This document discusses women's empowerment and the various stages of discrimination women face from birth to marriage in India. It begins by providing context for the formation of AMWI in 1907 and discusses how women face issues such as female foeticide, lack of education, sexual abuse, workplace discrimination, and domestic violence. It notes statistics on topics like the gender pay gap, women's literacy rates, and women's land and property rights. Throughout, it provides information on relevant laws and suggestions for actions communities can take to promote women's empowerment and end discrimination.

1. Dr. Laxmi Agrawal Shrikhande
MBBS; MD(OB/GY); FICOG; FICMU; FICMCH
PRESIDENTIAL ORATION
20th June 2021

2. We needed to be Empowered so AMWI was formed
 One of the oldest Medical Associations in India
 Formed in 1907 at Kolkata
 The 1st 5 presidents were all British doctors.
 In 1937 for the first time Indian doctor became its President.

3. Now We are in a position to empower

4. Women Empowerment
• In very simple words, empowerment for women can be described as
making women empowered so that they can make their own
decisions about their lives and well-being in family and society.

5. Is it a dream or a SMART goal ?
S-Specific
M-Measurable
A-Achievable
R-Realistic
T-Time Bound

6. Why we are talking about women
Empowerment
• In India we worship Goddesses but …..

7. Woman face discrimination from womb to
tomb…

8. Stage 1-Foeticide and Infanticide
 8th Phera
 Catch them young
 Watch your family, friends, neighbourhood, staff
2011 census-three million girls are
missing & 48 less girls per 1,000 boys

9. Stage 2-School going age
• Though it is sharply increasing, the female
literacy rate in India is less than the male
literacy rate.
• Far fewer girls than boys are enrolled in
school, and many girls drop out.
• In urban India, girls are nearly on a par with
boys in terms of education. However, in rural
India, girls continue to be less educated than
boys.
Sponsor education of one girl child

10. Stage 3- Adolescence
Many adolescent girls become victims of
 sexual abuse both on internet and otherwise,
 exploitation and violence,
 acid attacks,
 rape ,
 early marriage,
 Teenage Pregnancy.

11. Acid Attack
• It is the act of throwing acid or a similarly corrosive substance onto
the body of another with the intention to disfigure, maim, torture,
or kill.
• The long term consequences of these attacks may include blindness,
as well as permanent scarring of the face and body, along with far-
reaching social, psychological, and economic difficulties

12. Acid Attack
• Section 326A and Section 326B of the Indian Penal
Code, 1860 provide the punishment for voluntarily
causing grievous hurt by use of acid and voluntary
throwing or attempting to throw acid respectively.
• Section 100 of the Indian Penal Code allows the
right of private defence to the extent of causing
death if acid is thrown or there is an attempt of
throwing acid.

13. Rape
 Rape is one of the most heinous atrocities committed on a woman in
our society .It is known to be the fourth most common crime against
women in India
 Read &Understand the definition given in act.
 Sex education in school
 Good touch / Bad touch
 Stop blaming the victim

14. A rape victim can file an FIR
• A rape victim can file an FIR in the local police station under following
Sections of Indian Penal Code.
• 376-Punishment for Rape
• 376A-Punshment for causing death or resulting in persistent vegetative stage
of victim.
• 376B- Sexual Intercourse by Husband upon his wife during separation
• 376C- Sexual Intercourse by Person in Authority
• 376D-Gang Rape

15. Obscenity and Pornography
• Pornography is the portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purpose
of sexual arousal.
• Increased use of information technology, such as Internet and
communication devices has led to proliferation of illegal websites
containing obscene and pornographic materials/ TV /MOVIES
• Obscenity and pornography have not been specifically defined under any
Act in India but The Indian Penal Code, 1860, The Information Technology
Act, 2000, The Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986,
deal with obscenity and pornography and make publishing or transmission,
sale of obscene and pornographic materials as punishable offences under
various provisions.
• Sections 292,293,294,354,354A,354B,354C,509 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.
• Sections 66E, 67,67A, 67B of the Information Technology Act, 2000
• Section 6 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986

16. Stage 3- Adolescence-
What we can do
• Start with self
• Watch your family, friends, neighbourhood
• Catch them young
• Be vigilant-pts
• Be helpful
• Be updated with law

17. Stage 3- Adolescence-Menstraual Hygiene
What we can do
• Mass awareness programmes
• Reach out to girls through all available avenues
• Empower girls against taboo and menstrual shaming
• Menstrual fluid
• Educate about various methods
• Teach them Menstrual hygiene
• Educate boys about menstruation

