Omkar Dattatray
Men and women are the two wheels of a van and women are the equal partners in the development of the country. Women have been accorded a place of pride and respect in the religious scriptures and thus they deserve due respect and reverence in the society but alas in the male dominated society the women folk is not given the respect which they deserve. There is talk of much needed women empowerment in the county and it has become a Mahamantra and slogan in the country thank to the governmental efforts of ensuring women empowerment. The present BJP government is committed to women empowerment and upliftment and in fact it is not only the current government which has accorded much importance to women empowerment but the earlier congress governments also did a commendable job for women empowerment. The women are today working side by side with the men in all most all walks of life and they have even left men behind in different endeavours. The women are excelling in various fields and they are showing their mettle and contribution and they are next to none in the modern society. The government is according topmost importance to women and is also on the path of giving due representation to women in the democratic institutions and governance. The women today are becoming doctors, engineers, professors, DMs, SPs, doctors, pilots, judges, scientists and what not. But despite all this the fate, condition and status of women is not commensurate with their contribution and they are looked down upon and are maltreated in the family and society. The atrocities, ill-treatment and discrimination is mounting and continuing without any break on women. The kidnappings, abductions, gang-rapes, rapes, beatings, eve-teasing and showing disrespect to women are continuing abominable things have become a daily occurrence and have given a bad name to us all. The Government, NGOs, intellectuals, academicians, all talk of women empowerment and the government is devising schemes and programes for the women empowerment but inspite of all this the women are let down in the society and it is a matter of grave and serious concern. It is very unfortunate that women who are the embodiment of love, affection, sympathy and above all sustain the world are not given the due respect and instead are ridiculed and looked down upon. Atrocities and discrimination is still heaped upon the women flock at work-place, family and the society and they are ill-treated. Day in and day out we hear the unpleasant and sordid stories of abductions, rapes and killings of the women and our heads hang in shame on this sad plight of the women who continue to be hapless and helpless. The cunning and greedy men are only regarding women as an object of sense enjoyment and nothing beyond that. While we talk of equal rights and privileges of the women but in practice women continue to be disregarded and looked down upon both in home, society and at work place. It is very sad and disturbing that women are shabbily treated by the male dominated society notwithstanding the fact that government talks much about women empowerment. No doubt women are being given representation in legislatures, Panchayats, Municipalities and other local bodies and efforts are made to uplift them. But inspite of all this women are still neglected and shown disrespect and the pious declarations of the government of giving 33 per cent representation to women in assemblies, parliament and local bodies is still a distant dream and this adversely affects prospects of women empowerment. It is very disturbing that the fair sex is exploited sexually at the work place by the greedy men and their bosses. It seems that all talk of women empowerment is humbug and if women empowerment is our objective we should give a fair representation to women in legislators and local bodies. The women should be fairly represented in educational and professional institutions so that they feel equity and justice. Despite of excelling in various fields, the women are still not shown the respect which they deserve. The women being frail and weak are subject to sexual exploitation at work place and there are enough cases where women are sexually assaulted in buses and taxies and it is a matter of great introspection. The women are maltreated and abused by their husbands under the influence of liquor and there are innumerable cases of the abuse and ill-treatment of the women in family. The women are still treated as a marketable commodity. The excesses and dowry deaths and cases is on increase and it is very unfortunate that we lose many precious lives to dowry deaths and due to other atrocities. On one hand we talk of women empowerment and on the other hand we treat women shabbily and with contempt. It is a matter of great introspection that even after seven decades of freedom, we have yet to empower women fully and make them equal partners in governance and participatory democracy and it raises a question mark on the slogan and practice of women empowerment. Something on war footing and consistently should be done to ensure women equal rights and chances of opportunities and thus to make women empowerment possible in real sense. The country has in fact excelled in all most all spheres but we are lacking to uplift women fully and thus all our talk of women empowerment seems a distant dream. Despite making big budgetary provisions for women empowerment, much development in this connection has not been made, with the result women continue to be discriminated and neglected. It is the women which are the vehicle of education and it is again the women as the mother who educates the family including children but they are treated with contempt and not shown the respect they deserve. Article 16 provides equal opportunities for both men and women with regard to employment. In spite of having so many laws, women in India are not treated equally. After independence of India many laws like Provisions of The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005, Dowry Prohibition Act 1961, have been enacted to protect the rights of women. Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013 provides protection to women at all workplaces both public and private sectors, whether organised or un-organised. The constitution of India also emphasizes on gender equality and empowers the state to adopt measures of positive discrimination in favour of women. Article 15 (3) is the example of one of such provisions that provides equal opportunities a scope of positive discrimination. Article 16 provides equal opportunities for both men and women with regard to employment. In spite of having so many laws, women in India are still not safe. Various heinous against women are still prevalent in Indian society. As per the annual crime in India Report 2017 released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) a total of 359849 cases were reported against women in India. Gruesome incidents like rape and sexual assaults have made girls and women vulnerable. Although we are witnessing a spurt in such heinous crimes, the conviction rate is abysmally low. Therefore, perpetrators can easily evade law that embodies them to repeat those crimes against women. Due to the continuous increase in crimes like rape and such other incidents women always feel insecurities in their minds which resist them from coming forward to do jobs or business or other works. The incident which took place in Hyderabad where a veterinary doctor was raped and murdered while returning from her workplace in November in 2019 is a proof that women are not safe even to do jobs in the country. Due to worse situations even family members also sometimes get threatened to allow their daughters to leave their home city or town to peruse their dreams and career that makes their path of success more struggling and arduous. In short some women have gathered the courage to break the glass ceiling despite the worse scenario; India has still a long way to go to achieve women’s empowerment in real sense as all our efforts in this direction have failed to produce the desired results.
(The author is a columnist, social and KP activist).