Red Brigade Lucknow
Founded2011
FoundersUsha Vishwakarma
TypeNon-governmental organization
FocusWomen`s Rights, Safety and Empowerment
Location
Area served
India
MethodAwareness Campaigns, Protests, Nukkad Natak, Self Defense Training, Nishastra
Chief Managing Trustee
Usha Vishwakarma
Websitehttps://redbrigade-lucknow.org/

Red Brigade Trust, also known as Red Brigade Lucknow, is a non-governmental organization[1] located in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was founded in 2011 by Usha Vishwakarma to empower women through self-defense education.[2][3]

About

In 2011, Usha Vishwakarma and 15 young girls, all of whom are sexual assault survivors, formed the Red Brigade Trust. [4] Vishwakarma was inspired to form the group after an 11 year old student confided in her about the assault she experienced by a family member. Vishwakarma is a survivor of sexual assault as well. When she was 18 years old, a colleague attempted to rape her but she was able to escape by fighting him off.[5] Vishwakarma believes women should be able to defend themselves and ensure their personal safety. The group wears red to symbolize danger and struggles and black to symbolize protest.[6]

The Red Brigade registered as a Trust under the Indian Trust Act of 1882 in December 2016.[4]

Self defense techniques

The group initially started by teaching girls traditional martial arts, however they soon realized that martial arts is ineffective in many sexual assault cases. The Red Brigade developed a technique called Nishastra which stands for new instrument against sexual harassment and stand against rape aggression.[4] This new technique is a mixture of different approaches aimed to be utilized quickly to allow victims to escape.

The self defense movement gained popularity during second-wave feminism but can be traced back to as early as the 1910s.[7] Self defense is a means of both psychological and physical resistance. It can promote a woman’s physical abilities and independence and reduce their vulnerability to sexual harassment and assault. Women’s self defense training challenges gendered ideas of feminine weakness and fragility.[8]

Self-defense classes have gained popularity all over India. Young girls in grades 6 through 7 at government-run schools are taught 3 months worth of self defense training. They are taught to use everyday items as weapons to gain advantages in assaults. The department of school education and literacy in India have implemented self-defense training to ensure the safety of students and reduce dropout rates.[9] Moreover, New Delhi police have been teaching a 10-day course in public schools and universities since 2010. They teach a combination of karate, taekwondo, and judo. These classes, led by female officers, are taught year round.[10]

Statistics of Lucknow

Of all metropolitan cities in India, Lucknow has the second highest number of registered dowry deaths.[11] Currently, dowry death is defined as “Where the death of a woman is caused by any burns or bodily injury or occurs otherwise than under normal circumstances within seven years of her marriage and it is shown that soon before her death she was subjected to cruelty or harassment by her husband or any relative of her husband for, or in connection with, any demand for dowry, such death shall be called "dowry death", and such husband or relative shall be deemed to have caused her death.”[12]

Lucknow also has the highest number of harassment cases of women on public transport.[13]

Cultural stigma of sexual violence in India

Women in India are less likely to report incidences of sexual violence and assault due to greater acceptance of rape myths, which are a set of beliefs suggesting that victims are at fault. Indian culture has more traditional attitudes towards women and as a result, there are higher levels of hostile sexism.[14] The late 1970’s marked the start of a women’s movement in India as women from all classes united behind anti-rape activism.[15] Despite the progress of feminist ideas, traditional gender roles and patriarchal beliefs dominate.

In 2012, the rape case of 23 year old Jyoti Singh sparked national and international attention to India’s laws against sexual assault. The number of demonstrations following this case was unseen in India before. Protesters urged for stricter laws and punishment against perpetrators.[6] This case was a turning point for India and many people have spoken out since. In spite of the increased scrutiny on the government, sexual violence against women have continued in the same trajectory.[16] In 2021, a total of 31 thousand cases of rape were registered. From 2020 to 2021, there was a 13.2% increase in overall crimes against women.[11][17] In many of these cases, prosecution of offenders were rare. Considering that many cases go unreported, statistics only tell one part of the story.

References

  1. ↑ Srivastava, Richa (16 September 2013). "Lucknow Red Brigade girls have a worldwide fan following". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  2. ↑ Agarwal, Priyangi (8 March 2013). "Red Brigade takes guard against women tormentors on Lucknow streets". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  3. ↑ Chamberlain, Gethin (6 April 2013). "Women hit back at India's rape culture". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 "Red Brigade Lucknow". redbrigade-lucknow.org. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  5. ↑ Tripathi, Naandika (7 March 2020). "Usha Vishwakarma: Teaching Women Self Defence, Never Backing Down". Forbes India. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  6. 1 2 Armstrong, Paul (14 August 2013). "Meet India's Red Brigade: The teens fighting back against rape". CNN. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  7. ↑ Rouse, Wendy L. (8 August 2017), "Her Own Hero: The Origins of the Women's Self-Defense Movement", Her Own Hero, New York University Press, doi:10.2307/j.ctt1gk091g, ISBN 978-1-4798-7276-3, retrieved 4 December 2023
  8. ↑ Searles, Patricia; Berger, Ronald J. (1987). "The Feminist Self-Defense Movement: A Case Study". Gender and Society. 1 (1): 61–84. ISSN 0891-2432.
  9. ↑ "Samagra Shiksha". samagra.education.gov.in. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  10. ↑ Abi-Habib, Maria (16 April 2018). "'Men Treat Us Like We Aren't Human.' Indian Girls Learn to Fight Back". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  11. 1 2 "Nearly 20% Increase in Rapes Across India in 2021, Rajasthan Had Highest Cases: NCRB". The Wire. 30 August 2022. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  12. ↑ "India Code: Section Details". www.indiacode.nic.in. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  13. ↑ "Lucknow Fares Worst Among Cities When it Comes to Crimes Against Women: NCRB Data". The Wire. 10 January 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  14. ↑ Hill, Suzanne; Marshall, Tara C. (1 October 2018). "Beliefs about Sexual Assault in India and Britain are Explained by Attitudes Toward Women and Hostile Sexism". Sex Roles. 79 (7): 421–430. doi:10.1007/s11199-017-0880-6. ISSN 1573-2762. PMC 6156762. PMID 30319168 – via Springer Link.
  15. ↑ Powers, Sophia (2014). "Contextualising the Indian Women's Movement: Class, Representation and Collaboration – In Focus". Tate. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  16. ↑ "Nirbhaya case: Four Indian men executed for 2012 Delhi bus rape and murder". 20 March 2020. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
  17. ↑ Pandey, Geeta (12 September 2022). "Rising crimes against Indian women in five charts". Retrieved 4 December 2023.
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