18. Stage 4-Workplace
 exploitation ,
 unequal pay for equal work ,
 lack of promotions despite merit
and
 physical, economic and emotional
abuse

19. What is Sexual Harassment
 Sexual harassment is when one person subjects
another person to an unwelcome act of physical
intimacy like grabbing, brushing, touching, pinching,
eve teasing,
 makes an unwelcome demand or request directly or
by implication for sexual favors from another person,
 shows a person any sexually explicit visual material, in
the form of pictures/cartoons/pin-ups/calendars/
screensaver version computers/any offensive written
material / pornographic e-mails or any other form of
unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature, eve teasing,
jokes likely to cause awkwardness or embarrassment,
innuendos, sexist remarks.

20. Sexual Harassment at Workplace
• Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition
and Redressal) Act, 2013 was passed with the objective of providing
protection to the women at workplace.

21. Sexual Harassment at Workplace
 This statute superseded the Vishakha Guidelines for
prevention of sexual harassment introduced by the Supreme
Court of India.
 Every employer is required to constitute an Internal
Complaints Committee at each office or branch with 10 or
more employees.
 The Act covers students in schools and colleges as well as
patients in hospitals, employers and local authorities will have
to set up grievance committees to investigate all complaints.
 Any aggrieved woman may file a complaint in writing to the
Internal committee/ Local Committee within 3 months from
the date of incident or the date of the last incident in case of a
series of incidents.
 The victim can also file a complaint with Police under Indian
Penal Code 1860 under Sections 294,354, 354A, 509.

22. Gender pay gap
• In 2017, a study by Monster Salary Index (MSI) showed the
overall gender pay gap in India was 20 percent. It found that the gap
was narrower in the early years of experience.
• While India passed the Equal Remuneration Act way back in 1976,
which prohibits discrimination in remuneration on grounds of sex.
• But in practice, the pay disparity still exist.

23. First ever gender gap study
 In its first ever gender gap study covering 58 nations, the World Economic
Forum has ranked India a lowly 53.
 The report titled ‘The Women’s Empowerment: Measuring the Global
Gender Gap,published in 2005 measures the gap between women and
men in five critical areas like economic participation, economic
opportunity, political empowerment, access to education and access to
reproductive health care.
 The report is based on United Nations Development Fund for Women’s
findings on global patterns of inequality between men and women.
 The low ranking reflects the large disparity between men and women in all
five areas of the index.

24. Workforce participation
 However, there are far fewer women than men in
the paid workforce.
 in the software industry 30% of the workforce is
female.
 In rural India in the agriculture and allied
industrial sectors, women account for as much as
89.5% of the labour force.

25. Women-owned businesses
 One of the most famous female business success
stories, from the rural sector, is the Shri Mahila Griha
Udyog Lijjat Papad.
 Started in 1959 by seven women in Mumbai with a
seed capital of only Rs.80, it had an annual turnover of
more than Rs. 800 crore (over $109 million) in 2018.
 It provides employment to 43,000 (in 2018) women
across the country.
 One of the largest dairy co-operatives in the
world, Amul, began by mobilizing rural women
in Anand in the western state of Gujarat.

26. Women in India
General Statistics
Maternal mortality (per 100,000) 174
Women in parliament 14.5%
Women over 25 with secondary education 39% [M: 63.5%]
Women in labour force 27.2% [M: 78.8%]
Gender Inequality Index-2017
Value 0.524 (2017)
Rank 127th out of 160
Global Gender Gap Index
Value 0.665 (2018)
Rank 108th

27. Stage 4-Workplace-
What we can do
 Majority of us have our own hospitals
 Have Internal complaint committee
 Don’t have gender pay gap
 Give chance to females
 Be vigilant if you have both male & female staff

28. Stage 5-Marriage
 Many women are tortured physically, economically and emotionally
after their marriage by their husband and in laws.
 Reproductive health choices
 Contraception choices

29. Cruelty/Dowry demand
• To curtail the growing incidents of dowry torture and dowry death , a new Section
was incorporated into Indian Penal Code , that is, Section 498A .
• According to this Section, whoever being husband or relative of husband of a
woman , subjects her to cruelty shall be punished with imprisonment for a term
which may extend to three years and fine.
• Later, Section 198A was added to the Criminal Procedure Code in 1983.
• In 2005, the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act was passed, which
added to protect women from dowry harassment. Section 304B was added to
the Indian Penal Code, 1860 (“IPC”), which made dowry death a specific offence
punishable with a minimum sentence of imprisonment for 7 years and a
maximum imprisonment for life.
• Further, under Section 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 a demand for Dowry
is an offence wherein demand is made at the time of or even after marriage even
where no cruelty is involved .

