law

3. High Literacy and Mounting Violence: A Case of
Women
in Kerala, India

5. ABSTRACT
In this paper titled ‘High Literacy and Mounting
Violence: A Case of Women in Kerala, India’, a modest
attempt has been made to discuss the forms and types of
violence against women. In all societies, to a greater or
lesser degree, women and girls are subjected to physical,
sexual and psychological abuse that cuts across lines of
income, class and culture.

6. As per law, The Declaration on Elimination of Violence
Against Women adopted by the UN General Assembly in
1993, defines Violence Against Women as “any act of
gender based violence against women that results in or is
likely to result in physical, sexual or psychological harm or
suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion
or arbitrary deprivations of liberty, whether occurring in
public or private spaces

7. The Centre for Diseases Control in the US
has defined four different types of violence:
• Physical violence
• Sexual violence
• Threat of physical or sexual violence, and
• Psychological or emotional abuse.
Economic violence

8. Gender-based violence against women takes
many forms and occurs throughout a
woman’s life cycle. Heise (1994) describe the
different forms of violence that women
experience throughout their lifespan.

9. - Pre birth
- Infancy
- Girlhood
- Adolescence
- Reproductive age
- Elderly

10. STUDIES ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
-Studies from WHO (1997) indicate that between
16% and 52% of women world-wide are physically
assaulted by an intimate partner at least once in
their lives
.
-Women in India constitute half of its population
(50%) and most of them are grinding under the
socio-cultural and religious structures. The study
found that overall about 50% of the women had
experienced physical or psychological violence at
least once in their married lives

11. -National Family Health Survey (NFHS -
2002) found that at least 1 in 5 ever married women in
India have
experienced domestic violence since the age of 15
.
-In India safe 2000 multi-site study of nearly 10,000
households, 40 percent of the women reported
experiencing at least one form of physical abuse and 26
percent reported severe physical abuse, including being hit,
kicked, or beaten. UNFPA also reports that 40% of the
women in India suffer domestic violence and abuse from
male partner.

12. POSITION OF WOMEN IN
KERALA’S DEVELOPMENT
-Health and education
-According to Geraldine Frazer- Moleketi,
"Kerala's strength is the high levels of female
literacy. Because when you educate a woman,
you educate a family (Geraldine Frazer-
Moleketi 2012)."

13. HIGH LITERACY AND HUGE VIOLENCE RATES.
WHY THIS IRONY?
Why does a state that boasts India's highest
literacy levels and excellent social
development indicators see a 300% increase in
violence against women?

14. 1. Possibly because literacy and education do
not change mindsets.
2. The International Center for Research on
Women (ICRW) study found that
Thiruvananthapuram had a very high
prevalence of domestic violence. Violence in
Thiruvananthapuram is about 64% in urban
non-slum areas and 71% in rural areas,

15. FINDINGS AND SUGGESTIONS
1. According to an ICRW-INCLEN (International
Centre for Research on Women and
International Clinical Epidemiologist Network)
study (2000), Thiruvananthapuram, the capital
city of Kerala, ranks first among five cities in
India in prevalence of domestic violence.

16. CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN % DISTRIBUTION
2020

17. GROWTH TRENDS IN FEMALE LITERACY

18. Acts ensuring women’s protection
1. Protection of women from domestic
violence at, 2005.
2. The prohibition of child marriage act, 2006,
3. Sexual Harrassment of women at
workplace Act. 2013.
4. Indecent representation of women’s act.
1986.
5. Equal remuneration Act, 1976.

19. SUGGESTIONS
There should be co-ordinated efforts of police,
administration and judiciary for enforcing measures against
atrocities on women.
2. Efforts should be made for the proper and effective
enforcement of existing laws related to women.
3. Police need to be sensitized to treat domestic violence
cases as seriously as any other crime. Special training to
handle domestic violence cases should be imparted to
police force. Women representation in the police force
should be increased.
4. Non- Governmental agencies and private institutions
need to be a part of any initiative that seeks to address the
issue of Domestic Violence.

