manisha - dalitwomenfight.org · manisha 20 years, haryana i am a resident of kalsi village, karnal...
TRANSCRIPT
MANISHA20 YEARS, HARYANA
I am a resident of Kalsi Village, Karnal district Haryana. I am the eldest of seven siblings in my family. Caste based sexual violence is a reality for many dalit girls and women. I am no exception.
Just when I had made some headway into trying to overcome such a brutal experience as a minor, my mother went missing and was later found to be raped and murdered. I was fully shattered by this. It was during this period that AIDMAM members came to my house to support me. For the past 5 years, AIDMAM has been a pillar of support for me. From the edge of despair, I have been able to draw strength from my dalit sisters and my resolve to fight against the brutal caste system became stronger.
I want to ensure that caste based sexual violence doesn’t happen to young girls like me. I have been called casteist slurs, people have questioned my “moral” character etc. during my activist work. But I am proud to say that I am undeterred by any such efforts to malign or defeat me. I have emerged as a strong leader and hope to be an inspiration for many other young dalit women to build a sisterhood around our common experiences and struggles.
Jai Bhim!