Tuesday, November 13, 2018

WOMEN SAFETY 2

2 WOMEN SAFETY


Ways to Check Crimes at Public Place:

1.    Strict enforcement of laws and quick disposal of cases through fast track courts. Family Courts
have been set up in some states to adjudicate cases relating to maintenance, custody and divorce. The Parivarik Mahila Lok Adalat (PMLA) evolved by the NCW is an alternative justice delivery system which is part of the Lok Adalats (People’s Courts) for providing speedy justice to women.
2.    Strict patrolling and vigilance, particularly during night.
3.    Gender sensitisation of the law enforcement agencies, especially the police and the judiciary through periodic training.
4.    Community policing initiatives such as Mahila Suraksha Samiti and Women State Committee could help in checking crimes.
5.    All-women police stations should be set up in as many states to facilitate the reporting of crime against women. In Tamil Nadu, to encourage women to approach police stations without fear the appointment of one woman sub-inspector and two women police constables in each of the existing police stations is being made mandatory.
6.    Development of a community-based strategy of neighbourhood committees to create zero
violence zones. This new approach to control violence concentrates on activating Mohalla
Committees (neighbourhood groups) to tackle domestic violence.
7.    Training women for self-defence.
8.    Setting up of helplines for women in distress. Mobile apps that can raise alarm just by pressing a button in mobile in hour of need could be developed and used.
9.    Regulation of public transport vehicles through strict licensing, GPS tracking, route advisory etc.
10. Moral overhauling of the mindset of masses through awareness and education.



B. Safety at Workplace

Women’s   workforce   participation   has  decreased   from
37%  in  1993-94  to  26%  in  2009-10  in  rural  areas.  For urban  areas it decreased  from 17% to 14%.  The victimization of women at workplace together with patriarchal mindset has affected percentage of women participation  in workforce.   As many  as  17%  of working women  in  India  have  experienced  sexual  harassment  at their   workplace,   according   to  a  survey   conducted   by Oxfam India.

Initiatives Taken So far

Certain initiatives with regard to safety at workplace have been taken such as:

The National  Commission  for Women  prepared  a Code of Conduct  for the work place and circulated the same to all ministries,  educational  institutions,  public and private  sector undertakings  and various NGOs  for  information  and  implementation.  The  guidelines  highlight  that  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  the employer  to prevent  or  deter  the  commission  of  any  act  of  sexual  harassment  at  workplace  would include  unwelcome  sexually  determined  behaviour  by any person  either  individually  or in association with  other  persons  such as eve teasing,  unsavoury  remarks,  jokes  causing  embarrassment,  innuendo and taunts, gender based insults  or sexist  remarks  and  unwelcome  sexual  overtones  in any  manner, touching  or  brushing  against  any  part  of the body,  molestation  or displaying  pornographic  or other derogatory pictures or sayings.
The   University    Grants    Commission   has   formulated   a   code   of   conduct   for   students   and   staff of Universities.
The  Central   Board   of  Secondary   Education   (CBSE)  has  taken  action  to  ensure  that  all  affiliated schools and educational institutions abide by these guidelines.
•    All Ministries  have set up Complaints Committees to look into such matters.
•    The GoI recently passed Sexual  Harassment At Workplace  Act 2013 in parliament on September 2012.
It is a welcome move, even though it comes 15 years after the landmark VishakaJudgement in which the
Supreme Court categorically  said that harassment at workplace is a violation of right of gender equality and right to life and liberty, thus violatingArticle14,15,21.