20. 6. More counseling centers with professionally
qualified counselors should be started at the
rural/urban areas focusing more on domestic
violence victims.
7. Pre-marital and post marital counseling should
be made compulsory resulting in the minimization
of the breaking down of families.
8. Frequent legal awareness camps for women
empowerment and spreading social awareness
about women’s status & rights should be organized
in rural /urban areas.

21. THANK YOU
HAVE A GREAT EVENING!

22. 'The changestartswithin each one of us,and ends
only when all children are free to be children."
- Craig Kielburger

23. Some Sweet Ones Some Bitter Ones

24. LABOUR
*Child labor is a
devastation, they
should concentrate
on education
* Put the children in
classes not in tea
glasses
* Don’t ask children to
take tool instead send
them to school
CHILCDhild is meant to learn, not to earn..

25. Child labor in
India
India accounts for the second
highest number where child labor
in the world
Africa accounts for the highest
number of children employed and
exploited
According to certain experts
approximately 10 million bonded
children laborers are working as
domestic servants in India
Beyond this, there are almost
55 million bonded child laborers
hired across various other
industries

26. Regulation and prohibition act
This was declared by
the parliament on 23rd
December, 1986
It includes Prohibition
of employment of
children in certain
occupations and
processes
No child shall be
employed or permitted to
work in any of the
occupations which are
hazardous by its nature

28. Causes of child labor….
 Poverty
 Parental illiteracy
 Tradition of making children learn the family
skills
 Absence of compulsory Primary education
 Social apathy and tolerance of child labor
 Ineffective enforcement of the legal
provisions pertaining to child labor
 Ignorance of the parents about the
adverse consequences of child labor

29. Child labors in World..

30. CHILD LABOR
"Small hands can handle a pen better, lend your support to abolish
child labor."
"Fight for the Future of Young Lives, who knows we may find the
next President working in a hotel..."
"World revolves around the children, children's future revolve
around education. Stop child labor"

31. DO YOUR
BIT TO
STOP CHILD
labour

34. What is actually Violence?
• Physical
• Visual
• Verbal or
• Sexual acts
That are experienced by a
woman or a girl including
threats,
arbitrary
coercion or
deprivation of
liberty, whether occurring
in public or in private life.

35. Domestic Violence

37. • “Physical abuse" means any act or conduct which is of
such a nature as to cause bodily pain, harm or danger to
life, limb, or health or impair the health and
development of the aggrieved person.
• “Sexual abuse" include, any conduct of a sexual nature
that abuses, humiliates, degrades or otherwise violates
the dignity of woman.
• “Verbal and Emotional abuse" includes insults, ridicule,
humiliation and name calling specially with regard to not
having a child or a male child .
Domestic Violence

38. Most husbands hit the wall when they get angry during an
argument, it all starts with hitting the wall and then it could go
on to your face.
Be Aware!

39. Whom to complain?
• Police
• Protection officer
• Magistrate
• Service providers
• Government

40. How You Can Stop Domestic Violence

42. • Section 326 B – Voluntarily throwing or
attempting to throw acid
• Criminal law (amendment) Act, 2013
• Section 326A – Voluntarily causing grievous
hurt by use of acid etc
• Section 354D – Stalking
• Section 354C – Voyeurism
• Section - 354A - Sexual Harassment
• Section - 354B Public disrobing of
Woman

43. WHAT CAN BE DONE ?
• Domestic
Domestic
abuse, as per the
Violence Act, includes
actual abuse or threat that is
physical, sexual, verbal, emotional
and economical
• Say No. Speak up. Or it will
become pattern. You have to raise
your voice instantly
• Raise your voice against domestic
abuse not just in your own house,
but also that of your neighbors,
friends and even strangers

44. • Increase women’s participation
at all levels: social, economic and
political
• Awareness of women’s rights –
by the state, civil society
organizations, as well as the
public at large
• Gender budgeting and gender
mainstreaming within state
agencies and civil society
organizations
General recommendations

46. WHAT IS
HUMAN
TRAFFICKING?

47. Human Trafficking is:
The illegal use of a variety of means to force an
individual (the trafficked) to relinquish his/her
personal freedom for the profit of another person (the
trafficker) often, simply considered “involuntary
servitude” or “modern-day slavery”.

