STUDENT CHRISTIAN MOVEMENT OF INDIA WORKSHOP ON VASHTI CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE SEXUAL ABUSE OF WOMEN SCM PROGRAMME CENTRE BANGALORE WORKSHOP ON VASHTI CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE SEXUAL ABUSE OF WOMEN

  VASHTI CAMPAIGN AGAINST SEXUAL ABUSE   OF WOMEN

 From SCM NEI Region Mr. Shalom L Ralsun (programme secretary SCM NEI) and Ms. Ahuley ( Mt.TTC SCM Unit) attended the workshop from 6th to 8th March,2012 as a delegate from the region. 

We are living in a world and age where people everywhere are fighting and struggling for justice and equality. India is not an exception. With the world becoming more and more globalize, the privilege rich people are becoming richer and richer day by day whereas the poor are becoming poorer and poorer day by day. The world today looked at India as the next super power country. But in spite of its fast development in the field of science and technology and in the IT sector our country has a lot to do for its people. In spite of having the highest number of billionaires in the world we should not forget that there are thousands and thousands of people who does or cannot even meet their daily basic needs. There are lots of social issues that Indians are facing today. And in all these issues the main victims are women, the tribal / Adivasis, the dalits and transgender.

Women in India have been subjected to inequality and injustice throughout the ages. This being due to the chauvinistic and patriarchal set up of the Indian family and society. Their images have been stereotype in the form of the voiceless and helpless gender or like a showpiece of glamour whose movement and activities are framed within the household code. Hardly a day passes without a case of rape being reported in the Indian newspapers and media. India is now one of the countries with the highest number of sexual abuse against women and human trafficking. Rape is the fastest growing crime in the country today and as many as 18 women are assaulted in some form or the other every hour across India.  Over 32000 murders, 19,000 rapes, 7500 dowry deaths and 36500 molestation cases are reported in India in 2006 against women. Every six hour somewhere a young married women is burned alive, beaten to death or forced to commit suicide. And sadly our culture is such that we are not supposed or allowed to talk on the issue. The victims suffer in silence. Women, wherever they are, are generally dominated and exploited in terms of their work, sexuality and thinking. They receive less pay in work and own very little of the world’s wealth or resources. They are sexually dominated in most of the cultures, and their sexuality and reproductive capacity exploited in the worst cases. As women they are always a potential victim of abuse, sexual and otherwise.

People especially the youngsters and youths today are creative and innovative are open to new ideas and change. And keeping that in mind the Student Christian Movement of India would like to take up the challenge of re-reading the Bible from the perspective of women so that we can prevent and eliminate gender based sexual abuse against women. Bible Studies today has become a mere routine in most of the Christian Churches and Institutions and the many programs they organized. Usually the traditional way of giving Bible study is done by a person and the other audience listens. This has been the tradition of the church for a long time. The bible is interpreted from the patriarchal point of view which is not relevant for the women and the third gender. It has been done using the teachings of the church fathers that have a very negative attitude towards women. Most of the person who is taking the Bible studies ends up not giving any message to the audience or the hearers.

There are many stories in the Bible which is connected with the sexual abuse of women e.g. the story of Dinah (Genesis 34: 1 -31), Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11: 1-27), Tamar (2 Samuel 13: 1 – 22) et.al. But from all these stories we choose the story of Vashti (Esther 1) as an example for the Bible study for the fact that her story is very relevant to our contexts. Vashti is an interesting character. She had everything with her beauty, fame, status, wealth etc. but she was not carried away by all this. She chooses self respect and self dignity instead of using her beauty for wrong reason. Today we are living in a world where beauty is very important and people uses their beauty to gain fame, recognition and also wealth. Many a time the story of Queen Vashti is interpreted from the patriarchal perspective and so Queen Vashti is portrayed as the disobedient queen. We fail to recognize the courage and strength that Vashti had in disobeying the dehumanizing command of the king, to show that the beauty and body of women is not for objectification and commodification.

Vashti was brave to be herself. Imagine what she had to lose when she refused: a crown and honor, a comfortable and beautiful life, and male protection. However, she felt that even the king could not force her to do what she does feel like doing.  She followed her heart and the inner wisdom that says, “You are not a jewel for public display and to prove how lucky or rich the king is for having you.”