Issues Concerning  Harassment at Workplace

In many cases, it has been found that the committees  within the organizations  were set up only when there were serious allegations of sexual harassment.  Many working women point out that, even if there is an enquiry  committee,  does anyone really bother  to find out what happens  to the victim  when  the enquiry is going on? She is an object  of curiosity,  sympathy, disdainful   glances or simply  isolated  by her  colleagues.  The  work  environment  where  sexual  harassment  occurs  has  hierarchy,  norms,  and constraints that profoundly affect the way people behave in that setting.
The situation  at  home is worse. Instead of sympathizing  with her plight or standing by her, the attitude is one of distrust and suspicion or often humiliation and shame.
Certain  individuals  use their  positions  of  relative   power  to engage  in sexual  interactions.  This type of behaviour clearly constitutes sex discrimination.
Male  ego  problems,  sexual  perversion,  sexual  obsession,  widow-hood etc is said to be some of the reasons for their harassment.


Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act 2013

Features of the Act
Limitations
1.    It   defines  sexual   harassment   as laid down by SC in Vishaka   case. (Incorporated  in  Section  354A  of IPC tabulated earlier).
2.    It puts the legal  responsibility   on
the employer,  whether government, public sector or private, to provide a safe and conducive environment for the woman  worker.   The  onus  is  on the employer, and if this is not complied   with,   the   employer   is liable for punishment.
3.     The      provision       of      concrete
mechanism  to  enable  an  inquiry into     individual     complaints     of sexual  harassment  and  time- bound justice     through     the formation of Internal Complaints Committee in the institution she works  or,  in  the  case  of unorganised sector (i.e., which employ less than 10 members), through  the  formation  of  5 member  local  committees  at various  levels  under  the supervision of District Collector.
4.    The  Act  include  domestic  worker and  defines  it  as  a  woman employed  to  do  household  work in any          household          for remuneration  whether  in cash  or kind.
5.    Those  who  do  not  comply   with the  Act's  provisions  will  be  fined up  to  Rs  50,000.  Repeated violation  would  be punished  with higher penalties.
6.  At  least  50%  of  nominated members in Internal or Local Committee must be women. 1.    The majority    of    the    female    workforce    is    in    the    unorganized agricultural  sector.  This  is  where  there  are  problems  in  the  Act. The Act’s  definition  of  the  unorganized  sector,  taken  from  the National Commission  of  Enterprises  in  the  Unorganized   Sector Report,  is  “an enterprise    owned    by   individuals    or   self-employed    workers   and engaged  in the production or sale of goods or providing service of any kind   whatsoever   and   where  the  enterprise   employs   workers,   the numbers  of  such  workers  is  less  than  ten.”  The  number  of  workers was  mentioned   in  NCEUS  definition  because  enterprises   employing over  10 were  covered  under  the provisions  of Factory  Act. Thus, this definition of the unorganized  sector is more applicable to small or tiny enterprises  in manufacturing,  trade or service  sectors.Along  with this, the  NCEUS  had  very  specifically  included  agricultural  sector “enterprises”  and its   workers   within   the   unorganized   sector.   The specification  of workers “to be less than ten” would effectively remove landlords and rich peasants  owning large tracts of land and employing over
10 agricultural  workers from the ambit of the law. It is essential to end any ambiguity in the definition by specifically including farms and agriculture and related work in the Act.
2.    The  Act  lacks  clarity  on  the  inclusion   of  the  armed  forces  and  all paramilitary      forces    within    its    purview.     With    the    increasing number  of  women  being  employed  in  the  defence  services,  there  is no reason why they should be excluded.
3.    If a complaint  is found to be “malicious”  or a woman  has produced  a “misleading    document,”    she   is   liable   for   punishment.    This   will discourage victims from filing complaint as she risks losing her job.
4.    The  Bill has a specific  clause  that prohibits  publication  of the identity of the accused  even  if he is found to be guilty  of sexual  harassment. One   can   understand   if  the   concern   is  limited   to  protecting    the identity of the victim or witnesses   or even the respondent  during the pendency of the inquiry. Men like Gopal Kanda, or those in high office guilty   of   such   actions,   will   no   doubt   be   relieved   at   such   legal protection   afforded   to     their     public   persona   and  image   by  the proposed Bill.
5.    Based  upon  complaint  of the  victim,  the  committee  is to conduct  an
enquiry   and  submit   its  recommendation  to  the  employer  (or DM) who      is      required      to      take      action.      The      punishment      for misconduct is as per the service rules of the employer ( if it exists), else as per the rules of the act. The Act is, however, silent on the situation where employers’ service rule contains less stringent punishment provisions.