30. Land and property rights
 In most Indian families, women do not own any property in their own
names, and do not get a share of parental property.
 Due to weak enforcement of laws protecting them, women continue to
have little access to land and property.
 In India, women's property rights vary depending on religion, and tribe,
and are subject to a complex mix of law and custom,but in principle the
move has been towards granting women equal legal rights, especially since
the passing of The Hindu Succession (Amendment) Act, 2005.
 Married daughters, even those facing domestic abuse and harassment, had
no residential rights in the ancestral home. Thanks to an amendment of the
Hindu laws in 2005, women now have the same status as men.

31. Land and property rights
 The words “shared household” were considered by Supreme court
in SR Batra v TarunaBatra AIR 2007 SC 1088, to mean house
belonging to or taken on rent by husband or house which belongs to
joint family of which husband is a member .
 If it is exclusive property of mother in law , it cannot be called a joint
family property.
 A wife cannot claim and is not entitled to stay in her father in law’s
house using the Domestic Violence Act- It was held by the Delhi Court
in Sudha Mishra v. Surya Chandra Mishra RFA 299/2014.

32. Domestic Violence
 Domestic Violence can be described as
where one adult in a relationship
misuses power in order to control
another.
 The violence may involve physical abuse,
sexual assault and threats.
 Application can be filed to the
Magistrate under Section 12 of the
Domestic Violence Act, 2005.

33. Domestic Violence

34. • During the first four phases of the COVID-19-
related lockdown, Indian women filed
more domestic violence complaints than
recorded in a similar period in the last 10 years.
• But even this unusual spurt is only the tip of the
iceberg as 86% women who experience domestic
violence do not seek help in India.
• About 86% women who experienced violence
never sought help, and 77% of the victims did
not even mention the incident(s) to anyone
With Covid-19, comes the “Shadow Pandemic”

35. Gender Based Violence In The COVID-19 Pandemic
Prof. Rubina Sohail, Chair FIGO Subcommittee for VAW
There are three questions to be answered – What needs to be done? Who will do it? How will it be
done?
What Needs to be Done?
• We need to create awareness at all levels including the public, health care workers, policy makers
and the justice department, including the police.
Who Will Do It?
• Communities, neighbours, health workers including community workers, frontline providers,
health managers, police departments and governments. In addition, the professional societies
and international organisations have to join hands with the government.
How Will It Be Done?
• The response requires multiple strategies and policies, including standard operating procedures
for managing GBV, check lists and guidelines. The media should be used to create awareness and
deliver health messages. The use of technologies as telemedicine, help lines and mobile apps can
be put to use. Integrated health service packages including rehabilitation services and mental
health support should be introduced.

36. Children Witnessing Domestic
Violence during a Lockdown
 Children who witness intraparental violence are more likely
to be victims of abuse and are at more risk for adjustment
problems in young adulthood.
 Some of them may even go on to perpetrate violence
themselves. During lockdown situations, children may be in
the same room when interpersonal conflict is happening.
Children also lose their confiding support systems, for
example, extended family members, teachers, neighbours,
and friends, who visit and talk to them, and may not be
able to discuss their distress with others.
Every woman who reports IPV issue, should be asked about
her children. Several methods have been used to get in
touch with the child without increasing the further risk of
violence from the perpetrator. Teachers who may be taking
online classes can be trained to detect any distress and
help the child to speak out about any interpersonal
violence at home.

37. Violence against women (VAW)
 Violence against women (VAW) dates back to the history of mankind.
 Several forms of abuse have been described in our ancient epics,
like Mahabharat and Ramayana.
 There have been efforts at global level to eliminate VAW.
 The United Nations (UN) Declaration on the Elimination of VAW (1993) states
that “VAW is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between
men and women, which have led to domination over and discrimination against
women by men and to the prevention of the full advancement of women, and
that VAW is one of the crucial social mechanisms by which women are forced
into a subordinate position compared with men.”
 The UN prepared documents for the purpose of eliminating VAW and to bring
women to an equal status with men.
 In all countries, across all cultures, efforts should be made, that UN Declaration is
known and respected.

