1. Contact:
8013435423, 8013523310, 9051643933, 9836954099, 9836802643
zapshotarja@ymail.com , nirjhar503@gmail.com
University: Jadavpur University, Kolkata.
Team Members:
Arja Sadhukhan, Nirjhar Mukherjee, Ashmita Banerjee, Sayak Ray,
Kaushalya Gupta
A Blueprint for Emancipation through
Empowerment.
Theme: Walk to Equality:
Ensuring Safety and
Empowerment of Women
Team Name: JUsticemongers

2. • Safety: Ranked 4th among most unsafe
countries.
• Women involved in trafficking: 100
million
• Child marriage: Rank 17th . 44.5% of girls
married under 18
• Rape: 3rd
• Female literacy: 178th 65.46%, Males:
84.12
• Problem of oppression lies in the all encompassing
system of patriarchy.
• It is onmipresent, it is more than a set of rules that
oppress women, it is a mode of production, an
organic whole using agents like religion, caste,
economic s etc.
• Women are oppressed and disadvantaged from the
womb to the grave. Since time immemorial the
system has pushed women to the periphery
• Their bodies objectified and sexualities controlled.
• Many hurdles to equality: Social, economical,
political, sexual. Above all is mental conditioning.
As Beauvoir says women are made, not born. This
unequal gendering has to be accosted.
• Simultaneously in all spheres of life, from the
home to the workplace, from the factory to the
hospital, from schools to the streets, from the legal
books to the streets, radical gender friendly
measures must be taken to prevent such
obnoxious things from happening.
• Patriarchy works in a complex manner. India does
not have a single brand of patriarchy. There are
many brands of patriarchy. As diverse as our
heritage and culture.
• The system has hegemonised and normalised this
systemic oppression and endemic violence.
Due to paucity of space we have to limit our content. We had to omit topics and have only been able to discuss
our ideas partially! Given more space, we would have elucidated on more topics and in greater detail. Sorry!
Since the Problems are Many and Multi
faceted, the approach as to be according as
well.
1. State must act on may fronts, legally and in
action.
2. Legislation, infrastructure building hand in
hand with a new radical organisation to
protect and empower women.
3. The real awakening must come from
below- the women themselves.

3. The Social Travails of the Indian Fairer Sex!
Social Problems and Concerns
• Two Broad categories: The Family and Public
Society.
• Rape, molestation and other afflictions happen in
both spheres.
• Families are spheres of gendering, generating false
consciousness and abuse.
• Considered a burden, evil omen etc, girls are
denied food, clothing, education and remain
backward. Married off at the earliest.
• Nothing is private and apolitical. The personal is
politi al. It’s all a ater of po er a d o trol.
• People must realise that families are not nurturing
in a patriarchal setup.
• Lack of control over their bodies and sexualities.
Marriages are fixed, premarital sex is a social
taboo, the female body is there to produce babies,
toil for domestic labour, bear the constructed
o ept of ho our a d atio al ulture a d
identity and sexual pleasure of the males.
• In the semi feudal cum liberalised capitalist system,
female objectification is two pronged. One the
conservative type telling women to stay covered
while capitalism uses the female body as an object
for marketing.
Actions Which are the Need of the
Hour
• State has to get involved in the family system and
ensure equality.
• The public sphere has to be one which sees all human
beings as equals.
• Strict laws must be passed to make such a situation
practicable.
• Khap Panchayats and other such extra constitutional
organisations must be weeded out.
• The state must stop relenting to pressures made my
religious and other sectarian communities on
misogynist issues for the sake of ballot maximisation.
• Adequate protection must be available for women by
the state.
• Sexual Harassment cell in every institution, school to
college to office.
• State has the obligation of raising awareness that the
o a ’s ody elo gs to the o a a d o o e
else.
• Sexist Traditions must be eradicated through
awareness and legislation like the capitalist tendency
of usi g o e ’s odies .
When half the population fails to secure enough social security and the NCW fails at large, it is time to
have a new organisation which is more efficient to back the demands and government actions.

