Hanifa Zara is a cheerful seven-year-old from Natarajapuram, Ambur, Tamil Nadu. She is like any other primary schooler except that she lodged a Police complaint against her own Father. On December 10, this strong girl had approached the ‘All Women Police Station’ in her area. She submitted a written complaint on her father. Her statement alleged that he is delaying the process of building a toilet in their house. She urged the police to immediately arrest him for not providing toilet facility.
A day after the complaint, the Ambur Municipality decided to take up the responsibility of building a toilet for the family under the Swachh Bharat Mission. Furthermore, they also built toilets for nearly 100 more houses in her locality. The Municipality officials and the people of Ambur appreciated Hanifa’s efforts. Above all, they appointed her as the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan Ambassador’ of Ambur Municipality.
As we all know, ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ is a scheme introduced by the Government of India for providing safe sanitation facilities, specifically to women, in rural areas. Similarly, one might recall another incident in UP when a woman filed for divorce on the grounds of “No Toilet” in her marital home. Women have the strength and power to make a difference. They have the ability to take on the system and make a difference. Hanifa proves that age is no bar to claim the #iamstrongest title.