38. India-VAW
 The situation in India with respect to VAW is alarming.
 The prevalence figures of India, during the year 2011, as reported by National
Crime Records Bureau are:
 Cruelty by husband and their relatives - 43.4%;
 Molestation - 18.8%;
 Rape - 10.6%;
 Kidnapping and abduction - 15.6%;
 Sexual harassment - 3.7%;
 Dowry death - 3.8%;
 Immoral Traffic Act - 1.1%; and
 others - 0.2%.

39. India-VAW
 The Thomas Reuters Foundation expert poll in 2011, reported that
India is the fourth most dangerous country in the world after
Afghanistan, Congo, and Pakistan.
 “Female foeticide,” child marriage and high levels of trafficking and
domestic servitude make India the world's largest democracy the
fourth most dangerous place for women.
 One hundred million people, mostly women and girls, are involved in
trafficking in one-way or another, according to Madhukar Gupta
former Indian Home Secretary.

40. India-VAW
 Up to 50 million girls are “missing” over the past century due to
female infanticide and foeticide.
 44.5% of girls are married before the age of 18.
 The “Children in India, 2012 - A Statistical Appraisal” study reported
that during 2001–2011, the share of children to total population
declined; the decline was sharper for female children than male
children in the age group of 0–6 years.”

41. India-VAW
 Manifestations of VAW occur throughout the lifespan from prebirth,
infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood to old age.
 Violence is inflicted on children, adults with disabilities, and severe mental
illness and occurs in different settings such as at home, workplace,
hospitals, jails, governmental and nongovernmental homes for the under
privileged, and in the community.
 It occurs in all socioeconomic and cultural groups.
 World Health Organization advocates action plans to be implemented at
national level to prevent violence as a global campaign.
 Of major concern are increasing cases of domestic violence, sexual
harassment at work place, dowry-related violence, honour killings, acid
attacks, and gang rapes.

42. Violence against women and indian legislation
Crimes against women are classified in the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and special and local laws.
• Some of the crimes under the IPC are mentioned below:
• Rape (Section 376 IPC): Over the years there has been a trend of increasing number of cases
being reported. 9.2% increase was reported in the year 2011 over the year 2010. Rape cases have
been divided into two categories: Incest rape and other rapes. Delhi has often been addressed as
the rape capital of India
• Kidnapping and abduction (Section 363-373 IPC): Delhi has shown the highest rate
• Dowry death (Section 302, 304B IPC) and Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961: Highest rate has been
reported in Bihar
• Torture (Cruelty by Husband and Relatives of Husband) (Section 498-A IPC): The highest crime
rate was reported in West Bengal
• Molestation (Section 354 IPC): Madhya Pradesh has reported the highest incident, and Kerala has
reported the highest crime rate
• Sexual harassment (Section 509 IPC): Sexual harassment of women is a violation of the
fundamental right of women to work in a safe environment

43. Violence against women &
Indian legislation
 Importation of girls (Section 366-B IPC).
The gender specific laws for which crime statistics is recorded are as follows:
 Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956. Daman and Diu reported the
highest rate
 Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961
 Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act
 Sati Prevention Act, 1987
 The Protection of Women against Domestic Violence Act (2005).
 An increasing trend in cases of rape was observed during 2007–2008.
 A mixed trend in the incidence of rape has been observed during the
periods 2008–2011.

44. PREVENTION OF VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
• The dictum is “violence is preventable.”
 Gender sensitization
 Improving the socio economic condition of women
 Lifestyle
 Media
 Internet
 Religious Leaders
 Social Organisations
 Legislation

45. Gender sensitization
 Gender sensitization should focus on the
sensitivities and boundaries of man-woman
relationships, code of conduct with respect
opposite gender in different settings, and
strategies to prevent violence at unusual places
and times.
 Awareness and education can be done by
parents at home, teachers in school and colleges,
employers at work place and nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs) in the community.

46. Gender sensitization
 Workshops, lectures and street plays, videos can be organized
in schools, colleges, and public gatherings for this purpose.
 Relationship handling, violence prevention, and
communication skills should be instilled in youth through
training workshops at schools, colleges and at community level.
 Medical and para-medical workers and medical students
should be sensitized on the topic for tackling gender sensitive
issues.
 Sex education needs to be taught at the level of schools,
colleges, and community.
 Training of different stakeholders like police personnel,
judiciary, administrators, and legal professional is also needed.

