The One Billion Rising global movement stands with the Indian farmers in calling for the repeal of anti-people farm laws which will advance the interest of corporate capitalists, against the vast majority of the agricultural sector.

These are the Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020; and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act 2020.

These laws will gravely affect the farmers as they will:
Deregulate prices of basic agricultural goods
Allow corporations (including foreign) more control of Indian agriculture
Remove state subsidies for agriculture
Significantly lower farmers income
Allow local and foreign corporations to dictate the price of produce

Among many other exploitative and oppressive practices that go against basic human rights of farmers.

The implementation of these laws is a grave attack on Indian people’s interests, and made even more dangerous to people’s security and welfare in the middle of a pandemic and escalating hunger.

For several months the hundreds of thousands of farmers protesting peacefully on the borders of the national capital have faced and withstood brutal repressive policing including water cannons, tear gas and barricades in the near freezing conditions of a Delhi winter. 220 farmers have died as a result of the harsh conditions, a few unfortunately by their own hands as despair overcame them.

The full participation of women in the protests, whether as tractor drivers or marchers, is another notable feature of the farmers’ agitation. Denying and defying the patriarchal stereotypes of rural north India through their participation in the protests, the women have demonstrated their full status as farmers on par with men.

It needs to be emphasized that these laws will gravely affect women as they make up a large majority of agricultural work, producing more than half of all the food grown. Despite being major players in food production, their contributions are rarely recognized. Women farmers still face severe discrimination, oppression, landlessness and hunger, both because of their gender, and their class. Women are solely responsible for ensuring food for their families, planting community gardens and cultivating communal farms. They are at the frontlines of this struggle. Yet they continue to experience grave forms of social injustice, exclusion, exploitation, and unimaginable poverty and hunger. Women farmers are also more vulnerable to physical and sexual abuse, in the forms of rape, threats, sexual harassments, and carry mass trauma, affecting their psychological and physical health. Despite all this they continue to lead the risings for their inalienable right to land and food, which are the pillars of survival for the pandemic and against tyrannical, authoritarian and misogynist rule.

As a global movement to end violence, we

Rise to defend democratic rights of farmers in India.
Rise to defend their freedom of speech and assembly and the right to peaceful dissent.
Rise against the imperialist support of the IMF and the US government for these farm laws.

We join thousands of groups around the world to call for the following actions from the Government of India:

REPEAL THE UNJUST PRO-CORPORATE FARM LAWS!

INITIATE DIALOGUE WITH AFFECTED FARMERS!

STOP THE REPRESSION OF THE FARMER’S STRIKE!

STOP VILIFYING THE MOVEMENT AND CRIMINALISING THE WIDESPREAD SUPPORT FOR IT FROM DIVERSE SECTIONS OF INDIAN PEOPLE, AND ESPECIALLY ITS HUMAN AND DEMOCRATIC RIGHTS DEFENDERS!

RISE IN SOLIDARITY!

V (formerly Eve Ensler/ founder V-Day and One Billion Rising)
Susan Celia Swan (V-Day Executive Director)
Monique Wilson (OBR Global Director)
Christine Schuler Deschryver (V-Day Congo and City of Joy Director/ OBR Congo Coordinator)
Marsha Pamela Lopez Calderon (OBR Guatemala coordinator)
Colani Hlatjwako (OBR Africa regional coordinator/ OBR Eswatini coordinator)
Rada Boric (OBR Europe regional coordinator/ OBR Croatia coordinator)
Joan Salvador (OBR Southeast Asia regional coordinator/ OBR Philippines coordinator)
Joms Salvador (OBR Southeast Asia regional coordinator/ OBR Philippines coordinator)
Roshia Deo (OBR Pacific regional coordinator/ OBR Fiji coordinator)
Chandy Eng (OBR Cambodia coordinator)
Aiko Kazuko Kurosaki (OBR Austria coordinator)
Shiela Tebia (OBR Hong Kong coordinator)
Irene Garoes (OBR Namibia coordinator)
Omondele Ibitoye (OBR Nigeria coordinator)
Alice Kachere (OBR Malawi coordinator)
Libakiso Matlho (OBR Lesotho coordinator)
Ndioro Ndiaye (OBR Senegal coordinator)
Lucinda Evans (OBR South Africa coordinator)
Rossana Abueva (OBR United Kingdom coordinator)
Andres Naimes (OBR Mexico coordinator)
Afia Walking Tree (OBR Jamaica coordinator)
Marya Meyer (OBR Miami coordinator)
Luisa Rizzitelli (OBR Italy coordinator)
Nicoletta Billi (OBR Italy coordinator)
Mbabazi Zakhia (OBR Rwanda coordinator)
Aminatou Saher (OBR Cameroon coordinator)
Khushi Kabir (OBR Bangladesh coordinator)
Rita Verdavainne (OBR Gabon coordinator)
Triana Dhany (OBR Indonesia coordinator)
Vickenzie Ofei (OBR Ghana coordinator)