The All India Women's Conference (AIWC) is a non-governmental organisation (

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...

) based in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...

. It was founded in 1927 by Margaret Cousins in order to improve educational efforts for women and children and has expanded its scope to also tackle other women's rights issues. The organisation is one of the oldest women's groups in India and has branches throughout the country.

History

The All India Women's Conference (AIWC) was founded in 1927 in

Pune Pune (; ; also known as Poona, ( the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million As of 2021, Pune Metropolitan Region is the largest i ...

in order to promote women and children's education and social welfare. Margaret Cousins had called for the creation of an organisation as early as late 1925 by writing to other women's groups and to friends to come together to discuss education for women. The first meeting held in Poona saw 2,000 attendees who met at the Fergusson College Hall on Poona University. Most of the attendees were observers, but others were women that Cousins had brought together to help create the AIWC.

Amrit Kaur Dame Rajkumari Bibiji Amrit Kaur ('' née'' Ahluwalia) DStJ (2 February 1887 – 6 February 1964) was an Indian activist and politician. Following her long-lasting association with the Indian independence movement, she was appointed the firs ...

was one of the founding members of AIWC. One of the first secretaries of AIWC was

Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay (3 April 1903 – 29 October 1988) was an Indian social reformer and freedom activist. She was most remembered for her contribution to the Indian independence movement; for being the driving force behind the renaissanc ...

. Beginning in 1928, AIWC began to raise money to open the Lady Irwin College of Domestic Science. Also in 1928, the AIWC recognized that women's education couldn't be addressed properly without dealing with "harmful social customs." Women of the AIWC set up a committee to "watch and report on the progress of the Child Marriage Bill," and to also lobby politicians relating to the practice of

child marriage Child marriage is a marriage or similar union, formal or informal, between a child under a certain age – typically 18 years – and an adult or another child. * * * * The vast majority of child marriages are between a female child and a mal ...

. Other issues that were tackled included giving women the right to

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...

, to inherit and to

vote Voting is a method by which a group, such as a meeting or an Constituency, electorate, can engage for the purpose of making a collective decision making, decision or expressing an opinion usually following discussions, debates or election camp ...

. AIWC was registered in 1930 under the section XXI of

Societies Registration Act, 1860 The Societies Registration Act, 1860 is a legislation in India which allows the registration of entities generally involved in the benefit of society – education, health, employment etc. The British Indian Empire, with a wish to encourage such ...

. (No. 558 of 1930). AIWC created a journal, ''Roshni'', in 1941 which was published in both

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and

Hindi Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...

. The organisation was involved in lobbying

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

to pass new laws to protect women in India and also to help expand voting rights. A central office for AIWC was set up in 1946. Also in 1946, a "Skippo Committee" was set up to help provide villages with medical treatment. When India was fighting for

independence Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the statu ...

, many more radical members left the organisation in order to become "nationalist agitators." The organisation also expelled members who were associated with Communist groups in 1948.

Activities and programmes

One of the initial main objectives of the AIWC was education of women, and it remains a primary concern today. The organisation's literacy campaign was intensified in 1996 by initiating non-formal education programmes for school drop outs and

literacy Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, hum ...

programmes for adult woman with craft training through its branches. AIWC also operates microcredit schemes and energy development for

rural In general, a rural area or a countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities. Typical rural areas have a low population density and small settlements. Agricultural areas and areas with forestry typically are descri ...

women. AIWC has trained women in the use of solar driers for hygienically storing food. They also help women find employment, are involved in health issues and the prevention of human trafficking.

Past presidents

This is a list of the past presidents of AIWC: *

Maharani Chimnabai Maharani Chimnabai (1872 – 23 August 1958), also known as Chimnabai II, was the second wife of Maharaja Sayajirao Gaekwad of the princely state of Baroda, Gujarat, British India. She is the author of the treatise '' The position of Women in I ...

, 1927 * Jahan Begum of Bhopal, 1928 * Dowager Rani of Mandi, 1929 *

Sarojini Naidu Sarojini Naidu (''née'' Chattopadhyay; 13 February 1879 – 2 March 1949) was an Indian political activist, feminist and poet. A proponent of civil rights, women's emancipation, and anti-imperialistic ideas, she was an important person in Ind ...

, 1930 * Dr.

Muthulakshmi Reddy Muthulakshmi Reddy (also spelled Reddi in some British Indian sources; 30 July 1886 – 22 July 1968) was an Indian medical practitioner, social reformer and Padma Bhushan award recipient. Muthulakshmi Reddy was appointed to the Madras Legisl ...

