Enable, Don’t Endanger the Gender Equality
Friday, May 27, 2022
  • Circulation
  • Advertise
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
Organiser
  • ‌
  • Bharat
  • World
  • Editorial
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Defence
  • Sports
  • Business
  • More
    • RSS in News
    • Special Report
    • Culture
    • Sci & Tech
    • Entertainment
    • Education
    • Books
    • Interviews
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Obituary
SUBSCRIBE
No Result
View All Result
Organiser
  • ‌
  • Bharat
  • World
  • Editorial
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Defence
  • Sports
  • Business
  • More
    • RSS in News
    • Special Report
    • Culture
    • Sci & Tech
    • Entertainment
    • Education
    • Books
    • Interviews
    • Travel
    • Health
    • Obituary
No Result
View All Result
Organiser
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Bharat
  • World
  • Editorial
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Culture
  • Defence
  • RSS in News
  • Subscribe
Home Bharat

Enable, Don’t Endanger the Gender Equality

Prafulla Ketkar by Prafulla Ketkar
Dec 27, 2021, 12:58 pm IST
in Bharat, Editorial, Delhi
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterTelegramEmail
Our right of interference is limited entirely to giving education. Women must be put in a position to solve their own problems in their own way. No one can or ought to do this for them. And our Indian women are as capable of doing it as any in the world."
– Swami Vivekananda, ON INDIAN WOMEN — THEIR PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE, Prabuddha Bharata, December 1898 

 

As per the idea first publicly mooted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his Independence Day speech in August 2020 and the recommendations made by a 10-member task force led by Jaya Jaitly, the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill was introduced in the Parliament by Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani. The Bill that primarily seeks to increase the marriageable age of women from 18 to 21 years is finally sent to a Parliamentary Committee for scrutiny after opposition parties objected to it. The deliberation on such a topic of legal sanction to the 'marriageable age' certainly has long term socio-cultural repercussions and, therefore, needs more extensive consultations. The rationale given for opposing this Bill by naysayers is dangerous and worrying.  

The Statement of Objects in the Bill states that it seeks to amend the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, to address women’s issues holistically. This measure initiated for women’s empowerment, gender equality, greater female labour force participation, etc., has been reduced to a frivolous debate of religious-cultural preferences.

A set of objections coming from the international NGOs in Bharat revolves around the rights of the poor and underprivileged. The argument rests on sufficiency criteria-poverty and lack of access to education are the real issues behind child marriage. As most child marriages are solemnised among the marginalised sections, they will face the wrath of the legal provisions, which is the primary concern of these advocacy groups. Interestingly, the same actors argue against child-marriages while preparing their annual reports on the Child-Mortality and Maternal-Mortality rates. The legal provisions to percolate down in society will take their own time and needs special efforts from all the actors. This does not mean the fundamental criteria of inequality, the differential legal age for marriage, should continue.

Another objection comes from the self-proclaimed champions of secularism like AIMIM Chief Owaisi. The most secular provision of introducing equality of marriageable age across the society, both based on gender and religion, is their fundamental problem. Protection of the so-called 'Personal Laws', defined by the religious patriarchs, is more critical for these groups than gender equality. The irresponsible argument like 'Raising legal age of marriage for women will not benefit aimless, uneducated women' by a lawyer called Sajid, Nuh District Bar Association President, is nothing but a representation of the same parochial and patriarchal attitude. This agenda of 'communal privileges' is against the Constitutional spirit and interests of so-called minorities.  

The need for more deliberation is an acceptable argument, though the task force already has interacted with all the possible stakeholders. The bill is sent to the Standing Committee to ponder over the real issues involving motherhood, Maternal Mortality Rate, nutritional levels of women etc. and not the communal and vote-bank considerations.  As per the National Family Health Survey (1919-21), 23 per cent of child marriages are taking place in Bharat. In the corresponding period, the Infant Mortality Rate (the number of deaths per 1,000 live births of children under one year of age) is 35. As per the UNESCO report on Maternal Health, pregnancy-related deaths are the leading cause of mortality among married girls between 15 and 19 years of age. These dimensions should be the key reference points of discussion.

