Mridul Wadhwa

Last updated

Mridul Wadhwa
Born1978
OccupationChief Executive Officer of Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre
Known for Women's rights, trans rights, and anti-domestic violence activism

Mridul Machindra Wadhwa (born 1978) is an Indian-born Scottish women's rights, trans rights and anti-domestic violence campaigner. She serves as Chief Executive Officer of Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre. [1] [2] She is a member of the Scottish Green Party and was formerly active in the Scottish National Party [3] and a candidate in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. [4] Since 2019 she has been the target of harassment on social media and from other sources, including racist comments, false accusations, and threats of physical violence.

Contents

Background

Mridul Wadhwa was born in India in 1978. She lived in Pune until 30, where she ran a successful business with her husband, then emigrated to the United Kingdom, where she earned a master's degree in education from the University of Edinburgh in 2005. She permanently moved to Scotland in 2009. She became involved in women's rights activism in Scotland as a student, and has spoken about her focus on giving voice to women from marginalised backgrounds, including migrant and racialised women. [3] [5] [1] She is a trans woman. [6]

Career

Equality and anti-violence sector

Wadhwa has worked in the equality and anti-violence sectors in Scotland since leaving university in 2005. She was the information and education officer and children's services team leader at Shakti Women's Aid from 2008 to 2017, a training and volunteer coordinator at Rape Crisis Scotland from 2014 to 2018, and the manager at Forth Valley Rape Crisis Centre from 2018 to 2021. She was also a board member of YWCA Scotland and of the Equality Network from 2017 to 2021. Wadhwa became Chief Executive Officer of Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre in 2021. [2] [7]

Political career

In October 2020, Madhwa announced her Scottish National Party candidacy for MSP for Stirling in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election. [1] Wadhwa quit the party due to what she described as multiple attacks motivated by her interest in leadership positions within the party; according to Wadhwa, her colleagues angrily objected to her being listed on an all-woman candidate list due to her status as a transgender woman. [8] Wadhwa stated she would still vote for Scottish Independence. [9] She left the SNP after MSPs backed an amendment to allow survivors of rape and sexual violence to pick the sex rather than the gender of the person examining them. [8]

Harassment

Wadhwa began receiving abuse in 2019, while working as the director of the Forth Valley rape crisis centre in Stirling. [7] The abuse intensified after she announced her candidacy as an SNP MSP in the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, and intensified again after her appointment as director of the Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre (ERCC). [7] The abuse received at the ERCC included hate speech on social media and on phone calls, letters and emails containing baseless accusations of predatory behaviour, racist commentary, and threats of vigilante violence. Nearly all comments intentionally misgendered Wadhwa. [7]

Articles criticising Wadhwa were published on the websites of Wings Over Scotland and The Christian Institute, with the series of articles by The Christian Institute amplified by the United States-based Christian Today and Life Site News . [7] YouTuber Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull released a video which, according to OpenDemocracy, "made a series of unfounded and unevidenced accusations about Wadhwa and her work". [7] Referring to Graham Linehan, OpenDemocracy said "the first time Wadhwa says she truly feared for her life was when Linehan published part of her home address". [7] In August 2021, as part of this harassment campaign, the hashtag #AskRapeCrisisScotland began trending on Twitter and was amplified by For Women Scotland. [7] [10] An analysis by the Trans Safety Network revealed that the approximately 4,800 tweets using the hashtag came from approximately 240 accounts and nearly half came from 30 accounts. [10]

On 13 August 2021, the Scottish Green Party issued a statement in solidarity with Mridul Wadhwa after the abuse, denouncing the spread of misinformation about the crisis centres and resulting abuse which posed a threat to survivors and workers at the centre. [11] [12] By Autumn 2021, as a result of the harassment and following police advice and consultations with security experts, the ERCC ended their open door policy, and installed both an intercom system for access and a reinforced inner door. [7]

Guilty Feminist podcast comments

In an interview on the Guilty Feminist podcast, [13] Wadhwa stated:

So we might have fear of men of a certain ethnicity, we might have fear of trans people, and it could be linked to an experience of trauma. I think it is, it is okay to hold those things as long as you are willing to acknowledge that, in support, we will accept that ... the other thing is that sexual violence happens to bigoted people as well. And so, you know, it is not discerning crime. But these spaces are also for you. But if you bring unacceptable beliefs that are discriminatory in nature, we will begin to work with you on your journey of recovery from trauma. But please also expect to be challenged on your prejudices.