4. The Lady and the Law: The laws in India are rather
problematic if you are a woman. It is time that the laws
are reclaimed, and women cease being possessions!
The Legal Disposition
• Legal rights are very important as they form the
base of justice.
• A radical change in laws needed.
• Laws have a patriarchal bias. Women are
commodified in laws
• Rape laws are unclear and punishments
inadequate.
• Legislation positions on evils like dowry, female
infanticide ambiguous.
• Trafficking laws like ITPA end up victimising the
victim rather than the perpetrators.
• Poor implementation of laws.
• Rather problematic divorce laws.
• Laws against dowry and domestic violence have
loopholes and are not implemented whole
heartedly. Awareness is pathetic.
• Marriage and prostitution are deeply entrenched
as binary opposites- good and evil. Both are
results of patriarchy.
• The police and the army, which are supposed to
protect women are often rapists. Army rapes,
aided by AFSPA and custodial rapes by police are
rampant and shameful.
Towards a gender friendly legal
system.
• Gender friendly legislation which is not catering to
sectarian, patriarchal interests
• Introduction of a universal civil code but not a
Hindu civil code. A civil code which is gender
sensitive and protects the interests of all
regardless of caste, class, religion gender and
sexual orientation.
• The law must recognise women as autonomous,
rational individuals with rights.
• Patriarchal terminologies based on misogynist
ideas su h as odesty ust e do e a ay ith.
True nature of rape and molestation must be
understood in detail and legislated upon.
• Special courts must be introduced for cases of
rape and sexual harassment ensuring certain,
exemplary and speedy justice.
• There must be a nation wide programme to
vigorously propagate these rights. Women must
be made aware of their rights.
• Divorce laws should not be lop sided. Women
should have equal custodial rights over children.
• Concepts of marital rape and custodial rape must
be criminalised with strict punishment.
• Implement JVC recommendations.

5. Money Matters: The Pocket is a powerful agent of
control, and subjugation for Indian Women.
Financial Problems
• How many women have a bank account?
• Financial independence is still a far cry for the
overwhelming majority of Indian women.
• Many Indian women earn but most do not
have the autonomy to spend it.
• Motherhood is forced on women often
rendering them handicapped from earning.
• Female labour is exploited: excessive work,
negligible pay. Exacerbated by patriarchal
notions of gender based segregation of labour
where women get inferior jobs.
• Low levels of education result in lower
employability capacity.
• Inheritance rights also lopsided. Women
pa ked off to their i la s’ pla e ith dead
apital like do ry a d stree dhan rather tha
given legal inheritance.
• Housewives have no independent financial pay
for their work.
• Due to financial dependence women are often
unable to get divorce.
• Banking and credit for women is a big problem.
Lack of starting capital often stifles potential
o e ’s e terprises.
Solutions
• Greater involvement
• Equal pay for equal work.
• Prevention of Sexual Harassment at workplace.
• Capacity building to provide for greater employability
opportunities for women. State must support such
ventures.
• State should run creches along with private players to
enable mothers to take up jobs. Motherhood is gendered
and socially constructed.
• Subsidise o e ’s self help groups a d pro ide the ith
incentives. Also provide incentives to private firms who
would use the labour of these groups. So that these
people have better business opportunities. Finance should
be made available.
• Labour division on gender basis is unscientific and
gendered. It must be criminalised through legislation.
• Special social security schemes for women.
• Domestic labour must be paid. A special fund must be
made for housewives, much like a providend fund is made
for orkers. A a ou t fro the hus a d’s salary added
with a equal amount given by the state and also a small
su say 5% of the hus a d’s salary y the hus a d’s
employer must be added to the fund every month. When
the husband retires, his wife should be getting the money
or getting pension.

6. Needless to e tio , the sorry co ditio s of wo e ’s
health in India
Problems
• Female embryos are often aborted.
• Considered a burden, the girl child is fed
poorly. Often leads to malnutrition.
• Less food during adolescence result in
weakness. 56% of Indian Girls are anaemic.
Other health problems as well.
• From antenatal care to menstrual hygiene,
girls lack every possible healthcare facility
needed.
• Early marriage, repeated (often frequent)
pregnancies and take a toll on health.
Maternal mortality is frighteningly high
• Reproductive health is an issue of major
concern. Along with low sex education.
• Lack of awareness and low usage of
contraception results in higher HIV risks.
• Westernisation coupled with lack of
appropriate awareness has led to rise in
lifestyle diseases like breast cancer. Also
working women have tough time thanks to
forced maternity.
Solutions
• Laws must be made to criminalise discrimination of the
girl child in food habits and making them do extra work.
• State should support women during pregnancies and
provide for neo natal care for babies.
• Subsidies must be given for the manufacture of cheap
sanitary napkins. The efforts like that of Arunachalam
Muruganantham and the Saathi Pads project should be
supported.
• There should be long, paid and compulsory maternity
leave for all mothers. Should apply to private firms and
casual workers as well.
• The state should build and maintain crèches (also
private ones) so that women can work while their
children are looked after.
• There should be free counseling available to the rural
masses on health, contraception and other issues.
Special health centres and teams should be available at
every region .
• These regions must have medical facilities . Mainly
Vaccination, treatment , doctors and contraceptive
centre.
• Awareness drives should also be made in cities about
health. Popular misconceptions must be accosted with.
Strict laws should prevent companies from
disseminating wrong or misleading information through
medicines, advertisements etc.

