Displaced women of the Panna tiger reserve

ABSTRACT

This study explores the experience of displacement from the perspective of women who have been or are about to be moved from their homes and sources of livelihood, to make way for the expansion of a wildlife reserve in India. We conducted this in the Nayi Basti (Nb) and Umravan (U) areas of the tribal belt around the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh state of India. Availability of common property resources significantly contributed to a better position for women in tribal society, despite their lack of access to modern health care and education. Displacement to plains and non-forest areas with no access to familiar means of livelihood, however, makes such communities vulnerable to psychosocial trauma and decline in social status. We conducted in-depth interviews with women respondents and key informants for this study to assess the levels of distress of women after they were displaced and obtained their perspectives, in particular, about the key psychosocial issues they faced after moving.

ABSTRACT IN HINDI

यह अध्ययन उन महिलाओं के दृष्टिकोण से विस्थापन के अनुभव की पड़ताल करता है जो भारत में एक वन्यजीव अभ्यारण्य के विस्तार के

लिए रास्ता बनाने के लिए अपने घरों और आजीविका के स्रोतों से स्थानांतरित हो गई हैं या होने वाली हैं। हमने ये अध्ययन भारत के मध्य प्रदेश राज्य में पन्ना टाइगर रिजर्व के आसपास आदिवासी बेल्ट के नई बस्ती (एनबी) और उमरावन (यू) क्षेत्रों में आयोजित किया। आधुनिक स्वास्थ्य देखभाल और शिक्षा तक पहुंच की कमी के बावजूद, जनजातीय समाज में महिलाओं के लिए सामान्य संपत्ति संसाधनों की उपलब्धता ने बेहतर स्थिति में महत्वपूर्ण योगदान दिया। मैदानी और गैर-वन क्षेत्रों में

विस्थापन एवं ऐसे क्षेत्रों में आजीविका के परिचित साधनों की कमी, आदिवासी समुदायों को मनो-सामाजिक आघात और सामाजिक स्थिति में गिरावट के प्रति संवेदनशील बनाता है। हमने इस अध्ययन के लिए महिला उत्तरदाताओं और प्रमुख मुखबिरों के साथ गहन साक्षात्कार किए, ताकि हम विस्थापित होने के बाद महिलाओं के संकट के स्तर का आकलन कर सकें और उनके दृष्टिकोण प्राप्त कर सकें, विशेष रूप से, प्रमुख मनो-सामाजिक मुद्दों के बारे में जिनका उन्हें विस्थापन के बाद सामना करना पड़ा।

KEYWORDS:

• Conservation
• displacement
• livelihood
• women
• distress

KEYWORDS:

• संरक्षण
• विस्थापन
• आजीविका
• महिला
• संकट

Acknowledgements

The authors gratefully acknowledge the leads and guidance of Bhanumathi of Dhaatri and Yousuf of Prithvi and the infrastructural and logistic support extended by Dhaatri during our field visits.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Nalini Bikkina

Nalini BIKKINA is the Director of GITAM School of Humanities and Social Sciences. She was an ICSSR Doctoral Fellow. With her work experience in industry, research and administration, she has interdisciplinary interests in psychology and public policy. She is a Fulbright Academic and Professional Excellence Fellow and a College of Arts and Letters Visiting Fellow at James Madison University, Virginia. She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, London and a winner of the Fulbright Alumni Award. Email: [email protected]

Aswathi Surendran

Aswathi S is a PhD student at the Department of Psychology, National University of Ireland, Galway. Currently, she is working on developing an intervention based on behavior to reduce machine-related accidents on farms. Email: [email protected]

Mounica Denumkonda

Mounica DENUMKONDA is a corporate psychologist at Accenture. She has earlier worked with adolescents and young adults in mental hospitals, rehabilitation centers, juvenile institutions, NGOs and Multinational Companies. Her research interests include psychosocial concerns. She has worked closely with the Juvenile Departments of two state governments in drafting policies with extra attention to the psychosocial needs of children. Email: [email protected]