Wadhwa's comments were criticized, including by For Women Scotland and sexual violence researcher Jessica Taylor. [8] JK Rowling stated that Wadhwa's comments inspired her to create Beira's Place, a support centre which does not hire or serve trans women. Wadhwa said her words were taken out context. [14] [15] [16] [17]

Awards

Wadhwa received the "Outstanding Campaigner Award" of the Equality Network in 2015 [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. K. Rowling</span> British author and philanthropist (born 1965)

Joanne Rowling, better known by her pen name J. K. Rowling, is a British author and philanthropist. She wrote Harry Potter, a seven-volume fantasy series published from 1997 to 2007. The series has sold over 600 million copies, been translated into 84 languages, and spawned a global media franchise including films and video games. The Casual Vacancy (2012) was her first novel for adults. She writes Cormoran Strike, an ongoing crime fiction series, under the alias Robert Galbraith.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network</span> American nonprofit organization

The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) is an American nonprofit anti-sexual assault organization, the largest in the United States. RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline, as well as the Department of Defense Safe Helpline, and carries out programs to prevent sexual assault, help survivors, and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice through victim services, public education, public policy, and consulting services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Mason (Scottish politician)</span> Scottish National Party politician

John Fingland Mason is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician who has served as the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow Shettleston since 2011.

A rape crisis centre, also known as a sexual assault crisis centre or sexual assault referral centre (SARC), is a specialised centre to support victims of rape or other sexual assault, both in the immediate aftermath of the assault and in the months and sometimes years following the attack. They are usually situated in a secure location and employ a multidisciplinary team of practitioners to provide medical, psychological, and practical support to the victim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Political views of J. K. Rowling</span>

British author J. K. Rowling, writer of Harry Potter and other Wizarding World works, has garnered attention for her support of the Labour Party under Gordon Brown and her criticism of the party under Jeremy Corbyn, as well as her opposition to the Republican Party under Donald Trump. She opposed Scottish independence in a 2014 referendum and Brexit during the 2016 referendum to leave the European Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ash Regan</span> Scottish politician

Ashten Regan is a Scottish politician. She has been the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Edinburgh Eastern since 2016. Initially elected to parliament for the Scottish National Party (SNP), she defected to the Alba Party. Regan served under First Minister Nicola Sturgeon as the minister for community safety from 2018 until she resigned in 2022 in protest against her government's Gender Recognition Reform bill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magdalen Berns</span> British YouTuber and campaigner (1983–2019)

Magdalen Berns was a British YouTuber, boxer, and software developer. Berns, a lesbian radical feminist, produced a series of YouTube vlogs in the late 2010s focusing on topics such as women's rights and gender identity. Berns's vlogs attracted attention from transgender rights activists, some of whom characterized her as being transphobic and a TERF. Berns co-founded the non-profit organisation For Women Scotland, which campaigns against possible changes to the Gender Recognition Act 2004, among other things.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sexual violence in the Tigray War</span>

Sexual violence in the Tigray War included, according to the United Nations Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, people forced to rape family members, "sex in exchange for basic commodities", and "increases in the demand for emergency contraception and testing for sexually transmitted infections".

Rape Crisis Scotland is a charity which provides a national rape crisis helpline and email support for anyone affected by sexual violence, no matter when or how it happened. There are 17 local centres across Scotland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kaukab Stewart</span> Scottish National Party politician

Kaukab Stewart is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician who became the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow Kelvin in May 2021 and Minister from 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emma Roddick</span> Scottish Equalities, Migration & Refugees Minister

Emma Roddick is a Scottish National Party (SNP) politician serving as the Minister for Equalities, Migration and Refugees since 2023. She has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Highlands and Islands since May 2021.

Discrimination against transgender men and transmasculine individuals, sometimes referred to as transandrophobia, anti-transmasculinity, or transmisandry, is a similar concept to transmisogyny and discrimination against non-binary people. Transmisogyny, discrimination against transgender men and discrimination against nonbinary people are types of transphobia which affect trans women, trans men and nonbinary people respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">For Women Scotland</span> Scottish feminist advocacy group

For Women Scotland (FWS) is a Scottish campaign group that opposes proposed reforms allowing individuals to change their recorded sex in legal documents by means of self-declaration. The group campaigns against changes to transgender rights and has been described as anti-trans, as trans-exclusionary radical feminist, and as a "gender-critical feminist group".

