Tamil Nadu

This crusader wants women to be independent and aware of their rights

— Photo: N.Sridharan

Jaya Arunachalam

Inspired by the Gandhian values, she set out to fight for the liberation of women in all aspects. Her 30-year-crusade has helped to expand an organisation formed by the women and for the women. President of Working Women’s Forum (WWF) Jaya Arunachalam, who will soon participate in the Clinton Global Initiative meeting to share her expertise, speaks to K. Lakshmi.

Her tendency to serve the society started right from the school days. It was nurtured during the 1970s when she was an activist in the Congress party, in charge of the women’s front.

“Whenever floods hit the State, we used to help the poor by distributing relief material. I soon realised that poverty is a greater disaster than floods. I decided to do something for poverty alleviation and started the WWF in 1978,” said Ms.Arunachalam, who has travelled across the globe and won several awards, including the coveted Padmasri.

Instead of merely providing women with monetary assistance, she mobilised them in trade lines to form the National Union of Working Women, provided them easy access to micro-credit through the informal banking system and ensured financial security through insurance cover.

“I wanted them to be independent and be aware of their rights. The organisational structure in the forum enables women’s participation at all levels. One in every ten women members is a leader now who can tackle problems at grassroots level,” she said.

From the initial 800 members in the Chennai slums, WWF now has over one million members involved in 200 occupations, such as handloom weaving, dairy and fishing in several states. WWF, through its trade union, has helped several women in the rural areas to fight for their minimum wages.

“I also concentrated on creating awareness about their reproductive rights as economic independence alone was not enough to empower women,” she said.

Research and training is also an active wing of WWF that trains women in various trades.

On her trip to Hong Kong in December to address the meeting of Clinton Global Initiative, founded by former U.S. president Bill Clinton, she said: “I will share the platform with 400 social entrepreneurs from different parts of the world. I will speak on the need for better health care for women and children here and improving access to education.”

She will also make a social commitment in the meeting to ensure financial, social sustainability and self-sufficiency among the poor women entrepreneurs.

“Women are still suffering in several parts of the world. I can’t say I have achieved everything. There is still a lot more to do,” Ms.Arunachalam said.

She plans to transfer the expertise to NGOs in other parts of the country to support the women to get out of poverty.

“I want to build the potential of the younger generation to carry forward the social movement of WWF,” Ms.Arunachalam said.

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