by: Mohd Ishaq Shah
Wajood-E-Zan se Hai Tasweer-E-Kainat mein Rang:Isi Ke Saaz se hai Zindagi Ka Soz-e-Daroon.
– ALLAMA IQBAL (R.A)
Celebration of the day: The whole world will be celebrating ‘International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women’ on the 25th of this month -2024. Indeed various programs will be organized and various meetings will be held to highlight the importance of eliminating the said social evil and lot of commitments will be made to the effect that womenfolk will be safeguarded against the various types of atrocities showered on them by the male section of society throughout the world. But at the same time, it will be reflected that certain laws need to be enforced for safety and security. Various NGOs and Social organization combined with religious setups will show off their sincerity and loyalty towards women folk as if they are motivated to do so. Tracing the history of this day, one is astonished to see that despite the established rules and regulations already set by the government. Throughout the world why incidents of violation against women are taking place repeatedly. Let’s comprehend the context and relevance of the day.
Background: Historically, the date is based on the date of the 1960 assassination of the three Mirabal sisters, political activists in the Dominican Republic; the killings were ordered by Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo (1930–1961). In 1981, activists at the Latin American and Caribbean Feminist Encuentros marked November 25 as a day to combat and raise awareness of violence against women more broadly; on February 7, 2000, the date received its official United Nations (UN) resolution. The UN and the Inter-Parliamentary Union have encouraged governments, international organizations, and NGOs to organize activities to support the day as an international observance. For example, UN Women (the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women) observes the day each year and offers suggestions for other organizations to observe it.
National level Statistical Survey: According to the report of the National Crime Report Bureau, domestic violence accounts for more than 30% of crimes against women. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, in 2011, there were more than 228,650 reported incidents of crime against women, while in 2021, there were 428,278 reported incidents, an 87% increase.65% of Indian men believe women should tolerate violence to keep the family together, and women sometimes deserve to be beaten. Statistics calculated from the National Crime Records Bureau capture reporting to the police, that most violence against women is not reported to the police. In January 2011, the International Men and Gender Equality Survey (IMAGES) Questionnaire reported that 24% of Indian men had committed sexual violence at some point during their lives. India’s Gender Gap Index rating was 0.629 in 2022, placing it in 135th place out of 146 countries.
Dowry deaths: dowry death is the murder or suicide of a married woman caused by a dispute over her dowry. In some cases, husbands and in-laws will attempt to extort a greater dowry through continuous harassment and torture which sometimes results in the wife committing suicide. The majority of these suicides are done through hanging, poisoning, or self-immolation. Bride burning, a form of dowry death, occurs when a woman is set on fire. This act is referred to as bride-burning murder, and it is frequently staged to look like a suicide or accident. In some instances, the woman is set on fire in a manner that suggests she caught fire while cooking on a kerosene stove. Despite the illegality of dowry in India, the tradition of giving costly gifts to the groom and his relatives remains prevalent at weddings organized by the bride’s family. According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, 6,589 dowry deaths were registered in the year 2021 all over the country, a 3.85% decline from 2020, with the highest number of dowry deaths from the state of Uttar Pradesh (2,222 dowry deaths) and the highest dowry death rate (per 1,00,000 population) in the state of Haryana.
Honor killings: it refers to the killings resulting from a matter of so-called honor and prestige as propagated in some Indian societies. Such usually happens in case a girl is asking for inter-cast marriage or out-of-tribe marriage in some conservative tribes. The most prominent areas where honor killings occur in India are the northern states—they’re especially numerous in Haryana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. Honor killings have notably increased in some Indian states which has led to the Supreme Court of India, in June 2010, issuing notices to both the Indian central government and six states to take preventative measures against honor killings.
Female infanticide: the killing of a girl child during infancy or pregnancy is called female infanticide. This is one of the most tragic pleas of women. Before the emergence of Islam as a prominent religion, there was such practice in Arabia. There was no solid and logical reason other than that there should not be any daughter as it becomes the cause of disgrace for the parents.
Human trafficking and forced prostitution: Other major injustices done with the women folk are human trafficking and forced prostitution. Human trafficking is reflected in cases of Women having weak economic backgrounds in the case of Bihar and Utter Pradesh. There have been thousands of cases of such kind where the women from said states were trafficked from their homeland to different states and especially to J&K and sold like commodities with the notion of profit and loss.
Acid throwing: The trend of incidence of acid attacks in India has decreased in the last 5 years, that is, the incidence was 244 in the year 2017 which become 176 in the year 2021. West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh were the states having the highest number of acid attack incidents during the last 5 years. Delhi city was the top metropolitan city having the highest acid attack incidence in the last 5 years. Police investigation of cases of acid attacks against women and cases disposed of by the police decreased in the last 5 years. The charge sheeting rate was better in metropolitan cities than overall charge sheeting in India. There was an increased trial of cases of acid attacks against women and a decrease in cases disposed of by the court during the last 5 years. The conviction rate by the court was better in India than in the metropolitan cities of India during the last 5 years. Case acquitted by the court in India was 24, 9, 10, 4, and 10, and in metropolitan cities, it was 2, 1, 3, 0, and 2 during the years 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021, respectively.
The way forward: the Holy Quran admonishes violations against women in Surat-un-Nissa: Men are the protectors and maintainers of women because Allah has given the one more (strength) than the other, and because they support them from their means. Therefore the righteous women are devoutly obedient, and guard in (the husband’s) absence what Allah would have them guard. As to those women on whose part ye fear disloyalty and ill-conduct, admonish them (first), (Next), refuse to share their beds, (And last) strike them (lightly); but if they return to obedience, seek not against them Means (of annoyance): For Allah is Most High, great (above you all). Quran 4:34
Bahz bin Hakim reported on the authority of his father from his grandfather (Mu’awiyah ibn Haydah) as saying: I said: Messenger of Allah, how should we approach our wives and how should we leave them? He replied: Approach your wife when or how you will give her (your wife) food when you take food, clothe when you clothe yourself, do not revile her face, and do not beat her.
So, concluding the write-up, I must say that the violation against women is projected by social setup on account of either ignorance or rigidity. The patriarchal sort of notion in society has been the main hurdle to their freedom and liberty. The fact is that there are already divinely set laws against this social evil that are to be followed in letter and spirit to safeguard and protect this community that has always been the backbone of humanity. And the laws both religious and judicial must be enforced in optimum limit to the effect that no space for such sort of violation is left there in the world. above all, the education of women folk about their rights and duties in religious and social contexts be ensured through various awareness campuses. At the same time, they must be educated in respect of their chastity and purity which is liked by Almighty Allah. Because the tragedy is not in the wrath of men, but the unawareness and ignorance of the art of women. Most of the women folk remain unaware of their duties towards their husbands and children which causes a dispute among couples and results in violation on them. Husbands must educate themselves about the rights of their wives. Also, children must be given moral education concerning the status of mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters.
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