-people legislation. Laws are being changed to serve corporations rather than people. We have to protect our land, our way of life- Dayamani Barla at #HumHiSeSamvidhan

We saw the riots in Gujarat. We must stand up and speak out against the inequality, hate and violence that has penetrated all parts of the country and even the government & state agencies- Noorjahan Diwan from Gujarat at #HumHiSeSamvidhan

Constitution guarantees rights & entitlements to all citizens, but alarming discrepancy between that & reality- especially for economically & socially vulnerable. In some areas women who raise their voice are termed daayen (witches) and publicly lynched- Naurati Bai, Rajasthan

The challenges & trying circumstances of Kashmiris’ often remain unheard. We are carrying out awareness campaign with school and college students. Girls need to be inspired & supported to stand for their rights- Nadiya from Kashmir

Minorities are living in fear. This country is not just for cows and so called gau rakshaks but for everyone. Women are planning a campaign to take all the stray cattle & tie them in govt offices- Richa Singh of UP at #HumHiSeSamvidhan

The constitution & democracy is under threat in Chhattisgarh. Everyday women are subject to sexual violence by security agencies. The govt has forgotten the constitution & it’s people who fight for constitutional values & basic human rights- Soni Sori at#HumHiSeSamvidhan

The North East has not received the transformative principles of the constitution but has faced a heavy militaristic regime which has restricted human rights. We have to assimilate all smaller struggles while forging solidarities of diversity- Angela Rangad at #HumHiSeSamvidhan

The lives of sex workers of this country have no value. We are demeaned everyday. Nobody recognises the violence being inflicted on us. We have no representation and we need platforms to be heard- Kusum of All India Sex Workers Network at #HumHiSeSamvidhan

Session 3: Women Resist with @Jayati1609 @AnjaliB_ @kavisriv @geetaseshu Kalyani Menon Sen & Syeda Hameed

We must demand that parties commit to fulfil basic rights & entitlements & ensure right to universal public services such as education, work, health, pension for all citizens. These are mandated by the Indian Constitution- @Jayati1609 at #HumHiSeSamvidhan

Our fight is not only against patriarchy, but also against capitalism. These are intertwined and need to be viewed and understood together. Our struggles cannot survive in silos, we need a joint front- Kalyani Menon Sen at #HumHiSeSamvidhan

The first attack of facist & communal forces is against legislations & institutions which empower people to hold the government to account. We must resist the centralisation of power as that takes away our agency & our power. Laws on accountabilty have been weakened- @AnjaliB_

Women have always been a uniting force, uniting different struggles from across India. We need to establish a peaceful, just India using the power of theatre & song to propagate our message- @kavisriv at #HumHiSeSamvidhan

Media largely excludes women’s voice, representation & presence in leadership roles. We need reforms to ensure credible, authentic news reaches people & address insecurity of journalists - @geetaseshu at #HumHiSeSamvidhan

Last session: Voices of Political Leaders

Peoples movements are intrinsic to politics. At this juncture there is an important question to be asked - how will we as citizens participate in the upcoming election? We can’t be passive observers but must actively take part in democratic processes- Brinda Karat

To organise the women’s convention is a very thoughtful idea before the upcoming elections. The preamble is the agenda of We The People and not of any political party. We commit to taking forward issues of women’s struggles - Amarjeet Kaur

Govt has undermined democratic platforms even in Parliament. Laws are passed w/o being sent to Standing Committees. PM only talks about women in the context of LPG or as daughters, not women as independent persons. No one should dictate how to think, behave- @sushmitadevmp

More than 500 people participated in the #HumHiSeSamvidhan convention. This is the continuation of our collective struggles to realise our constitutional rights and resist anti-democratic forces. Read the press release.
drive.google.com/file/d/1Mgq6ww…
End of thread.