India is a country where the majority Hindus worship female deities like Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth or Saraswati, the goddess of learning and where the female form is revered as the Universal Mother- women are continue to be abused and disrespected.
Historical figures such as Rani Lakshmi Bai, Indira Gandhi and Mother Theresa and contemporary figures like Kiran Bedi, Arundhati Roy, Kiran Desai and Kalpana Morparia, Joint Managing Director of ICICI, were able to create an unprecedented impact upon the minds of native people. But unfortunately, not enough has been done, till date, to stop the rampant abuse and chauvinism in the nation.
Wall of silence
Women are beaten at home, sexually abused, face harassment on the streets and at the work place ... even when they are raped, they are often treated by police as the culprit, rather than the victim and blamed for wearing provocative clothing.
There are also frequent reports of spurned men disfiguring women by throwing acid in their faces due to unrequited love and of husbands and their families setting women ablaze for not providing sufficient dowry.
However, in majority of the cases, women do not come forward because of fear or ’shame’ that they will inflict upon their ‘perpetrators’.
1. More than 60% of married women, aged between 15 and 49, are victims of beating, rape or forced sex by their husbands.
2. A woman is murdered every 77 minutes because of dowry-related issues.
3. Every third Indian woman faces domestic violence.
4. Some 6,787 cases of dowry-related deaths were recorded in 2005.
Is the government doing enough in bridging the divide?
Government officials say a new domestic violence law passed in October empowers these victims by giving them rights over their abusers’ assets and legal protection. The landmark legislation is one of many laws introduced in this patriarchal society to bridge the gender divide since India’s independence almost six decades ago. But has it really offered any solace to the women victims?
Legislation banning dowries, a custom that frequently lead to women being abused by husbands and parents in-law, was passed in 1961 but is still widely flouted.
Sati, the custom of burning widows alive along with the bodies of their deceased husbands, was outlawed in 1987 but rare cases still occur in parts of rural India.
The intensifying number of abortions of female foetuses by parents preferring male babies has led to legislation barring the use of ultrasounds to determine gender of unborn fetuses. But has it properly implemented?
Comments
I think one shouldn’t put a gender before any crime. So, a better way to look at it would be human in general. Not just a narrow minded look to say ”women” only. Who says that domestic violence is only against women? Its applicable in different forms to every human being. As not all fingers in the hand are of the same length, not all humans are good and not all of them are bad. Laws are to be neutral and protect every one with equal respect. So, avoid giving a ”black-and-white” picture of a ”gray” society.
There is one highlighted column which highly states that the harassment that any girl faces in her lifetime is only at her husband’s place and no harassment is done at her father’s place then why is that everyone whenever talks of something related to women says that she is harassed right from the time she is born on thus earth.
AND, HENCE THE LAWS ARE CREATED.
I would suggest to better write of only when you are clear what you are writting for. And better get your things cleared since sometimes back I read at a place that it was 37.2% as a whole for DV but here it seems that just during the writting time it has increased from 37.2 to 60.
And one thinks the law is correct to the point the girl acts in the question as wife ot DIL but all the females which are related to husband, turns from this mentality to the mentality where they know only one thing that is harassment to the DIL.
WHAT A MINDSET???