Agnes Kharshiing is a

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

from

Meghalaya Meghalaya (, or , meaning "abode of clouds"; from Sanskrit , "cloud" + , "abode") is a states and union territories of India, state in northeastern India. Meghalaya was formed on 21 January 1972 by carving out two districts from the state of As ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. She is the President of the Civil Society Women's Organization (CSWO). Her outspoken advocacy and leadership of

protest A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of coopera ...

s for women's and communities' rights has been linked to her detainment. She has led

sit-ins A sit-in or sit-down is a form of direct action that involves one or more people occupying an area for a protest, often to promote political, social, or economic change. The protestors gather conspicuously in a space or building, refusing to mo ...

in protest against government evictions of local communities from

land Land, also known as dry land, ground, or earth, is the solid terrestrial surface of the planet Earth that is not submerged by the ocean or other bodies of water. It makes up 29% of Earth's surface and includes the continents and various islan ...

. She has spoken out against corporal punishment and bullying in schools. She condemned the appointment of MLA Julius Dorphang, who allegedly raped a 14-year-old girl, as a member of the Assembly Privilege Committee in Meghalaya. She was arrested then released in March 2013 for use of criminal force to deter a public servant from discharging his duty, as well as criminal trespass. She told reporters that as member of a committee on

justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

, formed as part of Meghalaya Legal Service Authority, she was trying to help the parents of a

rape victim Rape is a traumatic experience that affects the victim (also known as 'survivor') in a physical, psychological, and sociological way. Even though the effects and aftermath of rape differentiate among victims, individuals tend to suffer from simil ...

access a media centre. She protested against the eviction drive conducted by Meghalaya Urban Development Authority, for which she was arrested on 9 November 2013. She was involved in exposing

graft Graft or grafting may refer to: *Graft (politics), a form of political corruption *Graft, Netherlands, a village in the municipality of Graft-De Rijp Science and technology *Graft (surgery), a surgical procedure *Grafting, the joining of plant ti ...

and lack of transparency in

child nutrition Malnutrition occurs when an organism gets too few or too many nutrients, resulting in health problems. Specifically, it is "a deficiency, excess, or imbalance of energy, protein and other nutrients" which adversely affects the body's tissues a ...

programs. She advocated for programs supporting

local food Local food is food that is produced within a short distance of where it is consumed, often accompanied by a social structure and supply chain different from the large-scale supermarket system. Local food (or "locavore") movements aim to co ...

rather than use of

contractors A general contractor, main contractor or prime contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and the communication of information to all involved parties throughout the course of ...

. She organised a rescue mission to Radhamadhab Road - a red light area in Silchar, Assam - to deter the alarming growth in child sex trafficking. Prior to this, she had been interacting with a 16 year old survivor who had escaped from Radhamadhab Road. Fellow activist Angela Rangad said Kharshiing's 2013 arrests were attempts "to suppress any attempt of

asking questions ''Asking Questions'' is a crime novel by H. R. F. Keating. It is the twentieth novel in the Inspector Ghote series and the twenty-second book, due to the publication of two short story collections. Plot introduction Inspector Ghote is ordered ...

and bringing to light largescale illegal deals and land grabs." Kharshiing has not been deterred from activism by detention. She said: “I will continue to fight with them for their rights and will not retreat even if I have to face arrest a thousand times”

References

Indian women's rights activists Indian prisoners and detainees People from Shillong People associated with Shillong Living people Indian women activists Activists from Meghalaya Year of birth missing (living people) {{India-activist-stub