Feminist Transformation of Society: Maharashtra Conference of Women and Transpersons - 2025
By Sandhya Gokhale
In 1975, the United Nations Decade for Women was declared to highlight and act on issues affecting women, from gendered violence to labour rights. In 2025, in order to mark 50 years since this declaration, and to deliberate on the future of the movement, autonomous women’s organisations and feminist activists from Maharashtra gathered for a state-level conference – first in September 2024, and then converging in December 2025. Year-long campaigns on issues faced by women, transgender communities and other marginalized communities were planned and organized in various districts of Maharashtra.
Throughout the year, many offline and online workshops and discussions were held focusing on various issues faced by marginalized sections of society, which included queer/transpersons, nomadic tribes, denotified tribal communities, OBC communities, Dalit and Adivasi communities. The campaigns documented and focused on growing state sponsored hate and communal violence, sexual violence, control over women/queer/trans persons lives by family, police and other state machinery, toxic masculinity and rights of minority communities. Discussions were also held with various trade unions. Some campaigns are listed here:
- One of the main campaigns in which 114 organisations, with 750 youths participated, was carrying out safety audits at public places and public transport places late in the night.
- Public meetings and workshops were held in different districts on the theme of “Denounce Manusmriti and Uphold the Indian Constitution.”
- Meetings and discussions were held with youths in various colleges covering topics like democracy starts at home, what feminism is, marriage market etc.
- Around twelve booklets were brought out covering issues like Hindu Rashtra and feminist movement, aggressive nationalism, on queer/trans/intersex people and collectives, women farmers, environment, institution of family etc.
All six regions of Maharashtra held meetings, conferences or workshops throughout the year and identified issues confronting the people.
Vidarbha level conferences and discussions were held at Nagpur, Gadchiroli, Wardha, Yavatmal, Chandrapur, Amravati. The main issues emerging in this region were issues faced by single women, disabled persons, access to natural resources, water issues, as well as issues faced by sex workers.
Marathwada level conferences and discussion were held in Aurangabad, Pachod, Beed, Latur, Usmanabad. The main issues discussed here were challenges before unorganized sector women workers, increasing child marriages, women’s health and growing superstitions, issues faced by nomadic tribes and denotified tribal women and difficulties in uniting women from various sections of society.
Western Maharashtra held workshops and conferences at Pune, Sangli, Kolhapur, Solapur, Ahmednagar. The issues discussed include problems faced by sex workers, economic boycott of Muslim community, pollution of river water and health hazards emerging from that, access to public places, gardens, toxic masculinity.
North Maharashtra level meeting/conference were held at Nandurbar, Dhule, Jalgaon, Nasik, the main concerns were sexual violence faced by girl students in Adivasi schools, issues and violence faced by migrant women, child marriages, declining sex ratio, issues faced by children of divorced mothers.
The issues emerging from conferences in Mumbai, Thane, New Bombay level included the rapidly changing nature of the city, the othering of Muslim community, increasing ghettoization, increasing insecurity and discrimination faced by minority and marginalized communities, changing nature of work and laws, cultural and social moral policing, lack of civic amenities and increasing control over mobility.
Konkan area held conference/workshops in Palghar, Raigad, Sindhudurg discussions brought out lack of implementation of Forest Rights Act, issues of displacement and environmental crisis, development project giving rise to natural calamities, water and fuel issues , tribal population not having access to various documents.
The Maharashtra level conference on 20, 21 and 22 December 2025 was held at Yashwantrao Chavan Prathistan in Mumbai. This conference was attended by 800 delegates from 36 districts of Maharashtra. It was the result of coordinated efforts by 92 organisations and more than 250 individual activists.
The four major themes identified by the conference were growing violence against women and transpersons, growing hate and communal violence against minorities and marginalized sections of society by Hindutva forces, the devastation of economic life of people due to crony capitalism and complete destruction of various democratic structures of the nation.
The inauguration was done by Dr. Saeeda Hamid and the keynote speech was delivered by Senior Advocate of Supreme Court Ms. Indira Jaisingh. Other plenary sessions included Challenges before Indian Constitution – Patriarchy and Manuvaad, the Dismantling of Democratic Institutions and Anarchy, Assault on Minorities, Terrorism and the Politics of Genocide. Current global economic and political situation in which various prominent thinkers addressed the activist, including Chaya Khobragade, Teesta Setalvad, Adv Vrinda Grover, Shama Dalwai, Sanjiv Chandorkar and Kumar Ketkar. There was also a special session held on the struggles and political understanding of queer, trans, intersex persons and sex workers.
There were also group discussions and plenary sessions held on public transport, critical view of the institution of family, domestic violence, sexual violence, the new four labour codes, the struggles of the waste pickers, women farmers, challenges facing Adivasis in context of extraction of forest and natural resources, environment and development and displacement and development. Various plays and cultural programs were held in the evening.
The conference ended with a public meeting held in Azad Maidan where resolutions that were passed in the conference were read out loud. Several activists also spoke about their experiences and struggles.
The emerging Maharashtra Stree Mukti Parishad network of organisations and individuals will continue to organize for our democracy and constitutional rights to defeat the politics of hate and violence.