Pune: Hailing from Hingoli , Jyoti Tambare, now 22, lost her farm-labourer husband to suicide in Karnataka in Dec 2023, while they both worked as sugar cane cutters. Forced out of her in-laws’ home and denied a share in property, Tambare fended for herself and her 10-month-old baby by surviving as a labourer. As her husband’s death occurred in Karnataka and she lacks official records, she remains excluded from govt compensations provided to widows.
Tambare’s story is not unique — nine women farmers from different states gathered at Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU) on Wednesday to share struggles on the inaugural day of a two-day conference , titled ‘Understanding Structural Violence Against Women in Farm Suicide-Affected Regions in India’. The event is organised by welfare organisations like Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch (Makaam), Network of Rural and Agrarian Studies (NRAS), KSP and CPPD (SPPU), and Society for Promoting Participative Ecosystem Management (SOPPECOM). It aims to shed light on the plight of women in farm suicide-affected families, develop concrete policy recommendations, and foster dialogue with govt to address challenges faced by the farmers.
There were some stories with silver linings, too. Srilatha J from Hyderabad, Telangana, continued her education, completing her graduation after her husband’s suicide in 2015. She got the land transferred to her children’s names, secured the ex-gratia payment for her husband’s death after “hundre.