You can download the Draft National Policy for Women 2016 here.
Introduction
1.1
Talk of rights, choices but why fail to describe the responsibilities which should come with those rights.
1.2
You are interpreting Article 15(3) to justify your attempts to empower women but you are doing that by taking away rights of men and boys. Constitution wants true equality. You want to give privileges in the name of equality.
Article 14 in Constitution of India talks about equality before law. The State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India.
Article 15 in Constitution of India talks about prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth. The State shall not discriminate against any citizen on grounds only of religion, race, caste, sex, place of birth or any of them.
1.4
You have not elaborated as to how significant strides in global technology and information systems have impacting the general populace and women in particular, in unique and different ways. You claim that this necessitated the need for the policy revision.
1.5
You have simply stated that the deep-rooted patriarchal social constructs position women in disempowered social and economic hierarchies that impede in realization of their rights. A claim without any basis in reality. If it is a patriarchy as you claim, why would there be 48 anti-men laws. Article 14’s equality before law has been violated by framing these biased laws.
1.6
You have mentioned about the high reportage of crimes against women. Have you bothered to look at the final figures. The women laws (dowry, rape, domestic violence, workplace harassment) are misused and the high number of false cases are clogging the Judiciary.
Show concern that majority are in low paid job. But have you questioned whether they chose those jobs. She Cabs which was launched with a lot of fan fare in Hyderabad has failed because the women drivers are finding it too taxing. Equal pay for equal work.
Farmers (be it men or women) face the same issues. Why bring in bias? Female farmers are lesser in number when compared to male farmers but you are showing concern. You discount that rape of Men can’t happen or few in number and hence doesn’t warrant any law for men.
Cyber crimes - Why the clamor for new set of laws? Women can insult or make false statements against someone and can always justify it. If someone criticizes or charges them it's slander/harassment online.
Your concern about harassment in matrimonial websites is a sham. You could ask all matrimonial websites to put up information of the women laws for more awareness to prospective brides.
1.8
Rights based approach without talking about responsibilities that go with those rights brings in structural injustice.
1.9
A young India but how it seizes clearly dependent on how Women abuse the women friendly laws. Men at their prime will be running around courts. You want to empower the educated, earning women through state sponsored extortion. You want to make the women wealthy without any contribution by them by transferring them from the men.
4. Objectives
i) Creating a conducive socio-cultural, economic and political environment to enable women enjoy de jure and de facto fundamental rights and realize their full potential.
Care isn’t being taken in safeguarding the de jure and de facto fundamental rights of Men and Boys, while achieving this objective.
iii) A holistic and life-cycle approach to women’s health for appropriate, affordable and quality health care.
Women are living longer than men. They clearly have better health. Quality health care for all should be the Government’s objective. This biased thinking will be detrimental to the well-being of the society.
iv) Improving and incentivizing access of women/ girls to universal and quality education.
Girls outperform boys in Class X, XII and more number of Girls are passing out as Engineers/Doctors. Girls quota, grace marks in entrance examinations are already present. What further incentivizing do you want to give?
High dropout rate of boys should be a concern but a Boy is not a child to you and their lack of access to universal and quality education is of no concern to you.
vi) Equal participation in the social, political and economic spheres including the institutions of governance and decision making.
Why not keen in equal participation for the women in the defense of the Nation (in combat role)? Why be selective in demanding equal participation?
vii)Transforming discriminatory societal attitudes, mindsets with community involvement and engagement of men and boys.
Your initiative of “Gender Champion” reeks of hypocrisy. Call it “Girl Champion” as it pertains to only Girls. You want respect to be demanded instead of being earned.
Nisha Sharma, Rohtak sisters, Jasleen Kaur type of girls are having a field day due to the empowering policies.
viii) Developing a gender sensitive legal-judicial system.
We have a legal system croaking under the weight of the abuse of the women friendly laws. Judges are lamenting that they are unable to punish these women who are abusing the system. Change laws and punish abusers. Replace He/She with Person & Husband/Wife with Spouse. You will find that the Judicial pendency will be cleared soon and you will have a responsive Judiciary.
ix) Elimination of all forms of violence against women through strengthening of policies, legislations, programmes, institutions and community engagement.
