Published: 18th Dec, 2019
- Law based solution may not be the best choice: Some argue that severe and immediate punishment will eliminate the problem. But this solution has over-reliance on law to solve what is essentially a social problem. Instead of acting after the occurrence of crime, measures should be taken towards preventing it.
- Engaging boys and men: Evidence shows that when men and boys are engaged in tackling gender inequality and promoting women’s choices, resulting outcomes are positive, and men and women are able to enjoy equitable, healthy and happy relationships.
- Socio-economic development of women: Policies and programmes should support not only the health of women and girls, but also their socio-economic development.
- Women, who live in cities, have higher household wealth, are educated are reported to be significantly at lower risk of physical and sexual domestic violence.
- Bridging gap between Gender laws and correlated areas: Bridging the gap to encompass related laws regarding women; such as legal rights to property, land, inheritance, employment and income (that allow woman to safely move out of an abusive relationship).
- Address underlying social causes: Apart from prevention of sexual and gender-based violence, there is need to address harmful traditional practices that compromise and limit women’s development in other areas of their lives.
- Improving reporting: There is need to address the deeply entrenched patriarchal attitudes of the police, lawyer and other judicial officers that continue to contribute to low reporting and conviction rates.
- Recognise women’s sexual and reproductive rights: Promote and protect women’s right to have control and decide freely over matters related to their sexuality, including their sexual and reproductive health, and family-planning choices.
- Increasing participation: Reclaiming the spaces for women to increase their presence and visibility through political and economic participation and diversifying their engagement in non- traditional sectors.
- Use of technology: Technology can be used for ensuring safer cities and creating gender friendly infrastructures and spaces that prevent gender based violence. Include safety of women as a benchmark to mark cities ‘smart’.
- Protect rights of men too: Most laws offers relief to only women. Men in India cannot avail of a similar legal remedy to protect themselves from domestic violence from either men or women.
- In 2016 Supreme Court accepted that perpetrators and abettors of domestic violence can be women too.
- The words "adult male" was struck down from the domestic violence act.
- Questions that need to be revisited:
- Correct assessment of proportion of women subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner or by other persons.
- Proportion of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work.
- Proportion of seats held by women in national parliaments and local governments.
- Proportion of women in managerial positions.
- Proportion of women aged 15-49 years who make their own informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use and reproductive health care.
- Access to sexual and reproductive health care, information and education systems to track and make public allocations for gender equality and women’s empowerment.
- Key Government schemes, systems and mechanisms to safeguard women’s rights. Conclusion
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