Maharashtra State

Commission For Women

A review of trends patterns and responses –

The Maharashtra Context

Gender based violence

Gender based violence is an manifestation of unequal power relations between men and women, that denies women the right to survival, wellbeing & development.

Forms of Violence experienced by Women throughout their Life Span

Violence before birth: (Declining CSR) Domestic Violence: Rape: Sexual Harassment at workplace & in public places. Prostitution and Trafficking: Acid Throwing: Abduction: Violence of Dowry: Mental or Psychological Torture: Economic violence: Torture during Pregnancy: Forced Prostitution: Murder:

Factors Contributing to Increased Violence against Women:

Patriarchal Society: Socio-Economic Factors: Cultural Ideological Factors: Devaluation of Moral Character: Poverty Pervasiveness: lack of education: Gender disparity: Gender Role (Stereotype): Denial of resources (Property, Land, etc.): Son Preference:

Crime against Women In Maharashtra

Source NCRB

Crime Against Women In India Source NCRB

Crime Against Women During 2011

  Maha Tamil Nadu

Karnataka Kerala Andra Pradesh

Rape 1701 677 636 1132 1442

Kidnapping & Abduction

1252 1743 715 221 1612

Dowry Deaths

339 152 267 15 599

Molestation 3794 1467 2608 3756 4849

Cruelty by Husband & relatives

7136 1812 3712 5377 13376

Total Incidence

15728 6940 9594 11288 28246

Percentage Distribution of various crimes against women in Maharashtra during 2011 Source NCRB

Incidence of Crime Against Women at District level During 2011

Cases of Domestic Violence Registered & Disposed during 2009- Sep2012

Responses

Education

School & college children and youngsters exhibiting increased anxiety, apathy, impulsiveness, quick tempers, and disobedience, which are indicators of troubled emotional lives.

Learning violent, disruptive behaviors. Many of these youngsters show a lack of feelings for others.

Their attitudes about male-female relationships are shaped by what they see, hear, and experience.

Electronic media, Internet , etc can help in learning the emotional and social skills to lead caring, well-adjusted lives.

It results in degenerating family values , disrespect for there counterparts in the family, society, educational institution, public places etc

Equal access to education: Special measures to eliminate discrimination, universalize

education, eradicate illiteracy, create a gender-sensitive educational system, increase enrolment and retention rates of girls and improve the quality of education to facilitate life-long learning as well as development.

Increase opportunity occupation/vocation/technical/professional skills:

Reducing the gender gap in secondary and higher education should be a focus area:

Education

Sectoral time targets in existing policies with a special focus on girls and women, particularly those belonging to weaker sections including the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes/Other Backward Classes/Minorities:

Gender sensitization of teachers and principles: Develop gender sensitive curricula at all levels of educational

system in order to address sex stereotyping as one of the causes of gender discrimination right from childhood.

Pictorial gender stereotype in the text books to be identified and removed from first standard onwards.

Inclusion of chapter on gender sensitization (8th to 12th STD.) Gender Sensitization during PTA (Parent Teacher Association) school officials should reevaluating the role of public education

and creating school-based primary prevention programs that target specific problems: smoking, drug abuse, and more recently, eve-teasing.

Life Skill Education – puberty issues Yoga, pranayam and meditation in school or college curriculum.

Health Care and Public Health Health institution first point of contact for women experiencing

violence. Recognizing violence as health issue and use of appropriate

protocols. A holistic approach to women’s health which includes both

nutrition and health services to be adopted and special attention to be given to the needs of women and the girl at all stages of the life cycle.

The reduction of infant mortality and maternal mortality, which are sensitive indicators of human development, should be a priority concern.

Women should have access to comprehensive, affordable and quality health care besides reproduction health services.

Measures to be adopted that take into account the reproductive rights of women to enable them to exercise informed choices, their vulnerability to sexual and health problems together with endemic, infectious and communicable diseases such as malaria, TB, and water borne diseases as well as hypertension and cardio-pulmonary diseases.

The social, developmental and health consequences of HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases to be tackled from a gender perspective.

Health Care and Public Health To effectively meet problems of infant and maternal mortality,

and early marriage the availability of good and accurate data at micro level on deaths, birth and marriages is required

The critical need of men and women to have access to safe, effective and affordable methods of family planning of their choice

Women’s traditional knowledge about health care and nutrition to be recognized through proper documentation and its use to be encouraged. The use of Indian and alternative systems of medicine to be enhanced within the framework of overall health infrastructure available for women.

Health insurance schemes should ensure positive discrimination towards women.

Nutrition In view of the high risk of malnutrition and disease that women

face at all the three critical stages viz., infancy and childhood, adolescent and reproductive phase, focused attention because almost 50% women in Maharashtra are anemic.

Meeting the nutritional needs of women at all stages of the life cycle. This is also important in view of the critical link between the health issues of 40+ women like calcium deficiency, mental health, other life style diseases.

Nutrition of adolescent girls. Focused efforts for Pregnant and lactating women. Intra-household discrimination in nutritional matters vis-à-vis

girls and women through appropriate strategies. Widespread use of nutrition education should be made to

address the issues of intra-household imbalances in nutrition and the special needs of pregnant and lactating women.

Women’s participation should also be ensured in the planning, superintendence and delivery of the system.

Law Enforcement Agencies

Responsive and gender sensitive legal-judicial system especially in cases of domestic violence and personal assault. New laws to be enacted and existing laws reviewed to ensure that justice is quick and the punishment meted out to the culprits is commensurate with the severity of the offence.

Fast track court under one umbrella -crime against women Participation of all stakeholders including community and

religious leaders Encourage changes in personal laws such as those related to

marriage, divorce, maintenance and guardianship so as to eliminate discrimination against women.

Implementation of Hindu succession act and amendment 2005.

Gender Budgeting

Assessment of benefits flowing to women and resource allocation to the programmes relating to them through an exercise of gender budgeting. Appropriate changes in policies to be made to optimize benefits to women under these schemes;

Adequate resource allocation to develop and promote the policy outlined earlier based on above by concerned Departments.

Developing synergy between personnel of Health, Rural Development, Education and Women & Child Development Department at field level and other village level functionaries’

Meeting credit needs by banks and financial credit institutions through suitable policy initiatives and development of new institutions in coordination with the Department of Women & Child Development.

Gender responsive budget is budget that recognizes the unpaid work of women in raring & caring of family. So that men of the family could function efficiently at workplace without any stress,

Therefore, schemes programmes, policies and laws should be such that to acknowledge this role of women, so that she gets equal opportunity as men and her drudgeries are reduced.

Public Awareness

Media portrayal images consistent with human dignity of girls and women.

The state should specifically strive to remove regressive and negative stereotypical images of women and violence against women.

Private sector partners, NGO’s and media networks to be involved at all levels to ensure equal access for women particularly in the area of information and communication technologies.

The media to be encouraged to develop codes of conduct, professional guidelines and other self regulatory mechanisms to remove gender stereotypes and promote balanced portrayals of women and men.

Policy Considerations

Policies to prevent violence should achieve the following:

Education Health Identify, protect, support, and empower victims. Change public attitudes toward all forms of violence Ensure equal status for women at home, in the workplace,

in politics, and at all levels of society. Gender Sensitization for police force, students. Gender Sensitization for govt officials with the help of govt

training institutes. Gender Desegregated data for every sectors. Gender Budgeting.

Conclusion

The real empowerment will happen only when you realize that you have the power to change.

Suppose the worst of the world is given to us, what would we do with it? We should not compliant if we get the worst .If we have receive the worst, than things can only get better & we

are here to make it better.

Thank You