https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Mumtaz_ShaikhMumtaz Shaikh - Revision history2026-10-24T08:46:30ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.43.6https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mumtaz_Shaikh&diff=299199&oldid=prev>Rchard2scout: Fix lint errors2021-11-26T09:53:01Z<p>Fix lint errors</p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{short description|Women's rights activist from India}}<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}<br />
{{Use Indian English|date=October 2018}}<br />
{{Infobox person<br />
| name = Mumtaz Shaikh<br />
| image = <br />
| alt = <br />
| caption = <br />
| birth_name = <br />
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1981|11|18|df=yes}}<br />
| birth_place = [[Ahmednagar]], [[Maharashtra]], India<br />
| death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|df=yes|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (death date then birth date) --><br />
| death_place = <br />
| nationality = Indian<br />
| other_names = <br />
| occupation = human rights activist<br />
| years_active = 2000 – present<br />
| known_for = Work done on Prevention of Violence Against Women & Girls (VAWG) / Right to Pee Campaign for free, clean, safe, public urinals for women. She has been instrumental in creating Mahila Mandal Federation of 300 women's federation with a strength of 10000 women from Dalit and Muslim communities.<br />
| notable_works = <br />
}}<br />
'''Mumtaz Shaikh''' (born 18 November 1981) is a [[women's rights]] activist from India who launched a successful campaign for equal access to public toilets in Mumbai. She was selected by the BBC in 2015 as one of its inspirational ''[[100 Women (BBC)|100 Women]]'' campaign.<br />
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==Early life==<br />
Mumtaz Shaikh was born in 1981 in [[Ahmednagar]], [[Maharashtra]]. Her father, Abu Bakker, was a chauffeur and spoke [[Malayalam]] and her mother, Madina spoke the [[Hindi language]]. Soon after her birth, the family, which also included an older brother, Rafique, moved to the Vashi Naka neighborhood of the [[Mumbai]] suburb, [[Chembur]].{{sfn|Sangameshwaran|2016}} When family violence caused Shaikh to be sent to live with an uncle, she worked performing household chores in exchange for shelter, but often went hungry.{{sfn|Sirohi|2015}} When she was five and her brother was eight, their father took Rafique to his parents in [[Kerala]] and went to work in [[Dubai]].{{sfn|Sangameshwaran|2016}} After a difficult childhood of extreme poverty, Shaikh left school after the 9th grade and her uncle arranged a marriage for her when she was fifteen.{{sfn|Sirohi|2015}}{{sfn|''The Hindu''|2015}} The marriage was troubled and after the birth of her own daughter at sixteen, Shaikh began secretly attending lectures on family violence in her community provided by social workers from the Committee of Resource Organizations (CORO). Over her husband's objections, she became a volunteer for the organization, soon developing enough confidence to file for divorce.{{sfn|Sirohi|2015}}<br />
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==Career==<br />
Becoming a core team member for CORO in 2000 and selected for a Leader's Quest fellowship in 2005, Mumtaz began mentoring other women in her community.{{sfn|Sirohi|2015}}{{sfn|''The Hindu''|2015}} Rising through the organization over the next decade, she became CORO's joint secretary and in 2006 remarried. When CORO created the Mahila Mandal Federation, Mumtaz was made its executive president.{{sfn|Pinto|2014}}{{sfn|''The Hindu''|2015}} As a part of COROs sanitary programs, Mumtaz began addressing issues with public toilets in 2011 and in 2012 led a survey to evaluate safety and conditions at bathroom facilities.{{sfn|''The Hindu''|2015}} In 2013, she began a campaign targeting the issue of unequal access to toilet facilities in Mumbai. Based on a similar campaign, Occupy Men’s Toilet, from China, 32 [[non-governmental organizations]] came together sponsoring a day-long seminar to kick off their effort to increase free access to toilets for women.