47. Improving the socioeconomic status of women
• Empowerment of women through improving
their
• education,
• job opportunities,
• representation in different sectors, and
• awareness about their rights and
• legal provisions would be a step in the right
direction.

48. Financial Freedom
 Wherever possible Give preference to Females
 Support them in educating daughters
 Sponsor education of one girl child

49. Lifestyle
• Promotion of healthy lifestyle
including management of
stresses of daily living is
recommended.

50. Media
 Media campaigns can help to reverse social attitudes that tolerate
VAW.
 Collaboration with the media needs to focus on creating new
messages and new responses to prevent domestic violence.

51. Role of Internet
 The role of computers and internet is worth mentioning.
 Pornographic sites should be blocked.
 CD-ROMS/websites containing such pornographic information quite
should be strictly be prohibited.

52. Religious leaders and scholars
• Religious leaders and scholars need to re-examine interpretations of
religious texts and doctrines from the perspective of promoting
equality and dignity for women.

53. Social organizations
 NGOs/social activists/communities/resident welfare organizations
(urban)/village panchayats need to be actively involved and sensitized
to promptly act if the incidents come to their notice.
 Their services can be utilized in minimizing violence by putting social
pressures on the perpetrators of crime.
 Such organizations can also provide leadership in the local community
to oppose VAW.

54. Women's safety laws
 Guardians & Wards Act, 1890
 Indian Penal Code, 1860
 Christian Marriage Act, 1872
 Indian Evidence Act, 1872
 Married Women's Property Act,
1874
 Workmen's compensation Act, 1923
 Indian Successions Act, 1925
 Immoral Traffic (prevention) Act,
1956
 Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961
 Commission of Sati(Prevention)
Act, 1987
 Cinematograph Act, 1952
 Births, Deaths & Marriages
Registration Act, 1886
 Minimum Wages Act, 1948
 Prevention of Children from Sexual
Offences Act, 2012
 Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929

55. Women's safety laws
 Muslim Personal Law (Shariat)
Application,1937
 Indecent Representation of
Women(Prevention) Act,1986
 Special Marriage Act, 1954
 Hindu Marriage Act, 1955
 Hindu Successions Act, 1956
 Foreign Marriage Act, 1969
 Family Courts Act, 1984
 Maternity Benefit Act, 1961
 Hindu Adoption & Maintenance Act, 1956
 Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973
 Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971
 National Commission for Women Act, 1990
 The Pre-conception and Pre-natal Diagnostic
Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act,
1994
 Protection of Women from Domestic Violence
Act, 2005
 Sexual Harassment of Women at Work Place
(Prevention, Prohibition & Redressal) Act,
2013
 Indian Divorce Act, 1969
 Equal Remuneration Act, 1976
 Hindu Widows Remarriage Act, 1856
 Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on
Divorce) Act, 1986

56. POCSO Act
• The Protection of Children from Sexual
Offences (POCSO) Act was enacted in
2012, and is a special law to protect
children.

57. Stage 5- Marriage-
What we can do
• Make your daughters financially independent
• Don’t give and don’t take dowry
• Don’t discriminate between daughter in law /
daughter
• Have financial plan for your daughter –instead
of giving material things, jewellery and cash
• Marriage should not be the ultimate goal
• If you happen to see any injustice/ violence-
don’t remain silent

58. Educate Evolve
 All these stages woman quietly suffers or even if raises her voice it is
silenced or suppressed…
 she neither knows she has rights to fight these crimes and what
remedies are available in law to protect herself .
 It is time women rise to protect themselves

59. Fast facts
 Emerging data shows an increase in calls to domestic violence
helplines in many countries since the outbreak of COVID-19.
 Sexual harassment and other forms of violence against women
continue to occur on streets, in public spaces and online.
 Survivors have limited information and awareness about available
services and limited access to support services.
 In some countries, resources and efforts have been diverted from
violence against women response to immediate COVID-19 relief

60. The issue
 One in three women worldwide experience physical or sexual
violence mostly by an intimate partner.
 Violence against women and girls is a human rights violation.
 Everyone has a role to play.
What is the women's helpline number in
India?
1091
INDIAN HELPLINE.com

61. “Together we will unleash girls’
power in all its dimensions”

62. The more you give, the more you
will get.
Then life will become a sheer dance
of love.
H. H. Sri. Sri. Ravishankar
The Art of Living
Thank you