SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2024
Nazrana Darvesh
Women's question came to be a subject of discussion during the colonial rule and continued during the second quarter of freedom struggle. It also continued to be in the constitutional discussions of post independence period. And now even after 75 years of independence the question still persists and there exists a wide gulf between the policies articulated for women and the ground realities in their assessment and implementation.
Whenever the policies are framed to strengthen the woman, on first hand it fails to recognise the real problem, its cause, and its aftermaths and hence drastically fails to bring an unending concrete solution to their problems. Secondly these policies are many times dangerously agenda-based. On top the intensely patriarchal reactionary forces, play identity politics to make all the Women related laws, constitutional rights, grants, reservations, and liberation and empowerment solutions, extremely vulnerable for her by moulding them for their own benefit. Under the pretense of women empowerment new laws are enacted and women are appealed emotionally by declaring them as ‘Historic Announcements’, which take Women on cloud nine. But the reality is different. Since independence there are number of laws enacted for improving the condition of women. We have The Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961, Domestic Violence Act of 2005, Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act, The Child Marriage Restraint Act, Immoral trafficking Prevention Act – 1956, Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006, The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, The Right to Education Act-2010, the Equal Wages Act, etc. Also there are various schemes undertaken for Welfare of women like Mahila Shakti Kendra, Working Women Hostels, STEP scheme, Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, etc.
These are meant to be in the interest of women. But the question to ponder upon is that are women really benefiting from all these laws? And if they are, why is there an increase in number of crimes against women each year as reported by NCRB?
Regarding human trafficking, a data released by the NCRB reveals that 28% of all rape victims were under the age of 18 and out of the total number of children that went missing in 2018, 70% were girls. Such girls are mostly taken into prostitution and now that the Supreme Court in recent judgment has decriminalised prostitution, it has granted an open licence to play with the life of girls and women.
As regards plight of working women, The Indian Women’s Health Report 2021 revealed that 90 per cent of working women face a conflict of interest and health problems while balancing familial, personal and professional obligations.
Women have shown excellence in sports in past few years for instance Saina Nehwal, Mary Kom, Mithali Raj, PV Sindhu, Nikhat Zareen, etc. But the irony is that most of the women sports personalities have to face hard struggle, harassment, molestation and dress code issues in the field they have opted for. The sorry state of women journalists can be understood from recent stories of Tanushree Pande who had to face a hefty price costing her privacy for reporting in Hathras gang rape of Dalit women and exposing the duplicity of police burning the body of victim to get rid of evidence. Furthermore not to forget how Gauri Lankesh was shot in 2017 for her secularist and fearless journalism.
In February 2021, Dalit labour rights activist, farmers’ protest organiser and an industrial labourer herself, Nodeep Kaur, was granted bail after being imprisoned on trumped up charges related to the farmers’ protest in Delhi. She was allegedly physically assaulted as well as sexually abused whilst in prison
Payal Tadvi, an aspiring gynecologist, and Fathima Latheef, who was pursuing her post graduation in IIT Madras both, were victims of Caste Religion Casteist discrimation which is still prevalent even after 75 years of independence. The recent announcement of the Union Cabinet to increase the legal age of marriage for women from 18 to 21, making it controversial and interference in the personal lives and freedom of choice in marriages for girls. September 2018 Ruling of Supreme Court that adultery with married woman will be unpunishable has further open more doors for crimes against women.
Only grants, policies and laws will not solve the age old issue of injustice to women but the rot in the society needs thorough cleansing. A society deprived of morality cannot work on wellbeing of anyone. And morality is developed on basis of humanity, honesty, loyalty, pure intention, right attitude, selfless work, and strong belief in accountability of deeds in the court of divine law. If the mentality of the men is developed based of these moral principles there is hope to see a better India for women in coming years.