Overwhelming victims of violence are Men. No concern as they are expendable in the eyes of Government. A government shouldn’t be biased in its approach.
5. Priority Areas
I. Health including food security and nutrition
iv) Policy of Shifting family planning focus to male sterilization from female sterilization is un-warranteed. What authority does the constitution of India give you to take away men’s reproductive rights? Children are alienated from their fathers in the present system. Taking away Men’s reproductive rights is in an infringement on them. It will be a double whammy for Men, if they lose their children in case the women decides to walk out of the marriage and are unable to use their reproductive rights afterwards.
v) Policy talks about giving priority attention to women suffering from Cancer, Cardio-Vascular Diseases and HIV/AIDs with suitable policies shows that this govt. does not care about same issues in men. Even if this mention is only about prioritizing these ailments over other ailments women suffer from, but with intervention of govt. policies in these areas will only make sure differential treatments against men.
vi) Women live longer and is clearly evident as you want to give special medical care for women above 60 years. The bias in the Government is evident. Men can rot away. Another reason as to why a Ministry for Men is needed.
viii) Suicides committed by Men are double that of Women year after year. Yet you claim that Women are at a greater risk due to Mental health disorders.
xviii) Policy states that uninterrupted supply of food grains will be made available to women and children in unreached areas during national emergencies under National Food Security Act, 2013. Problem is the government still do not recognize the fact that poor families in unreached areas are anyways deprived of quality/nutrient food. If men cannot survive the disaster, how will they help women and children to survive, or your govt. is saying men living alone and those who are unmarried do not have any right to get quality food grains. By giving control to such food grain banks to women SHGs you are also opening up these banks to be exploited by private groups that will deny access to men completely. Is it why men in India had voted for you to deprive them of their basic right to live?
II. Education
iii) When asked about what steps you would take for addressing high drop out rate of boys during one Facebook interaction, you stated that Boys were not under you, though your Ministry looks after Child too.
Promotion of skill development, vocational training and life skills as a part of the secondary school education curriculum for adolescent girls and young women will be given importance. Again is it at the expense of Boys? Do you want to outskill them further so that Boys won’t be able to compete.
iv) Fortunately UGC understands that the sexual harassment is a gender neutral offence and passed such an order. It isn’t biased as your Ministry.
v) Call it “Girl Champion” as it pertains to only Girls. You want respect to be demanded instead of being earned. Your concept of masculinity and femininity will result in emasculation of Men and Boys. Gender doesn’t mean only Women.
viii) From education for all, it has now been reduced to encouraging the enrolment of women in professional/scientific courses, by provision of financial assistance, coaching, hostels, child care etc. An institutionalized approach in limiting the opportunities to boys.
What is child care doing in encouraging girls for higher education? Are you envisioning a future where there will be a prevalence of teen-mothers (unwed and also will come under your definition of single-mothers/women)
xi) Distance from secondary schools affects both boys and girls. Your disdain for the welfare of boys is clearly evident though you are responsible for them too as you are Child Minister.
III.Economy
Poverty
On what basis will you claim that Women constitute majority of population affected by poverty, when you also state that poverty head-count ratio is not sex disaggregated.
Raising visibility
ii) How can you ensure pay-gap when you are comparing apples with oranges (rural and urban, agricultural and non- agricultural jobs, regular and casual employment)? This is not communism where distribute wealth equally for non-equal jobs.
iii) Incentives like reduction in stamp duties for women if assets are registered in their name, lowering of income tax slabs for women etc. will only increase tax burden on Men. You are also encouraging registration of assets under woman’s name even if they have no contribution. Is this how you want to empower women? Men are being deprived of their rights due to your institutional measures, despite paying taxes.
vi) If you want to monetize the unpaid work done by Women, then you should also include provisions for firing based on non-performance. All women should be encouraged to work outside of their homes. Trend of having cooks, servants is already prevalent in houses where both Husband and Wife are working. Will you also take the opinion of Men while doing the surveys? Surveys shouldn’t be biased. Framing policies or laws on biased surveys is another hallmark.
v) Giving them priority in all govt. land redistribution, purchase and lease schemes and giving them tax benefits for any such acquisition is not women empowerment but women appeasement. While this takes into account the land and real estates owned by women this does not take into account the gold and jewelry they own. Encouraging registration in woman’s name without any contribution from her is twisted thinking.
