By IANS
New Delhi : The forms of violence against women are changing. The economic violence, for instance, was fast becoming widely prevalent and becoming more subtle and cruel, said Ranjana Kumari, director of the Centre for Social Research, here Tuesday.
In a talk at a gathering organised by the American Centre to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, which was observed Nov 25, Ranjana Kumari said that despite education, law enforcement and awareness programmes, the condition of women still remained grim.
“Despite all measures, the girl is below 15 in at least half the marriages conducted in the country. This shows the deplorable condition of women”, said Kumari.
To focus on these and other problems that highlight the grim picture of women, the US Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) along with other partner organisations is organising various awareness programmes and other initiatives from Nov 25 to Dec 10 – and calling it 16 days of activism.
All speakers at the gathering stressed that the issue of protection and empowerment of women needs all quarters of society to work together.
“Violence against women starts from the womb till the tomb. Starting from female foeticide to child abuse, refusing her education to forcing her into child marriage, from dowry to domestic violence…the issues are just endless.
“To end violence against women, all quarters of society need to be sensitised.”
Shockingly, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS 3) data, 54 percent women think that violence against women is justified. “This mindset needs to be changed,” Kumari told IANS.
Shamita Das Dasgupta, co-founder of the New Jersey-based NGO Manavi, said that the challenges which women face in India were more or less the same across the world.
“The immigrant population abroad believes that by talking about abuse or domestic violence in public, the family’s name and honour will be ruined. That’s why they prefer keeping things to themselves and suffering quietly.
“The situation thus is very similar everywhere,” Dasgupta said.
No wonder, the speakers observed, despite the high prevalence of violence against women, only two percent of the victims go to the police for help.
“Of the 49,000 cases registered under domestic violence, just two percent have had a judgement pronounced which gave them some degree of justice. That’s why we say that all quarters of society have to get together to end violence against women.
“There must be speedier trials, change in the mindset, more shelter homes for those women who have thrown out of their homes by their in-laws or husbands, and better counselling for the victims,” Kumari maintained.
The speakers also said that awareness programmes should percolate to rural women as well.
According to a study, of the 8,000 dowry cases registered, 99 percent were from the metros. “Awareness programmes should and must reach every woman living everywhere,” Kumari added.
One positive aspect, which despite everything else, shone through was that at least a promising percentage of women now has the support of their families in coming forth and taking her husband and his family into task in matters of domestic violence.
“In my 30 years of experience, this is one positive aspect that I am seeing grow,” Kumari said.