All-Women Committees are Fighting Drug Addiction in Panjab

All-women anti-drug committees are stepping up to address the menace that has gripped many villages in Panjab. In a striking display of unity and determination, these women formed committees to counter the drug problem that often plagues their communities. Their efforts not only combat addiction but also address the potential involvement of women in the drug trade. They also have support from Farmer Unions. In the first week of September, Dullewala village in District Bathinda became a pioneer in this movement when an 11-member all-woman anti-drug awareness committee was formed. Shinder Pal Kaur, an accredited social health activist, assumed leadership. The village previously established a men’s Anti-Drug Awareness Committee, which initiated thikri pehras – vigilance squads at entry points to the village. However, the involvement of suspected individuals, traveling with women to evade suspicion, led to the need for a women’s committee. Bahadur Singh, the leader of the men’s committee at Dullewala village, noted a significant change, stating that suspected drug suppliers no longer bring substances directly into the village, thanks to the women’s active involvement. In an earlier instance of women solidarity, just before the Farmers Protest in 2020-21, in June 2020 some of the poorest women in Panjab – whose loans ranged from $200 to $500 – had joined in a statewide movement against high handedness of the loan recovery agents of microfinance companies. In Panjab, this movement went on for months in parallel to the Farmers’ Protest. Finally, under pressure of the agitation many district magistrates announced a ban of forced collection of installments. In the early 1990s a similar movement against addiction was led by the women in Andhra Pradesh which successfully tackled Arrack addiction.