Terms like ‘feminism’, ‘patriarchy’, ‘rape culture’, ‘sexism’ and ‘misogyny’ have become a part of the mainstream conversation surrounding Indian women, the rights of women in India, and their status as human beings deserving of consideration is still horrendous in many areas. To make matters worse, ‘women’s rights’ has now become an ‘old subject’, no longer one of the pressing concerns of society. As in many other societies, a growing group of men are now convinced that women’s rights has ‘gone too far’, that there are too many women friendly laws, and that men are greater victims. 

Yet in many issues, Indian women face horrendous conditions of life, and escalating violence, derision, and contempt because of the backlash from men. Violence, particularly sexual violence against women and girls, is as bad as ever, aggravated by rising fundamentalism and conservatism. Young women who escape the control and hypocrisy of conservative repression are now being faced with increasing expectations of over-sexualisation and meeting male demands. The conversation around women’s ‘rights’ is frequently met with angry retorts about how men suffer too, and that concerns about rights are redundant. 

Women’s Liberation India tackles issues of women’s safety and dignity, beyond the buzzwords, beyond blogs and conversations that only happen online. It aims at a long-term vision, for a society where women aren’t just surviving, but can thrive with a focus on sexual violence, harassment and the culture of entitlement. We bring together the resources that brave older women activists have fought for and created, international best practices, and raise awareness about the rights and boundaries that women and girls are entitled to, but have forgotten.