7. Greater Involvement of Women in Public Life
Situation
• Systematic discrimination has led to
women being left out of the public
mainstream.
• Very few women in politics and other
top services in public life.
• Many educated women stay at home.
• Rampant gender discrimination at all
echelons of the public domain. Sexism
has prevented women from top
positions in politics, corporate sector
and other places.
• Reservation does not necessarily leads
to empowerment.
• Liberalisation and capitalism has to be
taken with a pinch of salt.
Globalisation has aggra ated o e ’s
problems worldwide. India badly
affe ted. Capitalis does ot free
women. It at times destroys feudal and
traditional shackles only to use the
female body for various types of profit
making. It also creates an illusion of
liberty.
What is to be done?
• The state must encourage women to come out
in public. Awareness programmes must break
essentialist norms and tell people that women
are ot ea t to do ork i doors .
• Sexism should first stop in the recruitment
board of UPSC, offices and companies. More
female personnel must be there in
interview/selection boards/panels.
• There should be sterner actions against gender
bias in recruitment. If an overwhelming
majority of recruits are men, the entire process
must be reviewed and scrutinsed for
possibilities of sexism.
• There should be provisions for female
employees to complain and go for scrutiny if
they feel that sexism has denied them
promotion or other benefits.
• Instead of playing the reservation card, the
parties should be concentrating on fielding
more and more capable female candidates. If
parties make it a part of their policy to weed
out sexism, women will automatically be able
to assert themselves.

8. Reclaiming the World
• Stop waiting for favourable circumstances. Create them!
• Occupy spaces which are traditional male bastions. Eg Occupy the street corners. If boys can chat
there, so can girls. This can cascade into a movement to change the entire gendered image of
Indian public places!
• In this system, women are often themselves agents of patriarchy. As Gramsci said the subaltern
upholds the system under the influence of hegemony. Thus the fight has to be taken to these
women as well who are the agents of patriarchy.
• Thus not only is the fight to claim the public space, women must also claim the space at home.
The challenges are many. But it is the women who have to accost the fortifications of patriarchal
hege o hi h go the a es of ulture a d traditio . O l re elli g o e a do this.
State should offer every support.
• The most important method is consciousness raising. One cannot usher change forcefully
especially at the wake of traditions entrenched for centuries. One has to promote free thought.
Which must be the basis of education. Education must be used at home to question patriarchal
traditions and values. The fever of questioning is contagious. Thus the best help is self help and
enabling others to self help as well.
Help thyself to help thy sex!
• The world belongs to every living being.
• However, most often it is seen that rights are not given, they have to be claimed!
• The most potent force is that from within. It is high time that women realise this start acting on
their own! Action begets further action!
• Patriarchal spaces must be challenged and occupied by women themselves.
• It is high time that the concept of self emancipation forces the government to help the women
out both on paper and in practice.
• Women must look at the world by themselves and question it. The role of the state is to provide
rather conducive conditions which will help this to take place smoothly.
Sooner or later, this wave of consciousness raising is coming! So it is in the interest of
everyone that the state supports these initiatives through laws, implementation, financial and
other help! Women have 50% of the vote bank, can make or break any government!

9. How is will the State Implement its Policies?
1. Progressive
Legislation and Policy
Making
2. Radical Financial
Planning
3. A New
Organisational
Structure
4. Tie ups and co
operation wherever
possible
Pass gender friendly laws as
mentioned before and
make innovative and
appropriate
implementation.
Policies should also include
setting up of research and
development on gender
issues. Start Sex Education,
Gender awareness cells in
all schools, colleges, offices.
I est ore i to o e ’s
development. No
development is adequate if
50% of the population is not
benefitted. Raise extra funds
through extra taxes on liquor,
tobacco and luxury items.
Invest the money here
An entirely new organisation-
the GEC , is to e
established and funded by
the state with many powers.
To be decentralised, highly
autonomous and be given
quasi administrative powers
and police protection.
Tie up with NGOs, self help
groups wherever possible.
State should provide financial
help to them and provide
subsidies and credit. Engage
the private sector where
possible and necessary.
• This new organisation alled the Ge der E po er e t Co issio or GEC should e setup.
• In some ways akin to the existing NCW but more radical and different in most ways of organisation and functioning.
• The GEC shall be a highly decentralised organisation. Each unit is to have immense autonomy. Responsible only to
the people through RTI and the judiciary.
• To be centrally funded and manned by experts and trained personnel recruited through competitive public exam.
This shall be their government job. It will also have local people and volunteers and interns. Also mentors who are
experts.
• The e perts shall o sist of la ers , do tors, a ade i ia s, te h i ia s, so ial a d o e ’s rights orkers a d
other experts as needed. Experts to be appointed by the President on recommendation of government and
experts. As trained personnel, the GEC shall recruit personnel with different skills as needed per area.
• To be given some executive powers and quasi judicial powers on some matters so that it can implement its policies
and directives. The upper echelons of the organisation will have no extra power but the responsibility of running
research and development and other work.
• To be given police backup and other help for protection and execution. PTO