The nobles felt she threatened the kingdom. What if all the wives and daughters follow the example of the queen, by having her own mind and way? The kingdom will fall apart. So they suggested that she be banished, lest she infected the women and girls of the entire kingdom. Vashti’s refusal to comply with the demand of the king is perceived a threat to the dominance of every husband in the kingdom. Maybe, many women of today have not yet heard about yet. Most likely, she is not preached about because her example is not good for women.

The Vashti campaign seeks to recognize the presence of gender based sexual abuse and gender inequality in our society and to challenge the student community and the churches to be aware of the problem and to address the issue. The students/ youth today have a decisive and active role in bringing awareness and prevention of gender based sexual abuse and gender inequality in the college and university campuses and in the churches. They also have responsibility to support and help the victims in the healing process. Most of the time the topic is surrounded with deep secrecy, silence, denial and ignorance despite the fact that it happens more often in Christian homes, families, churches and church related institutions. It’s high time that we become open to this issue and find ways and means to prevent and eliminate it so that we can promote a different culture of respect and protecting our loved ones.

For a long time the women’s are denied of their rights and their struggles for equality misinterpreted. We are not fighting to be above men but we are fighting so that we will be treated as equal with men. When we look at the life and ministry of Jesus, He treated women as people. He did not view women in terms of sexual temptation or sexual gratification. He neither avoided nor catered to them. He did not create new categories or rules for them as individual but approached them as responsible and capable individuals. Jesus allowed women to transcend their culturally defined roles. He did not assess their value according to their roles as wives or mother. Jesus encouraged women to serve Him to the best of their ability. He doesn’t specify any ministry for women or for men because His appealed is in to the kingdom norm of equality.

Vashti Campaign will be a year long campaign starting with the re-reading and re-interpreting the text Esther 1: 1-22 from the perspective of the victim (women) in all the SCM units all over the country. During this campaign the Units or Regions can also make use of other Biblical text to make the campaign more relevant to their own context. The Story of Vashti is just an example. The campaign will also have four area/regional workshop and one National level programme.

Campaign Objectives:

·        To read the Bible from the Perspective of women.

·        To introduce variant creative methodologies for reading and interpreting the Bible and sensitize participants to diverse interpretation.

·        To make the students and churches aware of the widespread increase  of gender based sexual abuse and inequality and takes steps for prevention

·        To create awareness among the students and churches that the body and beauty of women is not for commercialization and commodification.

·        To encourage students and participants to help and support the victims in the healing process.

·        To incite critical eyes in the participants to prepare them to initiate discussions and arguments in relation with the Bible.

• To make the students aware that we can use the bible as a liberating agents to change our society and the whole corrupt system that we are part of it.
• To understand and participate to bring changes in the college and university campuses.
• To encourage the participants to think purposefully and involve in the struggles.
• To critically analyze and answer the questions given below.

Methodology

·        Re-reading and re-interpreting the text in groups and narrating the stories in our own words.

·        Sharing of stories and experiences by the students/ participants.

·        Understanding the texts through skits, dramas and other creative games.

·         It should not be one person speaking and the other listening type but it should be a participatory method where everyone should get involve.

·         Documentaries and feature films

Expected outcome

·        College and university campuses free of gender based sexual abuse and inequality.

·        Evaluate the answers and publish the findings and the steps taken during this campaign

·        Process Documentation.

·        To form a watch group so that we can continue this campaign both at the unit and regional level.

Questions

·        What is the Text about?

·        Who are the male character and what is their role in dethroning Queen Vashti?

·        What is Vashti’s response throughout the story?

·        Where is God in this story?

·        Think for a moment that you are queen Vashti and in the light of that what would you have done if the king summoned you to showcase your beauty to the officials and the nobles? Why?

·        Do you think that the disobedience of Queen Vashti was a threat to husband and men, to the created order and the national security? Why?

·        What effect or impact does the story of Vashti have on you?

·         How do the society and the church looked to an abused victim?

·        The media, NGO’s, Women Groups are advocating that women should break the culture of silence about abuse against them. Do you think the legal system the police, courts, hospitals etc. are helpful when reporting an abuse?

·        What message does the story of Vashti have for us?

·        In what way does the story of Vashti empower us?

·        What do you think are the steps or ways forward we can adopt to prevent and eliminate gender based sexual abuse and inequality in our society where men, women and transgender can relate as equal partners made in God’s image.