WOMEN AS HUMAN!

PROPOSED PLAN OF ACTION TO TAKE DOWN THE CRIME AGAINST WOMEN TO ZERO/MINIMUM LEVEL -By SANJHA SAMVAD

Dear all,

In last 8 days Delhi and entire India is united to demand justice for the “gang raped” victim Damini and demand is “Capital Punishment” for the rapist/culprits! And shouts and slogans at India gate are ….Phansi do…Phansi do…..we want justice…..gentlemen respect women….my voice is higher than rapist…….we want safety …..No talk we want commitment…….and many more! This all is a boost , energy and angerness of common people for cause and indeed is required, but important here is this type of movement may not be possible for everyday and for every victim of rape, even capital punishment will come , but is not possible to make such crimes at a minimum or ZERO level, in last three four days some of the members of SANJHA SAMVAD ( a network of 80+ development organisation including partner organisation of LIFE project, HARIT PRAYAS and JEEVIKA) has taken some initiatives gone through the various such cases of rape and based on the details able to come out with a proposal- feasible and sustainable proposal for the Indian government to scale down crime against women to a minimum or zero level. Kindly go through it and if any suggestion feel free for sharing it.

A. Make gender study compulsory and part of curriculum

Inclusion of Gender sensitive & justice studies from school to college education and from class 6th onwards (by the time child almost attained 10 years of his/her age).The study should be focused on not only understanding the gender part, but more concern would be on the following :

•How there would be a respect for gender (but it must not be ended with the highly respectable words like mother, sister, father etc. The focus here would be on equal platform, jut being a male and female how we can respect each other)

•Gender sensitiveness (Again here the focus on not only a male sensitive towards female, but a female sensitive towards male also)

•Gender equality and gender equity

•Gender safety-( on how we protect each other at the time of need/emergencies)

Also here important is all these should not be just incorporated as a chapter in the course book, but necessary is that would be practically demonstrated and the mode of study would be cases , and not only just defining the terms ( which most of the time in understanding gender we end up with)!

In the same way there must a course for POLICE FORCES on the regular basis on gender sensitiveness and importantly not only FOR MALE, but for females too!

WHY this is important? •Because its not only a physical crime or physical action, the case like rape molestation, and teasing are more related with a psychological action and one of the key reason behind it, we were always talked on respect for mother, sister, father, but hardly any saying for respect for male-female, which is equally more important as respecting mother, father and sister.

•Most of the cases the rapist hardly understand the feeling of women (this goes to every class either illiterate or the highly educated rapist) and again here one loop hole we would find it as hardly we have gone through any education, any understanding on understanding the pain of each other ( could be more understood with through psychological study of rapist).

•With education if many of us can walk on correct side of road, could respect our mother , father and sisters, could was our hands before we eat food, could travel from one place to other than why not could make rape cases ZERO!

B. Take step to change at administration level

B.1 In cities/Metros

•On the line of Child Help line, why not a women Help LINE? A women help line of 1091 is existing but is related with a polic station and hardly it works, because entire system of working is on catching the culprit and and that too through POLICE, where as in child helpline concept of counselling, and rescuing is there and the base is non-profit organisation, Could be one of the model to work on in Cities or could be collaborated with child line helpline ( but important is engagement of organisations of high credit and work experience of women safety, counselling and rescuing) OR on the basis of customer care why not a concept of Women care would be adopted by the metro administration, which would help the women in need in terms of counselling, legal advice, and indeed rescuing!

•The punishment for culprits for crime with women must be promoted in various public transports like metro and on frequent there would be electronic announcement of such laws (AS MANY OF US ARE STILL UNAWARE of the law and the punishment), this would probably create a fear factor and would help in scaling down the crime.

•With every bus and at every bus stop provision for CCTV cameras ( probably in cities like Delhi, KOLKATA , CHENNAI, Bangalore and MUMBAI) and no bus and bust stand would be approved without CCTV camera’s.

•Cases of rape could be taken on daily hearing (as already Delhi High Court has stated this) and decision must be with 30 days (like RTI) and if no decision the concerned Judge would be questioned.

•With the help of NGOs, govt could initiate a physical training centers for women in various parts of the cities where women could be physically trained on protecting them self.

B.2. At Panchayats:

•The recent case has happened in Delhi and has become a national issue, but what about the regular such cases happening in remote rural and tribal belts? At panchayat level there no such body which can address the issues of gender sensitiveness. There is education committee, sanitation committee, but why not a gender committee ( a women headed)? Although many of these committees hardly function, but at least there would be initiation of considering gender issues at Panchayat level.

•There must be a law of at least 50 of women participation in Gram Panchayat meetings and Gram Sabah meetings and gender issues must be facilitated in those meeting with gender committee. Without 50% participation and discussion of gender issues no meeting should be recognised. Gender facilitation could also be done by the SHGs (women) in the concerned panchayat/village.

By SANJHA SAMVAD