This document discusses issues facing women's empowerment and safety in India. It notes that while education levels are rising for women, they still face obstacles in male-dominated cultures. Ensuring women's safety, eliminating discrimination, and strengthening legal protections and enforcement are important for promoting gender equality and empowerment.

1. “ I am not a toy for you to play …. I am girl who
have a dream …….. Don’t spoil my career because of
sexual abuse ”.
WALK TO EQUALITY: ENSURING SAFETY AND
EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN

2.  Education is important for everyone, but it is especially significant for girls and women. This is true not only because education is an entry point to other opportunities, but also because the
educational achievements of women can have ripple effects within the family and across generations. Investing in girls' education is one of the most effective ways to reduce poverty.
Investments in secondary school education for girls yields especially high dividends.
 Girls who have been educated are likely to marry later and to have smaller and healthier families. Educated women can recognize the importance of health care and know how to seek it for
themselves and their children. Education helps girls and women to know their rights and to gain confidence to claim them. However, women’s literacy rates are significantly lower than men’s
in most developing countries.
 Wo e for 4 % of I dia’s populatio ut o stitute o ly 2 % of the atio al workfor e. A World Ba k study o fi a ial i lusion estimates that only 26% of women in India have access to
formal credit compared to 37% in other developing economies.
 India, women are still facing different obstacles in male-do i ated ultures. The thi gs are related to wo e ’s status a d their future. However, I believe that Indian women are slowly
getting empowerment in the sectors like education, politics, the work force and even more power within their own households. The worth of civilization can be arbitrated by the place given
to women in the society.
 There have been several organizations and institutions advocating for women, promoting legal and policy reforms and gender-sensitive data collection, and supporting projects that improve
women's health and expand their choices in life.
 Women face many social challenges today whether it be making soaps and incense in order to secure an income for her family to raising children amidst the harsh economic crisis. A woman
is dynamic in the many roles she plays. In the village of Warwarhere in Maharashtra 400 women stood up and raised their voices to ban alcohol and drugs.
 In India, there are over 350 million such people, mainly in rural areas. The unemployed are nearly 200 million people, a great majority of them belonging to these deprived sections of the
society. Without meaningful skills, social status, and economic power, they are unable to do any business on their own even with financial assistance.
Introduction

3.  This Women's Day, rather than talking about social and economic empowerment, the focus is on how to make our women feel safer on the streets, at workplaces and homes.
 Elimination of discrimination and all forms of violence against women and the girl child; a
 Building and strengthening partnerships with civil society, particularly women’s organizations.
 Worldwide, an estimated 250 million years of productive life are lost annually as a result of reproductive health problems.
 Social and legal institutions still do not guarantee women equality in basic legal and human rights, in access to or control of land or other resources, in employment and earning, and social and
political participation. Laws against domestic violence are often not enforced on behalf of women.
 The majority of sexual assault victims are young. Women in positions of abject dependence on male authorities are also particularly subject to unwanted sexual coercion. Rape in time of war
is still common. It has been extensively documented in recent civil conflicts, and has been used systematically as an instrument of torture or ethnic domination.
Overview

4.  Two-thirds of the world’s 799 million illiterate adults ages 15 and over are women.
 Many children in developing countries start life without adequate means of nutrition, learning, and protection. Women and girls are particularly challenged.
 In 67 countries have primary school attendance and enrolment rates for girls less than 85 per cent. Globally, there are just 96 girls for every 100 boys in primary school, with disparities at the
secondary level even more acute.
 UNICEF also works through communities to strengthen safety nets. Schools, for example, are being made places where children go for health services, food and security in addition to learning.
 The provision of support services for women, like child care facilities, including crèches at work places and educational institutions, homes for the aged and the disabled will be expanded and
improved to create an enabling environment and to ensure their full cooperation in social, political and economic life. Women-friendly personnel policies will also be drawn up to encourage
women to participate effectively in the developmental process.
 All forms of violence against women, physical and mental, whether at domestic or societal levels, including those arising from customs, traditions or accepted practices shall be dealt with
effectively with a view to eliminate its incidence. Institutions and mechanisms/schemes for assistance will be created and strengthened for prevention of such violence , including sexual
harassment at work place and customs like dowry; for the rehabilitation of the victims of violence and for taking effective action against the perpetrators of such violence. A special emphasis
will also be laid on programmers' and measures to deal with trafficking in women and girls.
Promote gender equality and empower women

6.  44 percent of sexual assault victims are under age 18.
 Someone in the US is sexually assaulted every 2 minutes.
 1 out of every 6 women in America has been the victim of an attempted or rape in her lifetime.
 Sexual assault is the most under-reported violent crime in the U.S. Only 46 percent of sexual assaults have been reported over the past 5 years.
 Two-thirds of assaults are committed by someone the victim knows.
 Girls ages 16 to 19 are four times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault.
 5 percent of males in grades 9-12 said they have been sexually abused.
 93 percent of juvenile sexual assault victims know their attacker.
 Victims of sexual assault are 26 times more likely to abuse drugs. And 13 times more likely to abuse alcohol.
 1 in 33 American men have experienced attempted rape or rape in their lifetime and There are 207,754 victims (age 12 or older) of rape and sexual assault every year .
Facts

7. • 40% increase in sexual harassment cases committed by minors in 2012.
• Mumbai led the state in the arrest of juveniles aged between 12 and 16 years, putting 224 of them behind the bars in 2012. As many as 189 juveniles were arrested in Thane city, 155 in Pune
and 144 in Nagpur.
 The world has achieved equality in primary education between girls and boys, but only 2 out of 130 countries have achieved that target at all levels of education.
 Globally, 40 out of every 100 wage-earning jobs in the non-agricultural sector were held by women in 2011. This is a significant improvement since 1990.
 In many countries, gender inequality persists and women continue to face discrimination in access to education, work and economic assets, and participation in government. For example, in
every developing region, women tend to hold less secure jobs than men, with fewer social benefits.
 Violence against women continues to undermine efforts to reach all goals.
 Poverty is a major barrier to secondary education, especially among older girls.
 Women are largely relegated to more vulnerable forms of employment.

8. Law

9. Punishment

10.  Gender discrimination within the family and the community, as well as a tolerance of violence against women and children, also come into play. Lack of appropriate legislation and political
will to address the problem, restrictive immigration policies, globalization of the sex industry, and the involvement of transnational organized criminal networks are other causal factors.
 Governments and the international community have been responding to the growing incidence of trafficking.
 UNFPA is positioned to take a larger role in addressing this issue, particularly by strengthening the capacities of its programme countries. Strategies and interventions to address trafficking
should include:
 Information and awareness raising campaigns about the health consequences of trafficking
 Campaigns targeting males
 Provision of reproductive health services and counseling to victims of trafficking
 Technical assistance and training for governments, and cooperation between countries who are receivers and senders of trafficked individuals.
Conclusion