10,000 cases filed under India’s new domestic abuse law
Around 10,000 cases have been filed under India’s Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005, in its first year in existence. However, most states are still lagging behind when it comes to implementation, according to an evaluation of the fledgling legislation.
A total of 7,913 applications were filed under the law, in the period ending July 31; since then the number has swelled to close to 10,000 so far. But most of the proceedings are pending in court.
According to ‘Evaluation Report 2007 on the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005’, prepared by the civil society organisation Lawyers Collective, the maximum number of cases was filed in Rajasthan (3,440), followed by Kerala (1,028), Andhra Pradesh (731) and then Delhi (607). Andhra Pradesh has the best record in terms of disposal of complaints, says the report.
At the other end of the scale, only 64 complaints were filed under the Act in Bihar, 54 in West Bengal, 13 in Jharkhand, and 12 in Orissa.
The study also found that all states, except five, have appointed protection officers. But, except for Delhi and Andhra Pradesh, none of the appointments have been made on a full-time basis.
According to the study, only five states have registered service providers, and only 12 have notified medical facilities and shelters. “There is reason to be happy as well as sad. The state governments need to do more to implement the Act,” said Girija Vyas, chairperson of the National Commission for Women.
Vyas added that more pressure had to be exerted on state governments to ensure an adequate number of protection officers, service providers, and medical and rehabilitation facilities.
Meanwhile, Minister for Women and Child Welfare Renuka Chowdhury has decided that one of the ways to ensure the success of the Act is to bring men to the table, quite literally. The minister has proposed a roundtable on the issue of domestic violence, where men will be invited to participate. Associations of tormented husbands will also be given a chance to speak.
“Men can’t remain our problem. They must be part of the solution,” the minister said at a meeting to review implementation of the Act. “I must listen to voices from the other side too. I want to understand what they consider to be domestic violence,” Chowdhury said. “Let them come up and say what their problems are. I want to know what provokes them to beat up their wives at home.”
Invitees to the roundtable, which is expected to be held in February 2008, will include corporate heads as well as bloggers who have made their views known to the ministry.
The minister praised the young generation’s role in fighting domestic abuse. “I am very impressed with the youth for their sensitivity,” she said, adding that they were playing an important part in spreading awareness about the crime of domestic violence. Many college students have volunteered to go door-to-door to help women understand the new law, the minister observed.
Meanwhile in a related development, the law, that is primarily meant to provide protection against spousal or partner abuse or harassment of women by their in-laws may now extend protection to children as well. The government has plans to extend provisions of the Act to make the beating of children by their parents an offence. This is already the case in several western countries, where even a rap on the knuckles or a mild spanking is frowned upon. “After the amendment, a child facing frequent harassment at home can directly approach the protection officers appointed under the domestic violence Act,” said an official.
Although the change is being proposed to contain abuse and systematic violence, there is the flipside. In the UK, for instance, many believe that juvenile delinquency is not tackled firmly enough for fear of invoking provisions against child abuse.
Source: Infochangeindia.org