, 1931 *

Sarala Roy Sarala Roy (1861-1946) was an Indian educator, feminist, and social activist. She was one of the first women to matriculate from Calcutta University, and was the first woman to be a member of the University Senate. She founded a school for girls an ...

, 1932 * Lady

Vidyagauri Nilkanth Vidyagauri Nilkanth was an Indian social reformer, educationist, and writer. She was also one of the first two women graduates in Gujarat. Early life Vidyagauri Nilkanth was born on 1 June 1876 in Ahmedabad. She was the daughter of a judicial ...

, 1933 *

Lady Abdul Quadir The word ''lady'' is a term for a girl or woman, with various connotations. Once used to describe only women of a high social class or status, the equivalent of lord, now it may refer to any adult woman, as gentleman can be used for men. Infor ...

, 1934 *

Hilla Rustomji Faridoonji Hilla Rustomji Faridoonji (1872–1956) was an Indian educationist and political activist. She was secretary of the Women's Education Fund Association. At the All India Women's Conference meeting in Madras in 1931-2, Faridoonji proposed the re ...

1935 * Maharani

Sethu Parvathi Bayi Moolam Thirunal Sethu Parvathi Bayi (1896–1983), better known as Amma Maharani, was the Junior Maharani (Queen) of Travancore as well as a promoter of Indian Classical music. She was the mother of Chithira Thirunal Balarama Varma, the last Kin ...

, 1936 * Margaret E. Cousins, 1937 *

, 1938 * Rani Lakshmibai Rajwade, 1939 * Shareefa Hamid Ali, 1940–41 *

Rameshwari Nehru Rameshwari Nehru (née ''Rameshwari Raina''; 10 December 1886 – 8 November 1966) was a social worker of India. She worked for the upliftment of the poorer classes and of women. In 1902, she married Brijlal Nehru, a nephew of Motilal Nehru and ...

, 1942 * Vijayalakshmi Pandit, 1943 * Kamladevi Chattopadhyay, 1944–45 * Hansa Mehta, 1946 * Dhanvanthi Rama Rau, 1947 * Anasuyabai Kale, 1948 * Urmila Mehta, 1949–50 *

Hannah Sen Hannah Sen (1894–1957) was an Indian educator, politician, and feminist. She was a member of the first Indian Rajya Sabha (upper house of Parliament) from 1952 to 1957 and the president of the All India Women's Conference in 1951-52. She was a f ...

, 1951–52 *

Renuka Ray Renuka Ray (1904–1997) was a noted freedom-fighter, social activist and politician of India. She was a descendant of Brahmo reformer, Nibaran Chandra Mukherjee, and daughter of Satish Chandra Mukherjee, an ICS officer, and Charulata Mukher ...

, 1953–54 * Lakshmi N. Menon, 1955–58 * Raksha Saran, 1959–60 *

Mithan Jamshed Lam Mithan Jamshed Lam (1898–1981) was an Indian lawyer, social activist and the Sheriff of Mumbai. She was the first Indian woman barrister and the first Indian woman lawyer at the Bombay High Court. She was a member of the All India Women's Con ...

, 1961–62 * Masuma Begum, 1963–64 * M.S.H.Jhabwala 1965–68 * B. Tarabai, 1969–70 * Lakshmi Raguramaiah, 1971–79 *

Sarojini Varadappan Sarojini Varadappan (21 September 1921 − 17 October 2013) was an Indian social worker from the state of Tamil Nadu. She was the daughter of former Chief Minister of Madras, M. Bhaktavatsalam. Early life Sarojini was born in Madras on 21 S ...

, 1981–85 *

Ashoka Gupta Ashoka Gupta ( bn, অশোকা গুপ্ত; November 1912 – 8 July 2008) was an Indian freedom fighter and social worker. She was the founder of Mahila Seva Samity, member of the All India Women's Conference and president of Indian So ...

, 1986–90 * Shobhana Ranade, 1991–95 * Kunti Paul, 1996–98 * Kalavati Tripathi, 1999–2001 * Aparna Basu, 2002–2004 * Manorma Bawa, 2005–2007 * Gomathi Nair, 2008–2010 * Bina Jain, 2011–2013 * Veena Kohli, 2014–2016

Other members

Kitty Shiva Rao Kitty Shiva Rao (born 1903 – died after 1974), was a Montessori teacher and theosophist from Austria who, by India's independence, had led a committee of women to draft an ''Indian Women's Charter of Rights and Duties'' for the new constituti ...

References

Citations

Sources

* *

External links

AIWC Official Website
{{Authority control 1927 establishments in India Liberal feminist organizations Women's organisations based in India Organisations based in Delhi Organizations established in 1927 Women's conferences 1927 in women's history