Gender justice calls for attitudinal change

The triple talaq judgment has reinforced strength among women activists yet personal laws are against the fairer sex as male chauvinists torture women, force them to get money from their parents’ and leave them in the lurch. Such incidents are common in rural areas forcing a woman to go back to her parents’ house, sometimes with kids. Alas, not only are laws not enforced but also law enforcing agencies remain silent spectators.

Worse, a married man having illicit relations with one or two women apart from his wife is common. Pertinently, in rural societies this is a custom with rich landlords as also in urban areas. Highly educated women in metros and big cities do not allow this and walk out if her husband has multiple sex relations.

According to the Commonwealth Rights Initiative (CHRI) analysis, two years back more than 57 rapes took place daily, averaging over two rapes every hour per day from 2001 to 2013. Undoubtedly, unreported rapes would be twice the number, four rapes every hour per day. Rapes are not prevalent only in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, Gujarat, Jharkhand and Uttarakhand but there was a quantum jump in Maharashtra, Karnataka etc where figures more than doubled compared to 2001.

Meanwhile, a Thomson Reuters Foundation poll recently found Delhi to be the worst megacity in the world for sexual violence against women and them feeling insecure from sexual attacks. Undeniably, this scenario speaks poorly of our attitude towards the fair sex.

Obviously, women’s education and empowerment have not reached the remote countryside, yet in cities where there is awareness, repeated sexual attacks on women cannot be tolerated. Thus, the cultural tradition that we brag about of the increase in society’s educational levels have failed to make any impact. This begs a question: Why should women be treated as a commodity?

Further, as women in the economically active group of 16-55 years constitute over 58 per cent of the total population we need to make to empower them economically as it helps her to become socially empowered. Women participation in economic activities, outside the home, is often considered as an important enabling factor in their socio-economic empowerment as this exposes them to the world outside.

In this context, the NDA government is thinking of bringing the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament, possibly this year, to ensure 33 per cent reservation for women. Whether this is a BJP strategy to woo women voters, as opposition parties allege, is not known, but it can safely be said that the present number of women MPs is only around 10 per cent. If the BJP and NDA percentage is taken this would be much less.

Also, a debate is raging whether uniform personal laws should become applicable to all religious groups as is the system in any civilized country. Even for electoral gains if the Bill is passed, women are expected to get better opportunities.

However, what is most important now is to ensure how laws relating to divorce and compensation are handled, not just in the cities but across the country. The lower tiers of the administration have to be motivated to help the fair sex who fall prey pre- or post-marriage.

The recent Supreme Court judgment has rightly said that sexual intercourse between a husband and a wife below 18 years amounts to rape. As is well known, in rural societies child marriages take place and such intercourse affects the child’s health. Doctors suggest the correct age for child bearing should be 19 or 20 years or more.

India has had a rich history of plural and specific common laws like the Dowry Protection Act, The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act etc which seek to enlarge women’s economic rights but poor implementation has created problems.

Other problems faced by women relate to health, sanitation and under nutrition. Panchayats should be made aware of the fact that whether it is a boy or a girl all need to be treated in an equal manner in matters of education and health. More opportunities for the girl child would change the mindset of their parents in the coming years.

While girls’ education is being given sufficient emphasis, along with this, the attitude of society has to undergo a change. How soon this change takes place remains a big issue. But one cannot deny that there has been some improvement in the attitude towards women which is manifest mainly in cities. This has to reach the far corners of the country so that women are accorded more rights and allowed to live a life of dignity.

By Dr Oishee Mukherjee