Advocacy

Fighting injustice as a 'barefoot lawyer' in Darjeeling's tea plantations

Rajmuni's dedication to justice and her deep commitment to improving the lives of those living in the tea plantations of Darjeeling inspired her to join the Mary Ward International-funded Legal Aid program as a ‘barefoot lawyer’.

Living on a tea plantation herself, Rajmuni witnessed firsthand the unjust working conditions experienced by her friends and neighbours, including poor pay, denial of benefits and in some cases, forced labour. Many of these issues have broader social implications, such as increased vulnerability to family violence, sexual abuse and human trafficking, all of which disproportionately impact women.

The living conditions of tea workers also present significant challenges, with many residing in substandard housing located within the estates where they are employed. These houses typically lack proper sanitation and access to clean water. Exposure to chemicals used on tea plantations pose further health risks to the workers, and poor medical facilities exacerbate these problems. There is little scope for quality education for children and in many cases, they work in the plantations instead of attending school.

What is a barefoot lawyer?
While not formally qualified in law, ‘barefoot lawyers’ are frontline workers who have received training to guide and support community members in legal matters, including worker exploitation, family violence, and human trafficking. When issues cannot be resolved with the assistance of a barefoot lawyer, a qualified lawyer will be engaged.

Barefoot lawyers play a crucial role in bridging the gap between the community and the government legal services available to them. They assist community members to navigate the legal system effectively by accompanying them to legal clinics or police stations to access legal advice or lodge formal complaints.

As community leaders, barefoot lawyers provide people with knowledge about fundamental legal principles and practices and equip them with the skills to actively participate in protecting their rights and pursuing justice for themselves. These efforts contribute to creating a culture of legal knowledge and accountability within the tea plantations.

Barefoot lawyers also play a vital leadership role in effecting larger social change by advocating for legislative reform, upholding human rights principles, and challenging injustice.

How Rajmuni’s life has changed
Becoming a barefoot lawyer has had a profound impact on Rajmuni's sense of self-esteem and purpose in life. As she has immersed herself in this leadership role, Rajmuni’s growing confidence in her abilities has given her a sense of fulfillment from helping others know and defend their rights through the legal system.

Since becoming a barefoot lawyer, Rajmuni has learnt much about the legal rights of all people in India, helping her handle a wide range of issues. Her experience in the role has also given her deeper insight into the legal, social, and economic challenges faced by those living on tea estates. This empathy has helped her to advocate more successfully for justice and equality, particularly for women.

Rajmuni has developed strong skills in conflict resolution, which have proven effective in addressing many concerns at the local level without the need for escalation to the legal system. This ability to resolve conflict locally has been highly beneficial, as it has led to quicker and more amicable solutions while also reducing the burden on formal legal processes.

As a barefoot lawyer, Rajmuni has developed her own extensive rights network. She works collaboratively with other activists, leaders, community organisers, and legal experts to advocate for change. She continues to develop the strength and perseverance essential to deal with legal problems and has become a role model for her peers and a driving force for positive change.

Future goals
As a newly established leader in her community, Rajmuni is committed to gaining a deeper understanding of the challenges and obstacles faced by all people in India. She is actively pursuing a formal education in legal studies, human rights and social justice to better address these issues.

By combining education with her work in advocacy and community engagement, Rajmuni can make a meaningful difference in the lives of marginalised people in her community and contribute to broader social change in India.

Pouspi Talukda is a force of nature. Pouspi is the Assistant Coordinator of the Kolkata Mary Ward Social Centre in India. She applies herself with passion to the Centre’s ‘Landing Pad’ program, which aims to reduce the stigma of menstruation and encourage the use of sanitary pads.

“There is a lot of myths about menstruation in India,” says Pouspi. “The menfolk are very orthodox and won’t speak openly about it. Even the women are very shy to speak about it."

“In many rural or poor areas, girls stop going to school when they hit puberty or begin menstruation.”

Almost two in three adolescent girls do not use sanitary pads when menstruating. They often grow up with limited knowledge of menstruation.

In rural India, many women and girls use unsanitary materials such as old rags, husks, dried leaves, grass, ash, sand, or newspapers as ‘sanitary pads’ because they do not have access to affordable, hygienic and safe products.

“For some,” says Pouspi, “Periods are seen as a disease."

That’s why, with the help of kind supporters of Mary Ward International Australia, Pouspi and her colleagues are producing 22,000 sanitary products a month to give away.

And they chip away at the myths about menstruation by holding awareness and information sessions.

It’s neither quick nor easy to change attitudes.

“In one session, it is not possible to change the mindset of years,” says Pouspa. “But after several sessions, after four to five sessions, three, four children, three, four girls are coming up and sharing about it. They're overcoming the stigma. And after five to six sessions, even the boys pick up on it.”

This project targets rural women and girls in three districts in West Bengal.

Pouspi works mostly with government school children, but also marginalised adults and girls, sex workers, tribal women, migrant labourers, trafficking survivors, and school dropouts.

Most rewarding for Pouspa is creating leaders. “After a lot of time, effort and the constant awareness sessions through various means, we come up with some leaders from the community. Usually a woman, but sometimes a man also comes forward and takes the initiative to continue this work.”

“That’s very rewarding because these leaders once used to be afraid of even carrying a pad in public or uttering anything related to menstruation openly.”

“So, when they come forward and take decisions, enlighten other community members or enlighten their peer group, including their family. That is the best reward from the work.”

Pouspa’s manager Samata agrees. “The sanitary pad unit and menstruation are very sensitive issues in India because there are a lot of social taboos involved,” Samata says.

But Samata wants you to know that by supporting Mary Ward International, you are making a huge difference to the lives of girls and women.

“Especially the girls who have less confidence during menstruation. They drop out of school, don’t mingle with their friends, and don’t talk to their parents."

“They have a better life because of this project.”