A mere change in the marriage age is not going to increase educational and employment opportunities for girls. Still, it will undoubtedly create a window for change in the gender-biased mindset.  Seculars are endangering this possibility of initiating gender inequality due to their communal consideration. Taking the message of Beti Bachao – Beti Padhao forward, we need to sensitise and educate the population in the direction of Beti Padhao – Desh Badhao.
 

ShareTweetSendShareSend
Previous News

COVID-19 vaccination: Registration for children aged 15-18 to begin from Jan 1

Next News

Uttar Pradesh: A Journey from Bimaru to Vibrant State

Related News

Attack on federalism, another attempt to evade accountability: BJP leader slams Mamata Banerjee over Chancellor move

Attack on federalism, another attempt to evade accountability: BJP leader slams Mamata Banerjee over Chancellor move

India will continue to stand with the people of Sri Lanka, support in its economic recovery, says PM Narendra Modi

India will continue to stand with the people of Sri Lanka, support in its economic recovery, says PM Narendra Modi

Geetanjali Shree’s Tomb of Sand wins International Booker Prize, the first for the Hindi novel

Geetanjali Shree’s Tomb of Sand wins International Booker Prize, the first for the Hindi novel

Tamil language is eternal, culture global, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Tamil language is eternal, culture global, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi

More than 14,000 Bangladeshi nationals sent back since 2019

3 terrorists killed as Army foils infiltration bid in Jammu- Kashmir’s Keran sector

Prime Minister Narendra Modi encourages Indian students to apply for the Quad Fellowship programme

How far has the Quad moved in Tokyo?

Comments

The comments posted here/below/in the given space are not on behalf of Organiser. The person posting the comment will be in sole ownership of its responsibility. According to the central government's IT rules, obscene or offensive statement made against a person, religion, community or nation is a punishable offense, and legal action would be taken against people who indulge in such activities.

Latest News

Attack on federalism, another attempt to evade accountability: BJP leader slams Mamata Banerjee over Chancellor move

Attack on federalism, another attempt to evade accountability: BJP leader slams Mamata Banerjee over Chancellor move

India will continue to stand with the people of Sri Lanka, support in its economic recovery, says PM Narendra Modi

India will continue to stand with the people of Sri Lanka, support in its economic recovery, says PM Narendra Modi

Geetanjali Shree’s Tomb of Sand wins International Booker Prize, the first for the Hindi novel

Geetanjali Shree’s Tomb of Sand wins International Booker Prize, the first for the Hindi novel

Tamil language is eternal, culture global, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Tamil language is eternal, culture global, says Prime Minister Narendra Modi

More than 14,000 Bangladeshi nationals sent back since 2019

3 terrorists killed as Army foils infiltration bid in Jammu- Kashmir’s Keran sector

Prime Minister Narendra Modi encourages Indian students to apply for the Quad Fellowship programme

How far has the Quad moved in Tokyo?

Lavender festival kicks off in Bhaderwah, Jammu And Kashmir

Lavender festival kicks off in Bhaderwah, Jammu And Kashmir

Congress leader Navjot Singh Siddhu to get special 5- Star diet in jail

Congress leader Navjot Singh Siddhu to get special 5- Star diet in jail

Tibetan monks forced into taking blame for destroyed statues in Drago

Tibetan monks forced into taking blame for destroyed statues in Drago

Assam Police shot gang rape accused Afruddin; arrested Samejuddin and Mustafa

Assam Police shot gang rape accused Afruddin; arrested Samejuddin and Mustafa

  • Circulation
  • Advertise
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

© Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Limited.
Tech-enabled by Ananthapuri Technologies

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Bharat
  • World
  • Editorial
  • Analysis
  • Opinion
  • Defence
  • Culture
  • Sports
  • Business
  • RSS in News
  • Special Report
  • Sci & Tech
  • Entertainment
  • Education
  • Books
  • Interviews
  • Travel
  • Health
  • Obituary
  • Subscribe
  • About Us
  • Advertise
  • Circulation
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

© Bharat Prakashan (Delhi) Limited.
Tech-enabled by Ananthapuri Technologies