How long should we be fighting for an equitable space for girls?

By SN Surajbhan
International Day of the Girl Child, celebrated worldwide on 11 October, focuses on amplifying the voices and rights of girls everywhere. The theme for this year, “My voice, our equal future”, re-imagines a better world inspired and led by adolescent girls, as part of the global Generation Equality movement.
The growing violence against women in our country is time and again testing us if at all humanity prevails and how far we provide space for our girls and women to prove that undertaking. If we are in 2020, and concerned about our daughter’s safety while they are stepping out of home, then this means that we are not yet ready towards building up a gender-equalled society and especially when our agenda focuses on re-imagining a better world with inter-generational equity for women in the society. Crime against women, deep rooted patriarchy as well as gender based violence cannot go along with our efforts in nurturing an equitable society.

As a nation, we failed our daughters

According to reports provided by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in 2018 about 109 children are sexually abused each day in India, totaling about 39,827 cases the same year. Such numbers have clearly outcast the heinous side of mankind creating an environment completely unfit for a girl child.
But that is not it, as NCRB has also released the number of rape cases which is about 21,401 in 2018, which have surged to top in no time. The highest number of cases being registered in Maharashtra at 2,832 followed by Uttar Pradesh at 2,023 and then by Tamil Nadu at 1,457.

Odisha fares barely better

Despite the state government’s various path-breaking decisions to place women in better positions both in policies and their social lives, safety and security of girls and women go for a toss.
Further report of 2018 revealed by the NCRB, Odisha has 37 rape cases under 18-years of age.
And when we talk about crime against girl children, child marriages are also not far from the scene as 1,785 cases were registered between 2014 and 2016.
By now, our society should have grown older from the orthodoxical superiority of male counterparts to the modern and vibrant society of equal rights but still the things are not on the table as envisaged.

Are our laws backed by actions?

Across the globe, laws are the front-line barriers that protect every citizen from the acts of crime. There are several laws in India that protect our daughters from violence and abuse and ensure their equitable and rightful position in society. Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act or POSCO Act specifies justice to children against crime like sexual assault, sexual harassment and others.
The Ministry of Women and Child Development has also devised other policies like The Prohibition of Child Marriage Act of 2006, The Commissions for Protection of Child Rights Act (CPCR), 2005 which provide subtle protection to our daughters in a society wrapped in drama of inequitable space.
Despite legislation that has ensured safety and security for our girls, the growing violence against women in our country is a cause of concern. According to the NCRB report. According to NCRB every fifteen minutes one rape is reported in India, then per day about ninety-six rapes would have been registered.
Strengthening the community level child protection system would be the key to reduce the number of cases being registered.

Bolstering efforts to make a justifiable and equitable space for women

Despite the government’s efforts to promote gender equality and ensure equal participation and representation to build a more cohesive and equitable society, our patriarchy mindset has been the major bottleneck to progress in this line. The government actions that followed the recent Hathras gangrape incident are a sheer example of our historic negligence for women’s rights and dignity in our society.
Better policies provide avenues for policymakers and our legal system to give justice for women but this alone cannot keep our daughters safe on this planet. What is needed is a more sensibility towards their equitable space and even more importantly that they should be treated as a human being above the gender tag-line.
Our daughters have never down-performed whenever they are provided an opportunity but we hardly break any barriers whenever equitable space for them is in discourse. Therefore, we still need to recognize their potential to bolster our efforts to think beyond the stereotypes so that our daughters can become the voice of social transformation and can lead the way to make a society where social injustice, patriarchy and overcome the challenge that come their way to excel.

Comments

Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan raises concerns over Jharkhand Adivasis' plight in Assam, BJP policies

By Our Representative The Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan (Save Democracy Campaign) has issued a pressing call to protect Adivasi rights in Jharkhand, highlighting serious concerns over the treatment of Jharkhandi Adivasis in Assam. During a press conference in Ranchi on November 9, representatives from Assam, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh criticized the current approach of BJP-led governments in these states, arguing it has exacerbated Adivasi struggles for rights, land, and cultural preservation.

Promoting love or instilling hate and fear: Why is RSS seeking a meeting with Rahul Gandhi?

By Ram Puniyani* India's anti-colonial struggle was marked by a diverse range of social movements, one of the most significant being Hindu-Muslim unity and the emergence of a unified Indian identity among people of all religions. The nationalist, anti-colonial movement championed this unity, best embodied by Mahatma Gandhi, who ultimately gave his life for this cause. Gandhi once wrote, “The union that we want is not a patched-up thing but a union of hearts... Swaraj (self-rule) for India must be an impossible dream without an indissoluble union between the Hindus and Muslims of India. It must not be a mere truce... It must be a partnership between equals, each respecting the religion of the other.”

Right-arm fast bowler who helped West Indies shape arguably greatest Test team in cricket history

By Harsh Thakor* Malcolm Marshall redefined what it meant to be a right-arm fast bowler, challenging the traditional laws of biomechanics with his unique skill. As we remember his 25th death anniversary on November 4th, we reflect on the legacy he left behind after his untimely death from colon cancer. For a significant part of his career, Marshall was considered one of the fastest and most formidable bowlers in the world, helping to shape the West Indies into arguably the greatest Test team in cricket history.

Andhra team joins Gandhians to protest against 'bulldozer action' in Varanasi

By Rosamma Thomas* November 1 marked the 52nd day of the 100-day relay fast at the satyagraha site of Rajghat in Varanasi, seeking the restoration of the 12 acres of land to the Sarva Seva Sangh, the Gandhian organization that was evicted from the banks of the river. Twelve buildings were demolished as the site was abruptly taken over by the government after “bulldozer” action in August 2023, even as the matter was pending in court.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual.

Will Left victory in Sri Lanka deliver economic sovereignty plan, go beyond 'tired' IMF agenda?

By Atul Chandra, Vijay Prashad* On September 22, 2024, the Sri Lankan election authority announced that Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) alliance won the presidential election. Dissanayake, who has been the leader of the left-wing JVP since 2014, defeated 37 other candidates, including the incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party (UNP) and his closest challenger Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya.

Will Bangladesh go Egypt way, where military ruler is in power for a decade?

By Vijay Prashad* The day after former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka, I was on the phone with a friend who had spent some time on the streets that day. He told me about the atmosphere in Dhaka, how people with little previous political experience had joined in the large protests alongside the students—who seemed to be leading the agitation. I asked him about the political infrastructure of the students and about their political orientation. He said that the protests seemed well-organized and that the students had escalated their demands from an end to certain quotas for government jobs to an end to the government of Sheikh Hasina. Even hours before she left the country, it did not seem that this would be the outcome.

A Marxist intellectual who dwelt into complex areas of the Indian socio-political landscape

By Harsh Thakor* Professor Manoranjan Mohanty has been a dedicated advocate for human rights over five decades. His work as a scholar and activist has supported revolutionary democratic movements, navigating complex areas of the Indian socio-political landscape. His balanced, non-partisan approach to human rights and social justice has made his books essential resources for advocates of democracy.

Tributes paid to pioneer of Naxalism in Punjab, who 'dodged' police for 60 yrs

By Harsh Thakor* Jagjit Singh Sohal, known as Comrade Sharma, a pioneer of Naxalism in Punjab, passed away on October 20 at the age of 96. Committed to the Naxalite cause and a prominent Maoist leader, Sohal, who succeeded Charu Majumdar, played hide and seek with the police for almost six decades. He was cremated in Patiala.

Search This Blog