Rahul Gandhi urges women to break social barriers at ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday called for an end to the social and economic restrictions imposed on women, saying they do not belong to their fathers, husbands or sons but to themselves.

Addressing the party’s youth outreach programme ‘Chhatron Ki Goonj’ in Pune on August 22, the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said violence against women extends beyond physical assault and includes denial of opportunities and economic discrimination.

“Women belong to themselves,” Gandhi said, urging young women to reject social restrictions and believe in their own abilities.

He described women as India’s “biggest asset” and said the country’s strength lay in the aspirations, imagination and individual journeys of its women.

Gandhi said society uses different forms of violence to prevent women from progressing, identifying them as physical violence, denial of opportunities and economic violence.

Citing figures at the event, he claimed that 4.5 lakh female foeticides take place every year, while 80 per cent of women face harassment and 29 per cent experience physical violence. He also claimed that 99 per cent of sexual violence cases go unreported because of social stigma.

The Congress leader said women face restrictions in education, employment, mobility and economic independence in the name of safety and social norms.

He claimed that 60 per cent of women cannot leave their homes alone and that 50 per cent are denied educational or employment opportunities in the name of security. He also said women spend an additional Rs 17,500 a year on safe travel.

Gandhi pointed to the unequal burden of household responsibilities, saying women aged 15 to 29 spend around 5.5 hours a day on domestic work, compared with about 30 minutes for boys in the same household.

He further claimed that 84 per cent of women require family permission to take up employment, while women earn about 25 per cent less than men and face barriers to promotions.

‘You belong to yourself’

Gandhi also invoked the Manusmriti while speaking about women's autonomy, criticising the traditional notion that a woman should remain under the authority of male relatives throughout her life.

Quoting the text, he said the idea that a woman should be under the control of her father in childhood, husband in adulthood and sons later in life was “a shame”.

“You belong to nobody, except yourself,” Gandhi told the young women attending the programme.

He said women could have relationships with their fathers, brothers, husbands and sons, but those relationships should not determine their identity or ownership over their lives.

The Congress leader said women are often reduced to the identities of daughter, wife or mother, even though they also contribute as professionals, sportspersons and leaders in several fields.

“There is nothing wrong with being a daughter, wife or mother, but that cannot be your only identity,” he said.

‘Break the cage’

Gandhi said he had come to Pune not to lecture young people or discuss conventional politics, but to hear their ideas and understand their aspirations.

Urging the audience to “break the cage”, he said every individual was unique and had the right to pursue their own dreams and vision.

He argued that women represented an especially important national resource because of their sensitivity, compassion and ability to look ahead.

The Congress leader urged women to stand up for themselves rather than allow social expectations to dictate the choices they make in education, employment, mobility and their personal lives.

(With inputs from PTI)