The National Campaign Against Gender-Based Discrimination, “Nai Chetana-Pahal Badlav Ki,” has been launched by the Ministry of Rural Development to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in all 50 states in November 2022.
Over the next five years, this campaign aims to raise awareness of the barriers and discrimination faced by women at all levels among local institutions, rural communities, and governmental organizations.
On February 7, 2000, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution officially establishing November 25 as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. This resolution also invited governments, nongovernmental organizations, and other international organizations to collaborate and plan events to increase public awareness of the issue on that day each year.
The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls also serves as a constant reminder of the numerous instances of violence. In fact, it gives governments, international organizations, and civil society a chance to work together to stop all forms of violence against women and girls, as well as to take part in the annual events held on this day to raise awareness of the problem (GOV India).
Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) is one of the world’s most pervasive, ongoing, and terrible human rights violations today, as the United Nations has emphasized for this year’s International Day.
India reported 31,677 rape cases in 2021, or 86 per day on average, while there were around 49 incidences of crime against women reported every single hour. 28,046 rape incidents were reported in 2020 compared to 32,033 in 2019. The Ministry of Rural Development initiated a campaign to help women recognize gender-based violence, get ready to speak out against it and get help from the numerous institutional resources available to them.
Violence and the threat of violence have an impact on women’s ability to fully participate in all forms of social and political activities on an equal level. Domestic violence and workplace harassment have an impact on the employment rates and economic empowerment of women. Sexual harassment limits girls’ opportunities and success in education.
Nai Chetna, a month-long campaign that aims to be a “Jan Andolan” (people’s movement), will officially launch at an event here to commemorate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls. Union Minister for Rural Development Giriraj Singh will be in charge of the event. A different perspective must be adopted.
Around 1,200 Gender Resource Centres have been established by the Ministry across the nation. A total of 160 similar centers were opened as part of the initiative. They lack legal awareness and are unaware of redressed methods and service providers, even if they desire to seek support. As a result, people seldom ask for help and carry on the suffering
Due to the normalizing of prejudice and violence, women are frequently unable to recognize the abuse that has been perpetrated against them; as a result, they rarely seek assistance and continue to suffer in silence. Even if they wanted to get help, he noted, they were generally ignorant of legal procedures and service providers as well as redressed processes. The month-long campaign aims to empower women to recognize gender-based violence, get them ready to speak out against it, and direct them toward utilizing the numerous institutional support systems that are available to them. Over the next five years, according to the ministry, the campaign strives to develop a shared understanding and awareness of gender disadvantage and discrimination across levels among community institutions, rural communities, and government departments, it added.
The campaign aims to empower women to recognize instances of assault and direct them toward obtaining support from the many institutional resources at their disposal.
Numerous studies have shown that involving entire communities in Gender-based violence detection, treatment, and prevention is one of the most efficient approaches to eradicating the disease. With the aid of society, the government, and people working together, gender-based violence (GBV) can be eliminated. Educating people about gender-based violence is one of the most important ways to find victims and provide assistance. The media is a crucial tool for raising awareness of GBV, promoting solutions, educating legislators, and informing the public about their legal rights and how to recognize and address GBV. In order to avoid GBV, school systems are essential. Regular curricula, sex education, school counseling initiatives, and school health services can all be used to convey the idea that violence is bad and should be avoided.
India's promise to abolish Violence against women
The Central Government of India is committed to ending all forms of VAW(violence against women) through policies, projects, and programs, as was stated in this year’s press release on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. The national Constitution is the main legal framework that guarantees women’s equality and calls for empowering measures to eradicate violence and discrimination as well as to lower the cumulative burdens of their socioeconomic, educational, and political disadvantages (Ministry of Women and Child Development). The State has passed a number of legislative measures to ensure adherence to constitutional principles. Crimes against women are defined as crimes committed specifically against women and are listed in the Indian Penal Code (IPC) or under special laws (Ministry of Women and Child Development.)
The National Commission for Women (NCW), a statutory agency with a special responsibility to research and oversee all topics relevant to the constitutional and legal safeguards granted to women, was established by the Government of India as a practical response to the practices of VAWG (Ministry of Women and Child Development). Additionally, a number of plans and initiatives have been implemented to be able to assist VAWG victims with their recovery and legal procedures.
Although the Indian government has pledged to protect women from crimes and violence based on gender, there are many cases where this promise is not kept. In actuality, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) reported in 2021 that although there was a large increase in crimes against women and girls (about 40%), the number of charge sheets were rather low. The 2002 Bilkis Bano case, in which the original sentence was recently overturned and all 11 individuals convicted of the crime of gang-rape were granted freedom, serves as an illustration of VAWG and the associated impunity (Frontline). As was the case in the Shraddha Walkar case, the majority of these assaults continue to take place in domestic and family settings (31.8% of filed offenses are classified as cruelty by husbands or relatives).
The promise of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to leave no one behind, “cannot be fulfilled without putting an end to violence against women and girls,” and there is still much that needs to be done on a national and international level. Violence against women and girls is a persistent barrier to gender equality, development, and peace.
Written by Nidhi Shah
Edited by Diksha Rajput