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made up of a network of social activists, survivors and lawyers; which aims to educate and spread awareness against witch-hunting, as well as support and protect survivors and potential victims of witch hunts across the state of Assam. Despite facing ridicule and attacks from those who defend the belief in witches, and being subjected to accusations of witchcraft herself, Rabha frequently spoke out against witch-branding and hunting at meetings, organised awareness camps and taught school lessons denouncing the practice. She also rescued over thirty-five women branded as witches in the last decade of her life.
158:. They were told that he had been possessed by and had married a fairy, who was pregnant with his child and that as soon as this child was born he would die. According to the quack, Dharmeswar had only three days to live. However, he eventually recovered, living long after his diagnosis. After this incident, Rabha realised that the superstitions that led to the diagnosis of her son were baseless and stopped visiting quacks, who she believed were frauds.
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In 2015, the activist's campaigning prompted the
Assamese government to pass The Assam Witch Hunting (Prohibition Prevention and Protection) Act, which many consider to be India's toughest anti-witch-hunting law. The act, which came into effect in 2018, allows up to seven years in jail along with a
166:
Initially, Rabha formed the
Thakurvila Mahila Samity, a women's association raising awareness of various social ills, including witch-hunting in her local village, and later in 2006, became involved in the Assam Mahila Samata Society. In 2011, she founded Mission Birubala; a non-profit organisation
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126:. She ran an organisation called Mission Birubala which spreads awareness against witch hunting. She was instrumental in the Government of Assam passing the legislation on the prevention of and protection from witch hunting in 2015. The
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in Assam's
Goalpara district. Her father died when she was six, forcing her to drop out of school and help her mother run the household. Rabha was fifteen when she was married to her husband, a farmer with whom she had three children.
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substantial fine for identifying and branding a person as a witch, and extended the punishment for leading a person to commit suicide after accusing them of witchcraft to life imprisonment.
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Rabha was recognised for her work against witch-hunting in Assam with numerous awards and accolades. In 2005, she was nominated for a
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by the North East
Network (a women's rights organisation operating in Assam), and in 2015, was awarded an honorary Doctorate from
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573:"Why the road has been long and hard for Padma Shri awardee Birubala Rabha, Assam's crusader against witch-hunting"
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187:. In 2021, she was recognised by the Indian government for her social work and campaigning with the
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708:"Padma Shri Awardee & Anti-Witch Hunting Activist Birubala Rabha Passes Away in Guwahati"
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In 1985, her mentally ill eldest son, Dharmeswar, suffered from a bout of
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Rabha was born in 1954 in the village of
Thakurvila, near the border of
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321:"Tribal woman gets award for crusade against witch-hunting in Assam"
511:. Ministry of Home Affairs (India). 25 January 2021. pp. 2–5.
377:"Woman honoured with doctorate for fighting witch-hunting in Assam"
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114:(1954 – 13 May 2024) was an Indian activist who campaigned against
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606:"Meet Padma Shri Birubala Rabha, Assam's Anti-Witch Hunt Crusader"
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347:"A witch-hunting survivor crusades to save Assamese women"
154:, leading Rabha and her husband to take him to a village
473:"Putting women human rights activists on the world map"
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awarded her the fourth-highest civilian honour of the
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440:"Crusader against witch hunting to be felicitated"
670:"Assam Assembly passes Bill to end witch-hunting"
134:, in 2021, for her contributions to social work.
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259:"The Indian woman who hunts the witch hunters"
191:, the fourth-highest civilian award in India.
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774:Recipients of the Padma Shri in social work
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223:Many news sources mislabel her age as "75".
638:Service, Statesman News (26 August 2018).
538:"The Indian Woman Who Hunts Witch Hunters"
416:. Hindu Business Line. 25 September 2015.
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375:Samudra Gupta Kashyap (31 March 2015).
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414:"The voice of the so-called witches"
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207:, on 13 May 2024, at the age of 70.
769:Indian women human rights activists
289:"Anti-witch hunt crusader UN-bound"
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349:. Hindustan Times. 14 June 2016.
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323:. Indian Express. 5 July 2015.
257:Soutik Biswas (10 April 2016).
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203:at the State Cancer Institute,
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1:
784:Deaths from esophageal cancer
764:People from Goalpara district
754:Indian human rights activists
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789:Deaths from cancer in India
471:Sarumathi K (19 May 2018).
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16:Indian activist (1954–2024)
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640:"Slaying a social stigma"
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779:Critics of witch hunting
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445:Daily News and Analysis
116:witch-hunting in India
542:thecriticalscript.com
96:Human rights activist
506:"Padma Awards: 2021"
448:. 23 November 2016.
579:. 31 January 2021.
128:Government of India
118:. She was based in
676:. 13 August 2015.
577:The Indian Express
294:The Times of India
201:oesophageal cancer
185:Gauhati University
297:. 21 April 2017.
181:Nobel Peace Prize
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37:Rabha in 2009
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720:. Retrieved
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102:Organisation
56:Thakurvila,
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749:2024 deaths
744:1954 births
620:25 February
587:25 February
552:25 February
175:Recognition
74:13 May 2024
738:Categories
522:26 January
231:References
189:Padma Shri
138:Background
132:Padma Shri
92:Occupation
682:0971-751X
674:The Hindu
610:femina.in
477:The Hindu
144:Meghalaya
716:Archived
686:Archived
648:Archived
614:Archived
581:Archived
546:Archived
513:Archived
481:Archived
450:Archived
418:Archived
385:Archived
351:Archived
325:Archived
299:Archived
267:Archived
263:BBC News
162:Activism
120:Goalpara
80:Guwahati
58:Goalpara
692:1 March
654:1 March
152:typhoid
86:, India
64:, India
48: (
722:14 May
680:
487:25 May
456:25 May
424:25 May
391:25 May
357:25 May
331:25 May
305:25 May
273:25 May
516:(PDF)
509:(PDF)
211:Notes
195:Death
156:quack
124:Assam
84:Assam
62:Assam
724:2024
694:2023
678:ISSN
656:2023
622:2023
589:2023
554:2023
524:2021
489:2018
458:2018
426:2018
393:2018
359:2018
333:2018
307:2018
275:2018
205:GMCH
70:Died
50:1954
46:1954
43:Born
740::
710:.
684:.
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630:^
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52:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
