Birubala Rabha
Birubala Rabha | |
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Human rights activist | |
Organisation | Mission Birubala |
Birubala Rabha (Assamese: বিৰুবালা ৰাভা; born 1954) is an Indian activist who campaigns against witch-hunting in India. She is based in Goalpara, Assam.[1][2][3] She runs an organisation called Mission Birubala which spreads awareness against witch hunting.[4][5][6] She was instrumental in the Assam Government passing the Prevention of and Protection from Witch Hunting Act, 2015.[7][8] The Government of India awarded her the fourth-highest civilian honour of the Padma Shri, in 2021, for her contributions to social work.[9]
Background
Rabha was born in 1954 in the village of Thakurvila, near the border of Meghalaya in Assam's Goalpara district.[6][10] Her father died when she was six, forcing her to drop out of school and help her mother run the household.[1] Rabha was fifteen when she was married to her husband, a farmer who she had three children with.[1]
In 1985, her mentally-ill eldest son, Dharmeswar, suffered from a bout of
Activism
Initially, Rabha formed the Thakurvila Mahila Samity, a women's association raising awareness of various social ills, including witch-hunting in her local village, and later in 2006 became involved in the Assam Mahila Samata Society.[13] In 2011 she founded Mission Birubala; a non-profit organisation made up of a network of social activists, survivors and lawyers; which aims to educate and spread awareness against witch-hunting, as well as support and protect survivors and potential victims of witch hunts across the state of Assam.[11] Despite facing ridicule and attacks from those who defend the belief in witches, and being subjected to accusations of witchcraft herself, Rabha has frequently spoken out against witch-branding and hunting at meetings, organises awareness camps and has taught school lessons denouncing the practice, she has also rescued over thirty-five women branded as witches in the last decade.[1][13]
In 2015 the activist's campaigning prompted the Assamese government to pass The Assam Witch Hunting (Prohibition Prevention and Protection) Act, which many consider to be India's toughest anti-witch-hunting law.[1] The act, which came into effect in 2018, allows up to seven years in jail along with a substantial fine for identifying and branding a person as a witch, and extended the punishment for leading a person to commit suicide after accusing them of witchcraft to life imprisonment.[14][11]
Recognition
Rabha had been recognised for her work against witch-hunting in Assam with numerous awards and accolades. In 2005 she was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by the Northeast Network (a women's rights organisation operating in Assam) and in 2015 was awarded an honorary Doctorate from Gauhati University.[12][6][5] In 2021 she was recognised by the Indian government for her social work and campaigning with the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian award in India.[9]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Soutik Biswas (10 April 2016). "The Indian woman who hunts the witch hunters". BBC News. Archived from the original on 25 May 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
- ^ "Anti-witch hunt crusader UN-bound". The Times of India. 21 April 2017. Archived from the original on 4 June 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
- ^ "Tribal woman gets award for crusade against witch-hunting in Assam". Indian Express. 5 July 2015. Archived from the original on 25 May 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
- ^ "A witch-hunting survivor crusades to save Assamese women". Hindustan Times. 14 June 2016. Archived from the original on 25 May 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
- ^ a b Samudra Gupta Kashyap (31 March 2015). "Woman honoured with doctorate for fighting witch-hunting in Assam". Indian Express. Archived from the original on 25 May 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
- ^ a b c d "The voice of the so-called witches". Hindu Business Line. 25 September 2015. Archived from the original on 9 August 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
- ^ "Crusader against witch hunting to be felicitated". Daily News and Analysis. 23 November 2016. Archived from the original on 25 May 2018. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
- ^ Sarumathi K (19 May 2018). "Putting women human rights activists on the world map". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 9 November 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2018.
- ^ a b "Padma Awards: 2021" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs (India). 25 January 2021. pp. 2–5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 January 2021. Retrieved 26 January 2021.
- ^ "The Indian Woman Who Hunts Witch Hunters". thecriticalscript.com. Archived from the original on 25 February 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- ^ a b c "Why the road has been long and hard for Padma Shri awardee Birubala Rabha, Assam's crusader against witch-hunting". The Indian Express. 31 January 2021. Archived from the original on 25 February 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- ^ a b "Meet Padma Shri Birubala Rabha, Assam's Anti-Witch Hunt Crusader". femina.in. Archived from the original on 25 February 2023. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
- ^ a b Service, Statesman News (26 August 2018). "Slaying a social stigma". The Statesman. Archived from the original on 1 March 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
- from the original on 1 March 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2023.