During the month of
November when a young journalist was allegedly sexually assaulted by the editor
of a magazine where she worked (at Thinkfest in Goa), a report on gender prejudice of Indian laws was launched by the United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA) in New Delhi. Written from a gender perspective by senior advocate
Kirti Singh, the report entitled 'The Law and Son Preference in India: A
Reality Check' claims that most Indian laws be it prevention of dowry law, anti
sexual assault law or inheritance law, actually go against the interests of
women. Some Indian laws instead of curtailing actually perpetuate gender
discrimination in the society.
The UNFPA report has reviewed
through gender lens laws relating to women including dowry, inheritance, child
marriage, sex-selection and sexual assault so as to assess the inherent flaws
in them and how they promote gender injustice. It finds that the laws
themselves, and their interpretation, non-implementation or absence, may directly
or indirectly propagate son preference in the society. Laws such as the Goa Law
on Polygamy that permits a second marriage for the husband when there is no son
from the first marriage, actually promote gender injustice and son preference. As
a result of the prevailing gender discrimination in India, child sex ratio,
defined as number of girls for every 1000 boys in the 0-6 age group, has
worsened over the decades.
While in some cases
laws that promote gender equality are not effectively implemented (such as the
PCPNDT Act* and Dowry Prohibition Act) by either the central or state
governments, laws are missing in critical areas like honour crimes and marital
property rights. A separate law on honour killings is essential to ensure that khap
panchayats and families victimizing couples are brought to book. Since
there is absence of community of property law in India between a husband and a
wife and the non-financial and financial contributions of a woman to a
household are not recognized, a standalone comprehensive legislation in this
area should be urgently enacted, recommends the present report.
Throwing light on the
Sexual Harassment Of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal)
Act, 2013 that came into force in April 2013, the report is critical about a
section in the Act, which penalizes ‘malicious’ complaints (made by victim woman
to the Internal Complaints Committee or the Local Complaints Committee) and
complaints, which the complainant knows are false. As per the anti sexual
harassment law, if the complaints made are false then the Internal Complaints
Committee or the Local Complaints Committee can recommend to the employer that
action be taken against the woman ‘in accordance with... service rules’ or ‘in
such manner as may be prescribed’. But the present UNFPA report opines that this
goes against the Vishaka judgement, which clearly states that no action should
be taken against a woman for making a complaint.
As per the amended
rape law, the report clarifies that if a woman remains passive, this alone will
not imply consent to the sexual intercourse in question. Marital rape is still not recognised in the law and only sexual assault of girls below the age of 15 years within marriage is considered a crime under the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
* Pre-conception and
Pre-natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 1994
(PCPNDT Act)
References:
The Law and Son
Preference in India: A Reality Check -Advocate Kirti Singh, United Nations,
November, 2013
New Report Reviews
Key Laws on Women and Girls and Their Impact on Son Preference In India, 18
November, 2013,
The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Rules, 2013
Some Indian laws
reinforce gender inequality, UN study finds -Nita Bhalla, Live Mint, 14
November, 2013, http://www.im4change.org/latest-news-updates/some-indian-laws-reinforce-gender-inequality-un-study-finds-nita-bhalla-23347.html
Study cites Goan law
to show tilt to sons-Ananya Sengupta, The Telegraph, 15 November, 2013
Separate law against
honour killings sought, The Times of India, 15 November, 2013, http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-11-15/india/44113026_1_honour-killings-separate-law-strong-law
Law often ineffective
against gender discrimination: Study, IANS, 14 November, 2013, http://in.news.yahoo.com/law-often-ineffective-against-gender-discrimination-study-144205811.html
It's not only about
Tehelka -Kalpana Sharma, The Hoot, 22 November, 2013, http://www.thehoot.org/web/It-s-not-only-about-Tehelka/7159-1-1-10-true.html
The Limits of Female
Agency -Aardra Surendran, Vikalp, December, 2013, http://www.vikalp.ind.in/2013/12/the-limits-of-female-agency-aardra.html
UNFPA report reviews
laws on women, impact on son preference, The Business Standard, 14 November,
2013,
Two-thirds of women
journalists face intimidation, abuse: Survey-Aarti Dhar, The Hindu, 4 December,
2013,
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