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C. Dowry: An Evil

It is the money, goods or estate that a woman brings to a marriage. It is a gift demanded or given as per a pre- condition  for a marriage.  Generally,  an important  part of the power  relationship  between  spouses  and their families relates to dowry and its ramifications.

In 1961, the GoI passed  Dowry  Prohibition   Act, making the dowry demands  in wedding  arrangements  illegal. There are also sections in IPC that deal with dowry like:

•    Section 304 B:
    Related to  dowry deaths.
Stipulates   that   death   of  a  woman within   7  years   of  her  marriage  by burns  or bodily  injury  with  evidence of cruelty or harassment by her husband   or   his   relatives   in connection     with    a    demand     for dowry  is ‘dowry  death’ and punishable    with   imprisonment    for not less than 7  years.
•    Section 406:
Related  to   recovery    of   Streedhan (it   is   what   a woman  can  claim  as her  own  property   within   a  marital
household.  It may include jewellery, gifts, and dowry articles) .
    Non bailable and cognizable offence.
•    Section 498A
    For any  act of cruelty, imprisonment of Husband or his relative for upto 3 years plus fine.
    Non-bailable  and Non Compoundable (once a case is lodged, there can’t be a compromise).

Despite  these  provisions,  we  witness  a dowry  death  every  77  minutes.  Women  commodification is rampant in society, and more severe in the high class educated people as is evident from dowry hierarchy shown below.
















Issues Concerning  Dowry related Crimes

Section406 of IPC hardly demarcates  boundary between dowry and Streedhan. This has been misused in demanding dowry.
•    Law commission  in 2012 as well as  Justice Malimath  Committee2003 has suggested to amend  Sec498A
since  its non-compoundable nature kills chance of reformative justice.
•    In India we have  no provision for protection of a complainant,  not even under the Prevention  of Dowry
Act. A woman who has complained  of harassment  goes back to the very people against whom she has

complained.  What  security  can she possibly  feel in such a situation,  and how can she continue  to act on her complaint? She obviously continues to be victimised often paying the ultimate price. Many complainants  are faced with eviction  from the family home, are cut off without  maintenance,  and are unable to follow the complaint precisely because they have no means to do so.
There are  rarely any eye witness who are prepared to give evidence  against the murderers  as the crime is  committed  within  the  four  walls  of  a home  and  those  who  are  present  inside  are  those  who  are committing the crime.
Due  to  an  increasing  trend  towards     consumerism,  people  see  dowry  as  an  avenue  to  fulfil  their otherwise impossible dreams.
For some  people,  paying  dowry  at their  daughter’s  marriage  is an  investment for fetching high dowry through their son’s marriage.
•    Some  others,  including  women  discuss  on  ‘marriage  with high dowry’ with pride. Generally,  marriages
with pomp and show are preferred.
•    The girls too think that it is their right to take dowry with them when they go to the husband’s house.
Another  feeling among  the   mothers-in-law  is that when she herself brought  dowry from her house at the time of her marriage, why shouldn’t she take dowry for her son.

Way    Forward To Counter The Menace of Dowry

•     Amend Section 406 and 498A of IPC  as suggested by Malimath Committee.
•    Strict   enforcement  of  laws  and  sensitization of enforcement agencies.
•     Attitudinal Change  in society that treats women as a commodity.
Each one of us can set examples through “AdarshMarriage”, i.e., noble marriage by denying dowry grant in any form- cash or kind.
Development  of a community-based strategy  of neighbourhood committees to create pressure on those in society who demand dowry.






