Industry, Labour and Employment (Skill Development, Entrepreneurship)
iii) If provisions for re-entry of highly skilled women are being considered then Men too need provisions for re-entry to work after being out of work for years due to false cases (dowry, DV, rape).
v) Is affordable housing only available to women who migrate to cities or metros for work? Do you still question as to why there shouldn’t be a Ministry for Men?
IV. Governance and Decision Making
i) Policy demands for at least 50% reservation for women in local bodies and 33% in state assemblies and parliament.
Reservation will only prove detrimental. Capable law makers are needed. Not that the current polity is worth the salt in having integrity and vision and welfare for all for the nation.
ii) Increase the participation of women in civil services, judiciary and in corporate boardrooms through appropriate modules for guidance and counselling, coaching, provision of financial incentives and quotas.
No one is stopping them from participating. You can’t foist them. It will inherently create a bias against Men.
iii) Increase the participation of women at all levels such as in trade unions, political parties, interest groups, professional associations, and businesses/private sector.
One sector conveniently forgotten is defence. Why not demand at least 50% reservation in ITBP, Armed forces, Border force stationed at Siachen, CRPF. Why being choosy? Isn’t your objective equality?
V. Violence Against Women
i) Any thoughts about the abuse of the laws by Women? Genuine victims are getting affected due to the high percentage of abuse. You have shown no empathy towards Mothers suffering harassment at the hands of daughters and daughter-in-laws.
Overwhelming victims of violence are Men. Men are expendable and moreover that isn’t the concern of your ministry. Do you still question as to why we don’t need a Ministry for Men?
ii) That is a good measure. It will also bring out the fact of how many male foeticide takes place. You need special provision for tackling crimes against adolescent girls as existing laws aren’t sufficient!
iii) Men and boys too get trafficked but you are oblivious to that aspect of trafficking.
iv) Policy states that all the provisions of The Persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995 are benefiting differently abled girls and women. Differently abled Men and boys can be taken for a ride.
v) What are Nari Adalats? It is unconstitutional. Tax payer money from Men being used against them if you constitute such a biased body.
vi) Increasing representation of women in Judicial positions across the board. Giving priority to Gender without considering merit will only make the Judiciary more dysfunctional.
vii) Law makers, Cops, Lawyers, Judges rise up and enable the state sponsored extortion for women to abuse the laws without any fear of punishment for filing false cases. You want to provide legal services on top of what is going on currently. Tax paid by Men being used against them. NCW, WCD aren’t bodies for Justice delivery. A biased body can’t preside over cases.
viii) Do you want to tweak the data to your liking as stats don’t lie? Census, NFHS, NSS & NCRB. It was evident when the population of girl child
VI. Enabling Environment
Housing and Shelter
i) Are you aware that bachelors are banned from most apartments? You want to provide affordable housing to single women.
ii) Domestic violence shelters only for Wife. Husbands too fall victim to intimate partner violence. Unfortunate that Indian law makers don’t see it like the rest of the world sees.
Media
Media needs to be regulated. Your attempts to gender sensitize the Media is nothing but to silence the news of crimes by Women. The Rape hysteria is amplified by the Media. A high number of false rape cases has prompted Judges to question whether those acquitted should be called “Rape Case Survivors”. The tag of the rapist is stuck forever. They lose their dignity, honor. It is immaterial to you as all violence is male generated.
The effect of false rape complaints could be lessened if Media divulges the name of the rapist only on conviction. The false case filer should also be revealed upon acquittal.
Media should play a responsible role. In the name of Gender sensitization, women like Nisha Sharma, Jasleen Kaur and the Rohtak sisters shouldn’t be encouraged.
