About SRED
Founded in Tamil Nadu in 1979, the Society for Rural Education and Development (SRED) was established on the vision and mission of creating awareness among the rural poor, especially the Dalits and tribal people. Through its work, it aims to contribute in the main objective of achieving a community devoid of discrimination due to caste, class and gender, and towards a society that is democratic, secular, equal, just, culturally-diverse and environmentally sustainable.
It presently consists of four state-level grassroots movements, namely, Tamil Nadu Dalit Women’s Movement (TNDWM), Tamil Nadu Women’s Forum (TNWF), State Alliance of People’s Movement (SAPM) and Women Coalition for Change (WCC), as well as 14 mostly women-led villagelevel movements from 350 villages in three districts in Tamil Nadu.
SRED focuses its work on empowering rural women, especially Dalit/tribal women, children and youth to assert their land rights, political rights and socio-economic rights and well-being. These include the promotion of environment and natural resource management, utilization of land resources, collective farming, food sovereignty, agroecology, legal awareness and aid, minority issues, Panchayati Raj and respect of human rights.
SRED believes that rural women should resist neoliberal globalisation that further perpetuate gender-based injustices.SRED supports the struggle for genuine agrarian reform. It believes that women should have freedom of expression, right to decision-making, political spaces and life with dignity.
Key strategies and programs
For the last four decades, SRED has unwaveringly addressed issues related to caste- and gender-based discrimination and violence. Women survivors and leaders are also equipped for lobbying efforts and advocacy-building in the promotion of progressive laws related to domestic violence, rape, sexual harassment in the workplace (including violence against sex workers), land rights, sexual reproductive health, and other interventions on Tamil Nadu’s state policies. SRED has also worked with SC/ST to protect the rights of Dalits.
Among the Dalit are three sub-castes: Pallar, Paraiyar, and Athi Thamilar. Caste discrimination and violence prevails among these three communities. Through awareness-raising, capacity-building and leadership training, SRED ensures that these three groups support each other and work together on equal footing.
Sex workers are also empowered and mobilised to form their own movement. They are educated of their rights according to law, and they support each other especially in times of arrest and need for bail. They are also provided with opportunities to alternative livelihood to encourage them to leave sex work. Health and medical support is also given to those who are HIV positive, while regular HIV testing is also provided.
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