We often hear about 'vote theft' in the news, but have you ever heard of 'art theft'?
Perhaps you’ve seen it in movies or read about it on social media, priceless paintings stolen under the cover of darkness. But in the real world, especially in rural India, art theft takes a different, less glamorous form. It happens when the creativity, skill, and hard work of rural entrepreneurs are taken advantage of, often by middlemen, stripping them of both fair earnings and recognition.
Sadly, this silent theft has been happening for years over years, decades over decades, generation over generations, even after accusations and awareness campaigns. Middlemen often underpay artisans, pass off their work as their own, and reap the profits, leaving the creators struggling to sustain their livelihoods.
The question is, can we stop this? And if so, how?
The WeAct Way
At WeAct, we believe the answer lies not just in creating awareness, but in building lasting empowerment. For over five years, we have been working with more than 20,000 rural women entrepreneurs across 20 states and two union territories in India, and this journey is far from over. Our goal is to ensure their skills are protected, their work is valued and passed down to the future generations, and their businesses grow without exploitation.
We do this through our five pillars of support, and one of the most impactful among them is Market Access.
Cutting Out the Middleman, Direct Access to Markets
Middlemen thrive on controlling access to markets, that’s where the theft begins. At WeAct, we give entrepreneurs the tools and platforms to sell their products directly, keeping ownership and profits in their own hands.
We provide two key market access routes:
1. Online Market Access
- Creating and managing social media accounts for brand visibility.
- Onboarding entrepreneurs onto leading e-commerce platforms.
- Supporting them in developing personal websites for enterprise direct sales.
2. Offline Market Access
- The WeAct Emporium, a physical space in Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII) campus at Ahmedabad, where it represents a different range of products from WeAct members to showcase and sell their work directly.
- Participation in exhibitions, fairs, and craft shows.
- Securing corporate event orders to bring rural products to larger audiences.
These platforms don’t just expand sales, they grow networks, foster collaboration, and build confidence.
Protecting Handloom & Handicraft Heritage
Over 9,000 of our entrepreneurs work in the handloom and handicraft sector, where art theft is most common. Through our support and empowerment, we ensure their work is properly attributed, fairly priced, and shielded from exploitation. By giving them both the skills and platforms to manage their own sales, we reduce the dependence on intermediaries.
Awareness + Empowerment
While awareness is a starting point, it is empowerment through training, workshops, and continuous interaction that truly protects rural entrepreneurs. At WeAct, we focus on equipping women with:
- Market knowledge to price their work fairly.
- Digital skills to reach buyers directly.
- Legal and branding awareness to protect their intellectual property.
Because when women control their own markets, art theft stops.
In the fight against rural art theft, market access is more than just a business tool, it is a shield of protection.
At WeAct, we’re not just opening markets. We’re securing livelihoods, preserving heritage, and ensuring that rural women entrepreneurs are not just participants in the market, but leaders in it.