D.  Domestic Violence

Physical  violence  as well  as explicit  forms  of aggression  are used  by the  more  powerful  in the  household  as methods to ensure obedience of the less powerful and therefore is related to power  dynamics  in a household. At every stage in the life cycle, the female body is both the objects of desire and of control.  Domestic violence includes  not  only  inter-spousal  violence,  but  also  violence  perpetrated  by  other  family  members.  Domestic violence includes, harassment, maltreatment, brutality or cruelty and even the threat of assault - intimidation.

Domestic  Violence  is a grave  concern  for Indian  Society.  Till 2005,  remedies  available  to a victim  of domestic violence   in the civil courts on the ground of divorce and   in criminal courts (vide sec498A)  were limited.  Remedies were  linked to matrimonial  proceedings,  and the relationship  outside  marriage  was not recognized.

Due to such limitations, GoI enacted Domestic  Violence  Act in 2005 that extends to whole of India. Some of the features of this act includes:

•    Beneficiaries
    Women in domestic relationship with the respondent
    Children also covered. Other can also file complaint on their behalf.
•    Violence recognized can be physical, sexual, emotional, verbal, psychological, and economic abuse.
•    Cognisable and Non-bailable offence

Issues Concerning  Domestic Violence

According  to a survey,  illiterate women face more violence than literate women. Relationship  between abusive behaviour and level of education has been found to be statistically significant.
According  to survey findings  of Visaria (1999)  joint family tends to offer women some protection  or acts as a deterrent to husbands using physical force to subdue them.
Some  of  the  reasons  given  by  the  women  were  financial  matters,  behaviour  with  in-laws,  back- biting, talking to any male without the liking of the husband, asking for money, preventing  him from drinking and husbands personality traits.
One of the main cause why domestic violence prevails and continues is the lack of alternatives among the victims.  Women  and  children  may  be  economically  dependent  on  abusers.  Elderly  people  and children  may  feel  too  powerless  to escape.  Language  or cultural  barriers  may  isolate  victims  from seeking help.
Victims  generally  feel,  it is better  to suffer  in  silence  than  to be separated  from  loved  ones.  They keep hoping for improvement, but it is normally observed that, without help, violence gets worse
Family members may be unaware of the help that is available from the local agencies. They may also be unaware of their legal rights.

Way Forward To Counter The Menace of Domestic  Violence

•    Strict  enforcement  of  laws  and  quick disposal of cases.
•    Strengthening of Alternate Dispute Disolution mechanism like Lok Adalat etc.
•    Gender sensitization of enforcement agencies.
•    Development   of  a  community-based  strategy  of   neighbourhood committees  (Mohalla   Committees)
to  tackle domestic violence.
•    Economic empowerment of women.

Conclusion

Every    single   day    single   women,   young   girls,   mothers   and   women   from   all  walks   of    life   are   being assaulted,  molested,  and violated.  The streets,  public  transport,  public spaces in particular  have become  the territory  of the hunters. While the ones already hunted down weep in silence or in disdain, the rest fight their way to a basic life with dignity. There is an unspoken  war  on the streets. Young school and college going girls use books to shield themselves, other women wear full-covered attire to protect their bodies, and others avoid the mere glance of the roving gaze.

We don't need to look at statistics to confront the horrid truth. News stories of women from all over India being raped, beaten, killed are flashed across us day after day – and we all are aware of it. The fatal Nirbhaya gang-

rape  saw  an  outpouring  on  the  streets  of  Delhi  –  protests  decrying  the  fragile  status  of  women  in  India. Candle light marches, editorials examining the patriarchal and sexist traditions of our country, an awakening on social media – even conversations  on streets revolve around the night they cannot forget: the night that took Nirbhaya.

This is the time we own up to ourselves. We stand by each other. Tall and proud. Brave and unfazed. This is the time we own up to India. No more Harassment.  We want what we deserve - for us and for our daughters  – a safer India for women.













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