VII. Environment and Climate Change
i) If not for your bias, how did you conclude that women are highly affected by climate change, environmental degradation, distress migration and displacement in times of natural calamities, policies and programmes for environment, conservation and restoration will compulsorily incorporate gender concerns. Are men super-heroes who don’t get affected?
iii) Address the adverse implications of crop selection, use of chemicals and pesticides etc on women’s health and their surrounding environment. - Why only for Women? Are Men oblivious?
And yet you consider that asking for a Men’s Ministry is a joke.
6. EMERGING ISSUES
ii) The existing laws are biased. Intent to spread them across multiple personal laws is just hogwash to bring in uniform civil code. Before you venture to do that, change existing laws by replacing usage of He/She with Person and Husband/Wife with Spouse.
iii) Crime has no gender. Stop framing laws only on the assumption that victims are women.
iv) It is inevitable when you sideline Men and the drive to have a career, that women will resort to artificial reproductive techniques. Men are an ATM, sperm donor in your view.
v) Your policies will only increase the number of single women (be it widows, separated, divorced, never-married)
7. OPERATIONAL STRATEGIES
7.7 Generating gender-based evidence
vi) Who will conduct regular surveys on violence against men? Don’t you think that this is another instance where a Ministry of Men is needed?
vii) You introduce structural injustice and then you want to make efforts generate qualitative data on the impact of legal structures, laws, policies and broader public practices on the behaviour or attitudes of men and boys.
8. RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
iii) You aim to limit taxation on women during the exercise of broadening the tax base. The belief of equal work and equal pay is thrown out when you tax men and women differently for the same work.
v) Why restrict companies in how they should spend CSR funds? The entire government machinery is working for the betterment of Women and Girls. Can’t the companies decide as to how to utilize their CSR funds?
A Government which talks about “Justice For All, Appeasement of None” wants to hand hold the life cycle from birth to death of Women (or rather Wife and Girls). This policy document resulted from the need of the impact of global technology and information systems on Women in particular. How
women have been impacted hasn’t been elaborated. 35% of Indian IT work force are Women.
Minister takes pride in bringing out a rights based policy but without the associated responsibilities, ends up as a dishonest approach.
Claiming perpetual victimhood and demanding privileges in the name of equality is what goes around when anyone talks about women empowerment. Women are educated and working. Girls have been outperforming boys in class X and class XII for years. Drop out of boys from High school is high.
A functioning toilet (at school or in public places) is needed for all. Don’t discredit traditional means for menstrual hygiene because the West might be selling sanitary pads here but they themselves have moved on to environmental friendly means.
Looking at the plight of girl child through the eyes of Haryana for the entire nation is not the right approach. The gender ratio is like that found in the developed nations.
Daughter-in-laws and Daughters constitute a high percentage behind Elder abuse. Mothers are ignored by this ministry, though they claim to be Women ministry.
Patriarchy hurts Men the most. It is pretty evident with with 48 anti-male laws which are abused by Women, resulting in high number of false cases clogging the judiciary.
Media needs to be regulated. Policy states that Media needs to be gender sensitized. They are doing a fine job without this training. Media plays a big role in amplification of rape hysteria. One incident will be used as an excuse for bringing in stringent laws. The plight of huge number of innocent men who are implicated in false rape cases is ignored.
A disagreement with a woman online will soon be converted to harassment and you want to frame laws for protecting women from online harassment.
Skill Development, Financial benefits, Health care, Housing, Taxation benefits to Women, sponsored by Government at the expense of Men (as they contribute to a large portion of the Tax) will bring in structural injustice.
A Minister who loathes Men and has no concern for Boys too (even though she is Child Minister) proves it over and over throughout this policy document.
This ministry is selective in how it goes about for implementing the policies. Having such a ministry that works against the welfare of the nation is a great danger lying ahead of us. A ministry that talks about selective male sterilization to ensure women’s reproductive rights; a ministry that wants to take away access to nutritious food from men; a ministry that talks about monitoring media and males while implementing its biased policies and laws; a ministry that openly advocates brain washing little kids and injecting male hatred in the name of gender-sensitization in schools is a ministry that clearly exists to curb our human rights and is no more needed. Such tyrannical ministry is a danger to the nation and it must cease to exist any longer.
It is time to close this ministry as the rights of Men and Boys are being taken away.
