[ A translation of the statement from the Kerala Feminist Forum is appended to ours. Both are translated by Gayatri Devi, a member of Althea.]

The way political parties and mainstream media in Kerala have framed the public discussion on the complaints against Rahul Mankoottathil comes as a real shock to anyone who sees Malayali women as citizens with equal rights and equal dignity, and to those who are committed to the welfare of children.

Indeed, we are forced to view with great anxiety the disturbing spectacle of laws meant to ensure the safety of women getting weaponized in a vicious battle of words between various political parties in an election year. We fear that this misuse might erode the popular acceptance of such safety laws altogether. We can already see the proliferation of extreme contempt and distrust towards women in the comments appearing below the completely irresponsible reporting and discussions taking place on the channels right now. A channel commentator who himself belongs to the same political party as the trans woman complainant in the case derisively laughed off sexual desire for a trans woman as a form of sexual perversion. We can only watch with great concern the creep of extreme right-wing anti-abortion rhetoric in the current debate about the alleged pregnancy. For instance, the compound word ‘bhroonahathya’ or ‘foeticide’ confers the same living status to the foetus in utero as it does to a human baby.  The word ‘garbhachidram’ or “dismembering of pregnancy” conjures up images of horrific violence.

The male voice heard in the leaked audio message directly denies that woman’s right to reproductive self-determination. That right includes not only the right to give birth, but also the right to terminate her pregnancy. If it were the woman who had decided to terminate her pregnancy, would we still have described her as a ‘foetus killer’ or a ‘foetus dismemberer’? Whatever the status of this case, it cannot be forgotten that women around the world have fought for the right to terminate a pregnancy, and that it was feminists who insisted that it was not ‘the killing of a foetus’ but only a “termination” of a pregnancy.

We are deeply disappointed by the language used by the Kerala Feminist Forum in their statement (the use of ‘garbhacchidram’ and ‘bhroonahatya’ for abortion) and their own underdeveloped understanding of the patriarchal voices that are alarmingly emerging on this issue. Even if the intention is to amplify the gravity of the attempt to violate the woman-speaker’s reproductive autonomy, the use of right-wing distorted language for abortion, given the growing and successful attacks on women’s right to abortions by the far-right all over the world, is sadly thoughtless.

We wish to state that their response, which shares the language and discourse limits defined by the popular media that does not, in general, advocate for the slightest justice for women complainants, or for the values that democratize public life, on the one hand, and that of politicians who kick the gender justice ball back and forth for their own ends, on the other, does not suit the profile of mainstream feminism. There are enough resources in feminist ethics that help us to craft a more humane and nuanced response without limiting ourselves to the the valid demand for the accused MLA’s removal from positions of power.

The far right radicalization of culture that occurs when the above words are shouted like slogans by women media personalities themselves is not to be easily dismissed. We recognize that even though there is significant visibility for women in the visual mediascape in Kerala and a large number of women who are mediapersons, and even though there is a feminist mainstream in Kerala, those gains will not easily translate into a feminist media culture. So, we heartily congratulate the Congress women leaders and K.K. Rema for not dismissing the complaints raised against Mankoottathil lightly.

There is the question as to whether a person accused of such a crime should continue in power. We cannot agree with the demand to end the current discussion simply because the complainants have not appeared in person; we do not believe that a complaint can be validated only if it is filed before the government. Thus, it is unacceptable that public attention is being diverted from the complainants simply because they are invisible at present, and intentionally shifted in one fell swoop to the accused and to the power play between political parties.

We too believe that men facing allegations of serious crimes that violate constitutional equality — (for instance, those accused of caste-based crimes, crimes against Adivasis etc. or indulge in rampant Islamophobia, in addition to gender-based violence against women) should not continue in office. That is what feminist ethics demands, which considers caste and class, along with patriarchy, as definitive axes of power. Naturally, such an ethical framework should also be applied to this incident.

 In other words, we are convinced that Mankoottathil ought to step down in the face of such serious allegations, some of which were actually complaints to senior leaders of the Congress party, though they have not yet reached the police. But this standard must be applied equally across all political parties. The saddest reality in Kerala is that there are legislators and senior functionaries of political parties facing serious charges including those of rape, who have been served charge sheets by courts, in Kerala today who remain in power. To mention just a few, the ruling-front MLA Mr Mukesh, the Minister A K Saseendran, and the Chief Minister’s political secretary, P Sasi.

If the standard of public morality that we suggest is not used evenly, then women’s safety laws will degenerate into mere lip service for the parties in power to use against their opponents. The popular response should emerge as a major protest movement against all men in positions of power who have faced such allegations in Kerala. If that happens, the current ordinary and secret agreement among those in power regarding the second-tier status of women will become public. We will then be able to start the process to dismantle it.

Amidst all this racket, what concerns us the most is the leaked voice message of an unidentified woman discussing her pregnancy with a male voice popularly ascribed to Mankoottathil. The circumstances of the pregnancy and the conversation are unclear, but the issue raised by them is critical.  Was this baby born? If so, where is it now? Who is caring for it? Who are its guardians? What is its current condition? Is its safety guaranteed? If not, what should be done? We are concerned that no one is asking these crucial questions. Our public debates have regrettably devolved into either blaming the women complainants, attacking Mankoottathil and the Congress Party, or criticizing CPM’s double standards. But feminist ethics, compassion and decency in public politics would have sought to first resolve questions about the child’s interests and only then enter into questions of justice and injustice arising in of the relationship between the two people discussing it.

