Beware of the Pink Gang

The name may not sound fierce to you (in fact, it may sound more like a group of Paris Hilton and friends who wreak havoc on designer clothing stores), but the group of pink-clad women in Banda, India are instilling fear wherever they go.

Sick and tired of gender inequality, political injustice and other unfair atrocities that run rampant in the corrupt Indian government, a group of Indian women, who call themselves the Gulabi (pink) Gang, have decided to take action into their own hands.

“Nobody comes to our help in these parts. The officials and the police are corrupt and anti-poor. So sometimes we have to take the law in our hands. At other times, we prefer to shame the wrongdoers.”

It is hard to imagine the need for such a vigilante group (or the strength required by women to stand up and start one), but that is because we don’t have to face the same discrimination that women in India do. The Indian society, especially in the poorest areas, is one dominated by men, where women have no choice but to marry to get ahead in life. Most women are not educated, are married off at an extremely young age, and are blamed for everything that goes wrong in the household.

Because of the culture and society in India, these women have no choice but to stay in their abusive relationships. They are nothing without their men.

The Pink Gang is trying to change that by any means possible: public embarassment, lessons in self defense for women, or even just their presence. They are giving a voice to a typically silent population.

If it weren’t for the ladies of the Pink Gang, there would be no one to help the battered wives of Banda, to prevent the goverment officials from taking money promised to the poor communities, or to give women a voice in this male-dominated society.

This story is one of strength, power and inspiration, and one I felt the women of CollegeCandy needed to hear. We don’t always realize how good we have it – going to school, holding a job, having the freedom to choose our daily activities – and this story is a reminder of that and the strength of women everywhere.