Violence against women is legitimized by social norms, beliefs and institutions.

Decades of campaigning has led to signiicant changes and reform in the rape law.

The sexuality of the disabled person has largely been ignored. If it is at all acknowledged, then it has been largely through a ‘medical lens.

Women experience disadvantage and oppression differentially, based on their status, context and location.

The theoretical framework of this paper takes into an account the relationship between women’s work in subsistence agriculture and the rural development strategies, both at the local and national levels.