Our rights and their use - हमारे अधिकार और उनका उपयोग

I learned about my rights when I attended a workshop with the entire team of FAT. This workshop was conducted by Ms. Anisha Chugh of South Asian Women’s Fund. She taught us that our rights are our own and that no one is allowed to take them away from us under any circumstances. There are some rights that we are born with and it is important that we learn what they are and how well we utilize them. It is also important to remember that no one can forcibly take our rights away. Through this workshop, I learned that it is important to be aware about one’s own rights that one is entitled to.

If someone is violating our rights, whether a family member or someone from outside our home, no one has a right to do the same and the violator is punishable under the law. Anisha told us about our rights in a very detailed and in-depth manner. I felt very nice learning about my rights—as a citizen and as a woman—that the law and the State bestows upon us.

We often have to fight in some way or the other to claim what is rightfully ours. Sometimes, we ourselves aren’t aware that there are some things that is our birthright. No one tells us and neither do we question any injustice that we see. For every small thing, we ask our parents. For instance, I wish to get my hair cut but my parents always scold me saying that I am not “allowed” to do so. But isn’t it my choice and my right to keep my hair as long as I want? This is a personal decision which only I have the right to make as it concerns my body (and no one else’s). There are so many such incidents that take place in our daily lives and we silently become a part of the violation of our own rights.

I learned all this and more from this workshop. It felt like I just awoke from a deep slumber. I feel that every section of our society should be aware of his/her rights. Not only should we be aware but also raise our voices against any violation that we see. Knowing about our basic human rights is an extremely important exercise (that, fortunately, I was a part of) and I am confident that I will fight any cases of violation of my rights. I will also strive to negotiate with my parents and explain to them what our rights mean and what they entail.

- By Durga Vishwas
Durga is a confident, young girl who attends classes at the Tech Center, while also interning with FAT helping us with our admin work.
Edited and translated by Deepa Ranganathan.