Lesley McMillan, FRSE, professor of Criminology and Sociology at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU), associate director of the Scottish Institute for Policing Research, and associate director of the Centre for Research in Families and Relationships based at the University of Edinburgh, researches gender-based violence and criminal justice systems. She influenced reforms in police training for best practice when dealing with traumatised rape or sexual violence survivors, and was behind a multimedia campaign "Erase the Grey" which challenges traditional views on gender-based violence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021</span> Scottish legislation

Hate Crime and Public Order (Scotland) Act 2021 is an Act of the Scottish Parliament.

<i>The Ink Black Heart</i> 2022 crime fiction novel by J. K. Rowling

The Ink Black Heart is a crime fiction novel written by J. K. Rowling, and published under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. It was published 30 August 2022. It is the sixth and the longest novel in the Cormoran Strike series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull</span> British anti–transgender rights activist (born 1974/1975)

Kellie-Jay Keen-Minshull, also known as Posie Parker, is a British gender-critical and anti–transgender rights activist and the leader of the political party, Party of Women. She is the founder of the group Standing for Women and special advisor to the Women's Liberation Front (WoLF). Keen-Minshull has been described as a key figure against the United Kingdom's Gender Recognition Act of 2004. She has been credited for popularising the use of the term "adult human female" to define a woman; the term later became associated with gender-critical feminism.

Beira's Place is a Scotland-based private support service for victims of sexual violence. Founded in 2022 by J. K. Rowling, the organisation describes itself as a "women-only service", and does not hire or provide services to transgender women.

Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre (ERCC) is a Scottish charity established in 1978, providing free support to survivors of sexual violence. The centre serves people residing in Edinburgh, East Lothian, and Midlothian who are at least 12 years old. The ERCC is part of the network of 17 member centres under Rape Crisis Scotland.

Reem Alsalem is a Jordanian independent consultant and former civil servant. Since August 2021 she has served as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on violence against women and girls.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Greer, James (19 October 2020). "Forth Valley Rape Crisis Centre manager announces MSP bid for 2021". Brig News. Archived from the original on 4 December 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Welcome to Mridul Wadhwa, our new CEO". Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre. 3 May 2021. Archived from the original on 12 August 2021. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  3. 1 2 "Mridul Wadhwa on giving a voice to marginalised women". Scottish National Party. 12 May 2018. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  4. ↑ "Women's rights activist launches landmark bid to become the first trans member of any of Britain's parliaments". PinkNews . Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  5. ↑ Deshmukh, Chaitraly (20 November 2017). "International Transgender Day: 5 trans people prove why all is not lost". Mid-Day. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  6. ↑ Carrell, Severin (12 December 2022). "JK Rowling launches support centre for female victims of sexual violence". theguardian.com. Guardian. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Ramsay, Adam (17 October 2022). "How anti-trans activists forced Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre into lockdown". Open Democracy. Archived from the original on 19 October 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
  8. 1 2 3 Gordon, Tom (12 August 2021). "Outcry over plan to educate 'bigoted' rape survivors about trans rights". The Herald Scotland. Archived from the original on 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  9. ↑ Ross, Jamie (8 February 2021). "Transphobia Is Wrecking Scotland's Golden Opportunity for Independence". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on 1 September 2022. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  10. 1 2 Allsopp, David (15 August 2021). ""Ask Rape Crisis Scotland – a manufactured trend". Trans Safety Network. Archived from the original on 7 December 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  11. ↑ Gordon, Tom (13 August 2021). "Greens defend rape centre boss in 'bigoted' survivors row". The Herald. Archived from the original on 5 February 2023. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
  12. ↑ "Scottish Greens condemn abuse aimed at rape crisis centres". 13 August 2021. Archived from the original on 4 July 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
  13. ↑ "Creating Our Own World with Kemah Bob and Mridul Wadhwa". The Guilty Feminist (Podcast). Archived from the original on 26 October 2022. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  14. ↑ Sanderson, Daniel (12 December 2022). "JK Rowling says she's rich enough to take the flak as she launches women-only support service". The Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on 12 December 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2023.
  15. ↑ Meighan, Craig (12 December 2022). "JK Rowling opens 'women-only' centre for sex abuse survivors in Scotland". The National. Archived from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
  16. ↑ Davidson, Gina (12 December 2022). "JK Rowling launches new women-only sexual abuse support centre". LBC. Archived from the original on 14 December 2022. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
  17. ↑ wadhwa, mridul (12 August 2021). "Statement". edinburghrapecrisis. ERCC. Archived from the original on 12 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  18. ↑ "Outstanding Campaigner Award". Equality Network . September 2015. Archived from the original on 28 March 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.