Born and brought up in Nepalgunj, she also managed a legal assistance program to provide legal aid to victimized women and children. As a volunteer lawyer, she worked to support victims of violence and abuse, among other works.[break]
“The law states that all kinds of violence against women is a crime and there are several acts to support that, but our society hasn’t provided women with their rights,” says Ansari who has witnessed how women in rural areas are not even aware that they have the right to file complaints in cases of rape and domestic violence.
She has also persistently supported women’s right to claim family property. “There was a provision that women had to wait till they were thirty-five years old to claim property and there have been cases when women didn’t receive property even after waiting for thirty-five years. So a sort of movement generated as women now can claim for property which has helped in improving their status,” she says.
Ansari has traveled extensively throughout the country with her focus on the rural areas to understand the discrimination faced by women in various communities. She conducted legal awareness classes in villages and has contributed to the field of women’s rights, empowerment and justice.
PHOTO: KESHAB THOKER
The Week’s Nistha Rayamajhi met Ansari to talk about her experiences in the legal field and issues of violence against women in the country.
Why did you choose to become a lawyer?
I was born and brought up in Nepalgunj in a Muslim community. My family wasn’t economically sound but my parents always encouraged me to put my heart into studies. My parents hadn’t studied much but they wanted their children to receive what they had missed out on. This is why they supported me and made education a priority. After I completed my high school, my father thought it would be best if I got into the legal field as I would then be able to support the family in legal matters.
During that time, studying law didn’t cost much in a regular government college as the monthly fee was just Rs 75. So it wasn’t a big issue for me to get enrolled in a law school.
How did studying law shape you as a person?
Studying law was my family’s decision and not my choice. But later as I continued my studies, the legal background helped me personally as well, as I got a lot of insights and it gave me the confidence to express myself. During that time, there weren’t many females in the technical field due to poor financial condition. Many families wanted their daughters to study administrative subjects, so there was less motivation for them to become doctors and engineers. Our society is not so open and it isn’t easy to speak out on women’s issues and many people don’t even want to talk about issues relevant to women. So studying law inspired me in every way to work in the female sector.
How did you venture into journalism?
Issues concerning women didn’t get much exposure and there hardly used to be any debate on such issues, so I really wanted to bring those stories out. When I was still a student, I started writing for local papers of Nepalgunj and also contributed to a weekly paper called Prakash in Kathmandu. During that time I thought that if the issues on women and children can make it to the national paper then I should take the initiative. I used to write on children and women-centered topics because those were neglected issues.
How challenging was it to practice journalism and law during that time?
It was almost a year and a half since I had been into journalism when there was huge racial clash in Nepalgunj. Since I had to walk even at night, it was very unsafe and challenging. Even my family was concerned, as being a female, it wasn’t safe to be out on the road. Both journalism and legal profession were unusual career choices for females. There were times when we were ridiculed and people laughed at us when we visited courts as they thought that we were immature to be handling legal matters. We weren’t taken seriously and clients didn’t trust us.
How is the situation of women like in a Muslim Community?
Every community has its own culture but I don’t think culture can hinder progress. It has even been written in the Muslim texts that education is a priority and has restricted on the practice of dowry system. But even in the Muslim society, there has been more influence of outside culture where people tend to follow what others are doing, which is why the system of dowry persists in our community as well. When the religious texts itself has mentioned that education is a must, people tend to have altered the meaning and haven’t been able to keep an open mindset regarding the importance of girls’ education.
Why do you think that the issues of violence against women have been more on the spotlight lately?
I think that the issues of violence against women have been on focus as the victims are looking for immediate responses. Occupy Baluwatar is also a movement that was started to address and give priority to this issue, and so that there is immediate relief provided to the victims and there is a proper hearing of their cases. But the problem is that victims still haven’t got justice and so there is frustration among the concerned people. This is a chronic issue and the perpetrators should be punished. I think what the victims and supporters want is action to be taken against the perpetrators, end impunity and justice be provided to the victims. So this movement has forced everyone to think that young society won’t tolerate such issues and sort of created a nationwide awareness.
How has been the progress of handling cases of violence against women by the police?
I think that it takes a lot of time for cases to reach the concerned authority. I think when victims visit the police they get intimidated by their uniform and do not feel comfortable in expressing their problems. I don’t think that some of those in power are sensitive enough to handle cases. The police has been mobilizing their capacity but what victims need is close support and proper facilitation. There may be a few who have been supportive but sometimes the victims themselves get harassed by the police. I think in the cases of violence against women, if two things can be done immediately, then it can bring positive changes. One is to amend the law and reform the existing laws and enforce them as well. The second is providing immediate relief to the victims.
Why has there been delay in providing respite to the victims?
In cases of violence against women, there have been a lot of mechanisms that have been set but it would have been easier if there was one clear-cut mechanism. The police should be made accountable to deal with violence against women but sometimes even when victims file complaints there seems to be a lot of negligence. Some women are even discouraged by the police to filing a report as they tell the victims that filing a report might harm their reputation. So victims are sometimes re-victimized when actually it is the perpetrators whose reputation should be at stake.
How is the situation like in rural and urban areas?
If women from the villages become victims, they express themselves in front of everyone and get support from other women, though in some cases this might still not be the case. People think that women in the cities are educated and can speak for themselves, but it is just the opposite when it comes to filing a case of harassment or violence. In cities, victims fear to talk about their issues because they are afraid that their reputation and status will be questioned and that kind of environment suppresses their issues.
Do you have any suggestions to bring about change in the situation of women?
In a society like ours, we need to educate more people as awareness regarding women’s rights and justice is necessary. Victims should get proper counseling and support because in a male chauvinistic society like ours, the victims are themselves blamed for no reason. Every concerned agency like the police and court should ensure proper facilitation of all kinds of cases of violence against women and ensure proper implementation of the laws.
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