3. Crime Head wise Incidence of Crime Against
Women during 2009 - 2012
Rape
Molestation0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
2009 2010 2011 2012
Rape
Kidnapping &
Abduction
Molestation
Sati Prevention
Act
4. Key Issues …
Reproductive health: Women, for both physiological and social reasons, are more vulnerable
than men to reproductive health problems. Reproductive health problems, including maternal
mortality and morbidity, represent a major – but preventable -- cause of death and disability for
women in developing countries. Failure to provide information, services and conditions to help
women protect their reproduction health therefore constitutes gender-based discrimination and a
violation of women’s rights to health and life.
Stewardship of natural resources: Women in developing nations are usually in charge of
securing water, food and fuel and of overseeing family health and diet. Therefore, they tend to
put into immediate practice whatever they learn about nutrition and preserving the environment
and natural resources.
Economic empowerment : More women than men live in poverty. Economic disparities persist
partly because much of the unpaid work within families and communities falls on the shoulders
of women and because they face discrimination in the economic sphere.
Educational empowerment : About two thirds of the illiterate adults in the world are female.
Higher levels of women's education are strongly associated with both lower infant mortality and
lower fertility, as well as with higher levels of education and economic opportunity for their
children.
Political empowerment: 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.
5. Gender Inequality
Statistics
Indicator Value
Population with at least secondary
education (Ratio of female to male rates)
0.528
Adolescent fertility rate (births per 1000
for women aged 15-19 years)
86.3
Labor force participation rate, (Ratio of
female to male shares)
0.359
GII : Gender Inequality Index 0.610
Shares in parliament, female-male ratio 0.123
Maternal mortality ratio (deaths of
women per 100,000 live births
200
According to the UNDP report 2013
6. Some Facts …
National data collection agencies state that there are far fewer women than
men in the paid workforce
According to 1992-93 figures, only 9.2% of the households in India were
headed by females. However, approximately 35% of the households below
the poverty line were found to be headed by females.
The female literacy rate in India is far less than the male literacy rate.
According to the National Sample Survey Data of 1997, only the states of
Kerala and Mizoram have approached universal female literacy. According
to scholars, the major factor behind improvements in the social and
economic status of women in Kerala is literacy
According to a 1998 report by the U.S. Department of Commerce, the
chief barriers to female education in India are inadequate school facilities
(such as sanitary facilities), shortage of female teachers and gender bias in
the curriculum (female characters being depicted as weak and helpless)
7. Proposed Solution
• Volunteer driven education of women.
• The society and families should be enlightened primarily not to raise sons
indoctrinated with a sense of superiority and privilege.
• Education through Media and Literature.
Education
• Police should be treated as an accessory to the crime if they don’t register a
complaint.
• Fast-track courts, greater woman police force, sensitized male police force
and a special force for handling cases of violence against women (preferably
headed by a woman).
Justice
System
• For women working in various private and public organizations, the
employers should ensure their safety and organize an internal mechanism to
the same.
• Provision of safe transportation .
• Free defensive training courses should be started at the school level and
corporate organizations should also be encouraged to conduct the same.
Private
Safety
8. What can be done ?
To truly understand what is women empowerment, there needs to be
a sea-change in the mind-set of the people in the country. Not just
the women themselves, but the men have to wake up to a world that
is moving towards equality and equity. It is better that this is
embraced earlier rather than later, for our own good.Here are some
suggestions which can help the cause :-
changes in women's mobility and social interaction;
changes in women's labour patterns;
changes in women's access to and control over resources; and
changes in women's control over decision-making.