{{sfn|Andhale|2013}} Mumtaz became the spokesperson for the Right to Pee Campaign, which focused on the fact that though women represent around 50 percent of the workforce in urban areas, they have little access to toilets, unless they can pay. In 2012 in Mumbai, the government provided 5,993 public toilets and 2,466 urinals for men, but only 3,536 facilities for women.{{sfn|Yardley|2012}} Train stations had worse conditions, providing less than 100 urinals and toilets for the 69 stations located on the Central and Harbour Rail Lines.{{sfn|Pinto|2014}} Men paid nothing to use a urinal, but women had to pay to use a toilet. To limit the number of times they urinated, women frequently drank inadequate amounts of water, leading to health complications.{{sfn|Yardley|2012}}<br />
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The initiative was widely acknowledged, resulting in the government mandating that every 20 kilometers throughout Mumbai, a block of toilets for women were to be constructed.{{sfn|Sirohi|2015}} Within one year, pressure from women's organizations had resulted in announcement of 96 new toilet facilities to be built in Mumbai by MCGM.{{sfn|Shaikh|2015}} Mumtaz was awarded the title of "Daughter of Maharashtra" by Nari Samta Manch, Pune {{sfn|Sirohi|2015}} and in 2015 was honored by the [[100 Women (BBC)|100 Women Series]] of the [[BBC]], as an inspiration.{{sfn|Shaikh|2015}} Her dedication to sanitation and the right of women to equality had spread to [[Sangli]] and [[Vidarbha]] by 2015 and was expanding to address safety in the city.{{sfn|Andhale|2015}} She returned to her education, entering an undergraduate program studying politics, after the birth of her second child.{{sfn|''The Hindu''|2015}} Throughout 2016, Shaikh continued to work on the issue of public toilets, women's safety and health issues caused by the lack of proper facilities and government inaction.{{sfn|''The Hindustan Times''|2016}}{{sfn|Purandare|2016}} She launched plans to extend the program throughout the state of [[Maharashtra]], studying the local needs of various locations.{{sfn|Andhale|2016}}<br />
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== References ==<br />
===Citations===<br />
{{Reflist|30em}}<br />
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===Bibliography===<br />
{{refbegin}}<br />
*{{cite news|last1=Andhale|first1=Santosh|title=BBC recognition for the cause, not for me, says 'Right to Pee' activist|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/interview-bbc-recognition-for-the-cause-not-for-me-says-right-to-pee-activist-2146985|access-date=7 December 2016|newspaper=[[Daily News and Analysis]]|date=20 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160125093443/http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/interview-bbc-recognition-for-the-cause-not-for-me-says-right-to-pee-activist-2146985|archive-date=25 January 2016|location=Mambai, India}}<br />
*{{cite news|last1=Andhale|first1=Santosh|title=Right to Pee activists plan to extend campaign across state|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-right-to-pee-activists-plan-to-extend-campaign-across-state-2198714|access-date=7 December 2016|newspaper=[[Daily News and Analysis]]|date=6 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020170404/http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-right-to-pee-activists-plan-to-extend-campaign-across-state-2198714|archive-date=20 October 2016|location=Mambai, India}}<br />
*{{cite news|last1=Andhale|first1=Santosh|title=Right-to-pee activists to follow China model, Occupy Men's Toilet|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-right-to-pee-activists-to-follow-china-model-occupy-men-s-toilet-1836225|access-date=7 December 2016|newspaper=[[Daily News and Analysis]]|date=18 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161207190651/http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-right-to-pee-activists-to-follow-china-model-occupy-men-s-toilet-1836225|archive-date=7 December 2016|location=Mambai, India}}<br />
*{{cite news|last1=Pinto|first1=Richa|title=Railways have bad track record of dirty toilets at stations|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Railways-have-bad-track-record-of-dirty-toilets-at-stations/articleshow/40349407.cms|access-date=7 December 2016|newspaper=[[The Times of India]]|date=17 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140821184624/http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Railways-have-bad-track-record-of-dirty-toilets-at-stations/articleshow/40349407.cms|archive-date=21 August 2014|location=Mumbai, India}}<br />
