Indian male still remains a beast

A shocking new survey has revealed that nearly one-third of all married women in the country are experiencing domestic violence and what is even more shocking is that they are accepting it too.

The study was conducted by Vadodra-based NGO 'SAHAJ' in collaboration with Equal Measures 2030, a global partnership of nine civil society and private sector organisations which has its headquarters in the United Kingdom.

Quoting the data from National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 4, SAHAJ came out with a report which stated that 27 per cent of women aged between 15 to 49 years have experienced physical violence since the age of 15 itself.

The report titled 'Fiscal Underpinnings of Gender Equity Health, Nutrition and Welfare Programs for Women' moaned, "On one hand, India shows strong economic growth and on the other, it lags far behind in achieving equitable development amongst individuals facing discrimination based on caste, class or gender."

That is why a woman is called a 'slave's slave', a term which aptly explains her position. Deeply entrenched patriarchal attitudes deny them their rights and proper identities.

If there is a chance for sending a child to the school, it necessarily has to be a boy. Even in case of a single girl child families from lower income groups, they go by what the elders and relatives say in the family and confine the girl child to household chores.

Nutrition choice also always favours boys in our country. Be it the Khap panchayats, or ordinary village elders' groups, all of them work to ensure that women are given their due in the society from the early age.

Yes, legislation has changed, and new laws are there to promote rights of girls. They may have been given political leadership in some areas, but this is mostly, again, confined to the affluent and the rich and not to the poor and the downtrodden.

There was another report, an earlier one published by the same organisation called NFHS-3. This one went on to prove that domestic violence was justified by 54 per cent women and 51 per cent men.

Over one million cases have been filed across the country by women since the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA), 2005, under sections related to 'cruelty by husband' and dowry, National Crime Records Bureau has compiled.

Cases registered under the abetment of suicide of women increased by 34 per cent since 2014, from 3034 to 4,060 in 2015. Between 2005 and 2015, 22 women died on an average every day in dowry related cases.

In 2015 alone, 7,634 cases of murders over dowry took place. Issue here is not just about the implementation of the laws in favour of women.

The real issue is the Indian male's psychology. This fellow who soars with every 'Chandrayaan' and celebrates every medal of our women athletes does not respect women in his own home.

That should have changed with education and modernity. Alas, the Indian male remains what he is, a beast. A shame it is indeed. Perhaps, it is enough if we just say 'Bharat Mata ki Jai"!