Jyotsna Chatterji

Biographical Information

Jyotsna Chatterji is the director of the Joint Women's Programme in New Delhi, India and Vice President of the YWCA of India. She is also the chairperson of Madhyam, Bangalore and of Initiatives: Women in Development, Madras. Chatterji serves as a member of many human rights groups in India and Asia, including: the Delhi State Social Welfare Advisory Board, the Core Group on Prevention of Child Prostitution (National Commission for Women), the Core Group National Commission on Human Rights, the Central Advisory Committee on Child Prostitution (Ministry of Human Resources), the State Committee Mahashtra, and the Governing Body of FORRAD. She was a professor of English Literature at the University of Calcutta until 1978, when she became the director of the Joint Women's Programme.

Summary of Major Themes

Chatterji has taken up several issues related to women, where there has been a denial of justice -- questions of property rights, equal pay for equal work, changes in personal laws, dowry-related questions and other atrocities on women, questions of bonded labor, especially where the girl children are involved, questions of prostitution and changes in SITA, questions of housing to be considered as a basic human right, the question of human rights, etc.

Several surveys and short studies have been conducted under her leadership both for information and for proper action at the grass-roots and other levels of society. Chatterji has introduced awareness and adult education programmes for women and men in slums and rural areas in which the issues related to women are the focus around which the programme is built. She has lobbied for changes in laws -- personal, criminal, and civil. At present the Joint Women's Programme, under Chatterji's guidance, has several Groups and Mahila Sanghas in 16 different states of India, where the problems and struggles of women are part of the total struggle of all oppressed sections. She has also enabled the formation of All India Dalit Women's Forum.

Bibliography

JOURNAL EDITOR

JWP (Joint Women's Programme) News.

EDITED BOOKS

Good News for Women.

Authority of the Religions and the Status of Women.

Status of Single Women.

Status of Rural Women.

Trafficking of Women and Girls for Sexual Exploitation.

Changes in Christian Personal Laws, etc.

Partnership of Women and Men in Church and Society.

Take a Closer Look ...

The campaigns that have been conducted under Chatterji's leadership are:

1. Campaign against Child Labour
2. Literacy for the Girl Child
3. Lobbying for Changes in the Laws, dealing with Atrocities against Women
4. Campaign for Changes in Christian Personal laws
5. Campaign for Abolition of Devadasi Practice
6. Campaign for National Commission for Women
7. Campaign for Awareness Training Programmes for Police, Government Administrators, etc.
8. Campaign for Changes in the National Population Policy
9. Campaign against the Changes in the Maternity Benefits Act
10. Campaign for Law on Sex Determination Test
11. Campaign for 33% reservation for Women in Parliament and State Assemblies

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