Ruth Manorama
The Dalits are a social class of women in India that emerged from the caste system. They are considered the poorest of the classes otherwise known at the “untouchables.” While India’s now democracy has changed some for Dalit women, there still exists Dalits mostly in rural areas. They are often unable to get jobs, health care and basic necessesities. More than that Dalit women are often exempt from rights they are lawfully guaranteed. The greatest example is the fact that they are disproportionately stolen for trafficking purposes. (Dalit Freedom Network).
Ruth Manorma was born in 1952. Her parents escaped Dalit status by becoming Christians, and Manorma when to college for social work. Since then, she has been fighting for Dalit rights. Her profile via the “Right Livlihood Award” website, in which she recieved in 2006, states her following accomplishments:
“Manorama’s working life has been spent on organisation building, mobilisation of people and advocacy on behalf of Dalit women through a large number of organisations. She is:
- General Secretary of Women’s Voice, founded in 1985, to work with women in slums, struggling for land, shelter and survival rights of the urban poor.
- President of the National Alliance of Women, set up following the Fourth World Conference of Women in Beijing in 1995 to monitor government performance on its various commitments to women and lobby for change.
- Joint Secretary of the Christian Dalit Liberation Movement, formed in the 1980s to mobilise Christian Dalits for affirmative action.
- Secretary of the Karnataka State Slum Dwellers Federation.
- Secretary for organisation building of the National Centre for Labour, an apex organisation of unorganised labour in India.
- President of the National Federation of Dalit Women (NFDW), set up in 1995.”
