Case Study

Red Movement Campaign

Red Movement

In Hindu tradition and customs after a husband dies, the wife is subject to wearing color white through out her life. Her clothes are supposed to be unstitched and un patterned. She is not allowed to wear any jewelry for the rest of her life. The color red is especially prohibited at all cost for widows, as it is seen as a color specific to married women only.

In 2002 WHR held a National Workshop with single women (widows) participants from the district level, to highlight the issues facing single women (widows) in Nepal and the way forwards. The single women participants were empowered into the knowledge and awareness that “Color is Our Birthright”. After this workshop the Red Movement Campaign began, with the same slogan, that color was every woman’s birthright and that every woman single or married should not be prohibited any color. In the district of Bardiya, two single women broke free of this harsh tradition and for the festival of Dashain they organized a gathering of single women (widows) and their immediate relatives to wear the red ‘tika’ on the foreheads. Their effort to break free of conformity was surprisingly supported by their family members. The family members of the two women dressed their foreheads with the red tika, which was like a symbol of emancipation and freedom for single women (widows).

After that incident the campaign gained momentum and spread like into other districts and regions of Nepal, where women were give red saris and tika’s by their relatives, from which day onwards they no longer wore white or sober colors.

The Red Movement Campaign was a very successful campaign, and since it began most widows no longer are forced to wear white or sober colors for the rest of their lives, and instead have the choice of color to themselves. The effect of wearing white and being denied of color is psychologically hurtful for the widows and their children. It is amusing for the critiques to view this campaign as a mere transition from wearing white to wearing forbidden colors for widows. But we view it as a transformation of age old traditions and the beginning of the healing process for widows. It is a symbolic struggle that enabled widows to resist conformity and break harmful psychologically and physically binding tradition. The choice of color is every woman’s birthright!