48. Types of Trafficking
Sexual Exploitation
• prostitution
• pornography
• bride trafficking
• commercial abuse of children
• massage parlors, hostess clubs,
brothels, escort services,
commercial phone sex &
internet dating
• exotic dancing/stripping

49. Types of Trafficking
Forced labour
• domestic servitude (domestic work & child care)
• manual labor
-small-scale factory work
-construction work
-sweatshops & farms of multinational corps
-agricultural & landscape work
• restaurants
• nail salons
• hotel housekeeping

50. Some Reasons of Child Trafficking in India
• Economic deprivation(e.g poverty)
• Lack of employment opportunities
• Low social status(more common for girls)
• Low levels of education and general awareness
• Socio-cultural norms
• Political uprisings(child soldiers)
• Traditional religious and cultural practices

52. Difficulty Identifying Trafficking Victims
• distrust of service providers
• lies & false stories
• untrustworthy interpreters
• “one shot”
• difference between intimate partner violence &
human trafficking

53. What to do
1. building trust is the number one priority
2. reassure the potential victim
3. one-on-one interactions are ideal
4. specifically ask about the patient’s safety
5. offer re-worded stories
6. stay calm & even-keeled
7. ALWAYS document your suspicion in your notes, at
the very least
What to do

54. STOP HUMAN TRAFFICKING

56. • Dowries
may be in
the form of
 Goods
(clothing or
jewelry)
 Assets
(livestock,
land, or cash)
Dowry is a gift from the bride’s family to
the groom’s family on marriage

58. Dowry being a crime is still prevalent in India because many
people are of the notion that their daughters will not be
harassed after the marriage. Bride-burning is a form of
domestic violence, a category of dowry death, which occurs
when a young woman is murdered by her husband or his
family at her family's refusal to pay additional dowry.

59. Dowry Deaths In India
• • • • •
S
J
8
l 8391 8618 8233 8083
Source:N
C
R
B

61. Religion and traditions
Sex differentiation
Educational status
Urban living

62. Laws under the Indian Penal Code
(IPC)
 Dowry Prohibition Act: any property or valuable
(direct or indirect) given before, at or after the
marriage
 Section 304B: Death of a woman within 7 years of
her marriage
 Section 498A: When husband or his family subjects
woman to cruelty (“intentional” behavior that
causes serious injury or harassment for dowry)
 Section 376: Rape law
 Section 294: Obscene acts and songs
 Section 354: Intent to outrage a woman’s modesty

63. In a
democratic
country
Where do
they stand ?
Lacking
their
rights

65. Raise your voice against dowry. Resist to take and
give dowry.

67. Gender Discrimination
[ROOTED PROBLEM OF INDIA]

68. Preference of male child
over female child is one of
the main reason that
contributes to promotion
of gender discrimination.
Sex ratio in India is 940
women per 1000 men.
Especially in backward
areas women are still
being exploited and even
killed.

69. Caus Increasing number of
rape cases and sexual
harassment against
women all over the
country has given
strength to gender
discrimination
against women.

70. CausesWomen still do not
have the right to
own the parental
property inspite of
the fact that
constitution
provides them this
right.

72. Female Foeticide

73. Female Foeticide
• Pre-natal sex-determination
was banned in India in 1994,
under the Pre-conception and
Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques
(Prohibition of Sex Selection)
Act.
• But there are still instances of
killing of female child before
birth especially in rural areas of
the country.

76. A girl child may be a future Kalpana Chawla, Indira
Gandhi or Bachendri Pal. So, why kill girls?
Help Stop Female Feticide.

78. THANK YOU