10. Composition Units Activities, Powers and Functions Modus
Operandi
Three types:
1. Appointed Experts
2. Qualified Experts
recruited through an
exam.
3. Local people. To be
appointed by the local
units. Part time and Full
time. Pay according to
work.
4. Volunteers and interns.
Attractive sums to be
paid to attract talent.
5. Associate members:
local people who want
to be involved with the
GEC for some
developmental reason.
They shall not be paid
but shall be able to use
the GEC’s resour es a d
facilities.
NOTE: Being a government
Body, the GEC shall fall
Under the purview of the RTI
1. To be highly
decentralised
!
2. Units in
every ward
and village.
3. Each unit to
have a
working
committee.
4. Working of
the body to
be
democratic.
Chairperson
to be
appointed by
higher levels.
General
Secretary to be
elected by the
members of the
unit. Associate
members
cannot vote for
General
Secretary.
1. To carry out all sorts of work regarding gender
a are ess a d o e ’s e po er e t. No fi ed
limit on jurisdiction. The GEC can do any work if it
concerns gender empowerment and related issues.
The GEC should be answerable only to the judiciary.
2. Forming nexus with NGOs and other groups as
and when necessary.
3. Implementing government directives and
overseeing whether funds are being spent properly
or not. The GEC would have the right to oversee
such actions in schools, colleges, offices, hospitals
or in any place it deems necessary.
4. Work o o e ’s issues. De elop trau a
centres, rape crisis centres, counseling services ,
conducting workshops in schools, colleges or
among urban/rural people and anything that is
conducive to gender empowerment in the area.
5. Disburse funds as aid/grants/scholarships etc.
6. Take actions against illegal activities such as khap
panchayats or public figures making sexist remarks.
7. Act against individuals, families, institutions,
even police or army for gender related crimes.
8. Act as a shelter home for survivors of rape,
domestic violence, forced prostitution etc. To form
liaison with DV protection officers.
9. Conduct research and development. Help setup
courses on sex education and gender studies.
The GEC shall
be composed
of Experts
would know
details.
Decentralisati
on also means
that it would
not
be delayed
frequently.
It would
recruit
personnel as
needed
according to
the needs of
the area.
It would have
police backup
to implement
and coerce. It
can also call
for more
forces and the
state is bound
to supply
Some Details in Which the GEC Shall Function and Some of its Powers.

11. • To create an atmosphere conducive to gender sensitivity and development it is imperative to make our
streets safer.
• There needs to be greater lighting in the streets and more police patrol. The state should also increase the
number of personnel patrolling the streets.
• The state should engage in community policing. Every police station should raise a corps of women who
would be given training in patrolling, combating sex offenders and other techniques and deployed at night
for patrolling. They would have only night duty and it will be a full time state sponsored job. Many poorer
women would like to take up such jobs and it would be empowering for them too. Such techniques are
used by policemen on a part time basis during festivals where young people are recruited, given 10-12 days
of training and deployed for crowd management during the festival days. They are paid jobs. Inspiration can
also e take fro the Gulabi Ga g of UP. This sho s that o e are er u h apa le a d up to the
task.
• Later, this scheme can be extended to the day also. Where a separate female corps can patrol the streets to
catch sex offenders.
• The challenges are many. The society is deeply patriarchal. The system entrenched and adaptive. Moreover it
manufactures consent, brainwashes and also uses force. It will not change in a matter of days. Yet we hope
that gradually we can raise consciousness.
• Consciousness raising is the base of the process. It is only when knowledge is disseminated that questions
and ideas emerge. And ideas cannot be repressed.
• The reactionary elements will use traditional methods like religion, culture; modern gimmicks like creation of
illusio s through i ages a d of ourse oer i e po er to stop o e ’s e po er e t. O l a rele tless
stand and constant empowerment will sustain the movement.
• Political parties and governments would eventually understand that the current system is not sustainable and
it is in its own interest to take progressive steps and actions. Implementation of the plans and ideas as
demonstrated here will, it is sincerely hoped, result in gradual empowerment through education, self help and

12. References
• http://www.gulabigang.in/
• http://www.fastcoexist.com/1679008/an-indian-inventor-
disrupts-the-period-industry
• http://saathipads.com/
• http://www.trust.org/item/?map=factsheet-the-worlds-
most-dangerous-countries-for-women
• http://filipspagnoli.wordpress.com/stats-on-human-
rights/statistics-on-education/statistics-on-child-marriage/
• http://www.more.com/news/india-rape-capital-world
• http://www.photius.com/rankings/population/literacy_fem
ale_2012_0.html