*{{cite news|last1=Purandare|first1=Vrushali|title=Women in queues bemoan lack of loos|url=http://www.asianage.com/metros/mumbai/221116/women-in-queues-bemoan-lack-of-loos.html|access-date=7 December 2016|newspaper=[[The Asian Age]]|date=22 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161207210157/http://www.asianage.com/metros/mumbai/221116/women-in-queues-bemoan-lack-of-loos.html|archive-date=7 December 2016|location=Dehli, India}}<br />
*{{cite news|last1=Sangameshwaran|first1=Prasad|title=A sibling reunion story 29 years in the making|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/news/a-sibling-reunion-story-29-years-in-the-making/article8474062.ece|access-date=7 December 2016|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=14 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161207175731/http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/news/a-sibling-reunion-story-29-years-in-the-making/article8474062.ece|archive-date=7 December 2016|location=Chennai, India}}<br />
*{{cite web|last1=Shaikh|first1=Zeeshan|title="Right to Pee" activist Mumtaz Shaikh makes it to BBC's 100 most inspirational women|url=http://www.india.com/news/india/right-to-pee-activist-mumtaz-shaikh-makes-it-to-bbcs-100-most-inspirational-women-725102/|access-date=7 December 2016|website=India.com|publisher=[[Essel Group]]|date=21 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804185812/http://www.india.com/news/india/right-to-pee-activist-mumtaz-shaikh-makes-it-to-bbcs-100-most-inspirational-women-725102/|archive-date=4 August 2016|location=Mumbai, India}}<br />
*{{cite web|last1=Sirohi|first1=Ashita|title=Once Beaten and Abused, Today This 'Daughter of Maharashtra' is Fighting for Women's Right to Pee|url=http://www.thebetterindia.com/32491/mumtaz-fighting-for-woman-empowerment-mumbai/|website=The Better India|access-date=7 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508020017/http://www.thebetterindia.com/32491/mumtaz-fighting-for-woman-empowerment-mumbai/|archive-date=8 May 2016|location=Bangalore, India|date=4 September 2015}}<br />
*{{cite news|last1=Yardley|first1=Jim|title=In Mumbai, a Campaign Against Restroom Injustice|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/15/world/asia/in-mumbai-a-campaign-against-restroom-injustice.html|access-date=7 December 2016|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=14 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160804185804/http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/15/world/asia/in-mumbai-a-campaign-against-restroom-injustice.html|archive-date=4 August 2016|location=New York City, New York}}<br />
*{{cite news|ref={{harvid|''The Hindu''|2015}}|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=Addressing an urgent call|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/mumtaz-shaikh-addressing-an-urgent-call/article7930544.ece|access-date=7 December 2016|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=30 November 2015|location=Chennai, India}}<br />
*{{cite news|ref={{harvid|''The Hindustan Times''|2016}}|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=Richest civic body, but a poor spender|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai/richest-civic-body-but-a-poor-spender/story-xBpLwRq5umjK1qAca5df1L.html|access-date=7 December 2016|newspaper=[[The Hindustan Times]]|date=2 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204152935/http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai/richest-civic-body-but-a-poor-spender/story-xBpLwRq5umjK1qAca5df1L.html|archive-date=4 February 2016|location=New Delhi, India}}<br />
{{refend}}<br />
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaikh, Mumtaz}}<br />
[[Category:1981 births]]<br />
[[Category:Living people]]<br />
[[Category:People from Ahmednagar]]<br />
[[Category:Indian women's rights activists]]<br />
[[Category:BBC 100 Women]]<br />
[[Category:Indian women activists]]<br />
[[Category:Activists from Maharashtra]]<br />
[[Category:Women from Maharashtra]]</div>>Rchard2scout