The most helpless and voiceless entity in this scenario is this baby who is indirectly mentioned several times in the leaked audio. True, the stage of the pregnancy at the time of the conversation, the ultimate context and objective of this conversation in the excerpted audio, the morality of the incident itself, these may all rightfully raise questions among the listeners.  But, for the time being, putting such questions aside, an informed public should investigate whether the child, the topic of that conversation, was born, and if so, whether it was/is protected and safe. The current media commotion becomes relevant only after that investigation is completed and those facts are ascertained. That is the compassionate and respectful public response. Not only are we unable to do so, but we are also not hesitant to publicly embrace the cynicism of labeling these questions as irrelevant just because the woman has not revealed her identity.

The second entity that deserves a compassionate and ethical public response is the woman who discusses her pregnancy in the audio excerpt. Although the woman proudly proclaims that she will give birth to the child and provide a decent life for it entirely by herself, very few women in Kerala have the wherewithal to raise a child without any help or support from a partner. Those who can do so, more often than not, belong to the privileged classes. The neoliberal feminist messaging prevalent in Kerala these days that directly or indirectly assumes that women’s liberation is achieved through individual and personal struggle, by oneself alone, with minimal support appears to be adopted by women who do not belong to the traditionally privileged classes but are trying to advance in their lives all the same.

This means that the woman in the audio who says in a challenging voice that she will raise the child by herself alone might not have the financial and social capital to do so. Thus, it is important to determine the details of their situation. While the decision to have children or not rests with a couple and their mutual consent, the question of whether the mother who has made the decision to give birth can provide the necessary material resources, care and attention all alone, with her sole labours, to the child after birth falls well within the purview of societal concern. This is notwithstanding the fact that mutual consent does not override a woman’s right to self-determination over her own reproductive capacity, under any circumstances.

Thirdly, there is the question of what can be done to root out the ways in which men in positions of power perpetrate sexual injustice in their private interactions. In a world where toxic masculinity still prevails, Rahul Mankootathil’s sexual morality is most likely to be patriarchal, and the lack of ‘solid evidence’ should not prevent us from assuming so. There is also no doubt that open and candid testimonials from survivors are necessary to counter it. But however sincerely proffered such public testimonials might be, if they are presented in public in redacted, incomplete and partially covered-up formats, they are likely to do more harm than good to the complainants.

It is a particularly discouraging fact about the Kerala societal status quo that a woman who has been subjected to violence, for whatever reason, is not able to file a police complaint properly and with confidence. However, we wish to reiterate that in the present times, where not only legal protections but also a unified public front exists against sexual violence, women, at least women from privileged socio-economic backgrounds, should not hesitate to file a police complaint or make such incidents public without hiding their names and identities. If complainants can depose their statements against a perpetrator without adding, subtracting, or embellishing details for the benefit of the perpetrator’s rivals or political antagonists, then they will not have to fear anything. This is where feminist groups would be able to help the complainants most productively.

Feminist solidarity should be able to help complainants in such cases without getting lost in the technicalities of the judicial process, or getting manipulated by opportunistic third parties who seek to exploit the grievances of the survivors for their own gain. In the absence of such clear-eyed solidarity, merely venting their anger at the accused and trampling on his civil rights might help some to vent their anger temporarily. Such actions, however, will only serve to weaken the complainants’ chances of victory before the law and in the eyes of the public. It might even compromise their public acceptance. Complainants need healing and justice, and not revenge and cynical exploitation.

[Althea Women’s Collective is P.E. Usha, Gayatri Devi, Maglin Philomena, Anamika Ajay, Anu Joy, J. Devika, Mumtaz Begum TL, Divya G.S., S. Mini, and Mini Mohan.]

Rahul Mankoottathil does not deserve to continue as an MLA – Kerala Feminist Forum

Declaration

Rahul Mankoottathil, who abuses his power and position and harasses women does not deserve to continue as MLA. More than one woman has spoken out publicly about incidents involving the luring of women with promises of romantic love, forcing them into unsafe sex practices, and intimidating pregnant women to undergo abortions (garbhacchidram). The phone records released in the media is clear evidence of the voice of the MLA pressuring a pregnant woman to abort (bhroonahatya). It is alleged that about ten women have filed complaints against him. The fact that such a dangerous young political leader continues to be in the political arena, especially as an MLA, is a danger to the entire community of women. The Kerala Feminist Forum demands that the national state leadership of the Congress party and the state government take necessary steps to immediately remove Rahul Mankoottathil from the post of MLA.

We urge all political parties to ensure that political leaders and activists involved in sexual harassment cases are not allowed to contest elections and that they are not deemed eligible to sit in the houses of public representation. We demand that political parties and the government take the necessary policies and decisions in this regard.

Eliyamma Vijayan

K. Ajitha

C. S. Chandrika

Dr. Rekha Raj

Mercy Alexander

Dr. Sonia George

Dr. Binitha Thampi

Rajitha G.

M. Zulfat

Sreeja Neyyattinkara

Sreeja K. V

Sajitha Shankar

Dr. Sree Soorya Thiruvoth

Sheethal Shyam

R. Parvathy Devi

Advocate Cuckoo Devaki

Sreeja P.

Preetha G. P

Smitha Shreyas

Sheeja Gouri Padmam