Trisha Shetty is a well-known name already when it comes to activism towards girl child rights. However, she recently shot into limelight when a video of her participating in a debate on a news channel went viral.
As political parties indulged in hurling muck at each other, playing the blame game over the Kathua and Unnao rape cases, Trisha decided that enough was enough. Within two minutes, she demolished the parties’ defences and asked them to start kicking out errant members from their ranks. The much-appreciated video seems to be at the crux of a new beginning for the country, where demanding accountability from political representatives about women’s safety is of paramount importance.
The 27-year-old lawyer has been known for speaking her mind out and condemning the government for its inability to answer on topics like women’s issues. Via her NGO She Says, Trisha is working towards offering on-ground support to anyone being subjected to any kind of sexual abuse and harassment across the country.
“We have recr-uited young people from different places and are conducting workshops at educational institutions, workplaces and slums,” says the Mumbai-based social activist. “We train them on gender equality and sex abuse laws, gender sensitisation, sexual violence education and prevention. We have a lot of tie-ups with various women and child protection NGOs, almost in every city and state, so that the resources are there to help in the first place.”
The gender advocacy director at She Says, Prageeya Khanna, chimes in, “We are building our social media presence so we can be easy to contact. This is to ensure that we can help out at the ground level.
From reaching out to the police to doctors, She Says manages it all. “In special cases, we even help with funds for counselling and legal proceedings. We assure to be with the family in child abuse cases, with moral and legal support,” she adds.
However, Prageeya confirms that recent cases in Kathua and Unnao have forced the website to temporarily take their helpline numbers off for a while. “We have been receiving threatening calls, and the situation was so heated up, we had to take the number down,” she sighs.
But that’s not deterred Trisha and She Says from taking a stand. Having spoken about gender equality and crime against women at the United Nations young leader summit in 2016, Trisha also spoke about the government being subdued about situations and only condemning it as a best case scenario.
Her sharp words about the government have caused a lot of criticism and even threats from all quarters coming her way. But Trisha is not one to back down. “Honestly, it’s very disheartening when that comes from the same people who claim to be working for the same cause, and criticise your actions. By talking about my actions, they just divert people’s mind from the issue, which is insane,” she sighs.
Working for women’s rights in India isn’t just disheartening at times, it can be completely gut wrenching. Trisha explains that she regularly keeps in touch with her mental health consultant “to be sane”. Despite all the odds, Trisha believes she has survived, and will continue making a difference. “I work on the ground, and we’re a team of two people. But we will always work on personal levels, no matter what.”
Trisha’s intentions behind fighting for women’s rights doesn’t stem from her own personal experiences, but is borne out of humanity and responsibility. “Without knowing me, people ask me if I have been abused and if that’s why I speak about gender bias. Every woman faces some sexual abuse or discrimination, so it’s everyone’s responsibility to speak up,” she says. “Challenging and drawing the government’s attention to our rights isn’t just for the self. By assuming such things (that she may have been abused) they are making excuses and not holding the government responsible for its actions. I believe if even a single woman faces discrimination, it’s everyone’s responsibility to speak about it,” she firmly asserts.
