CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN: PROBLEMS AND REMEDIES

Dany Poulose
Research scholar
Department of History
SSUS, Kalady

Crimes against women occur every minute; every day and throughout the year,
though several such crimes go unreported. Violence against women is, collectively,
violent acts that are primarily or exclusively committed against women. This type of
violence is gender-based, meaning that the acts of violence are committed against women
expressly because they are women, or as a result of patriarchal gender constructs. 1 The
UN Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women states that: "violence
against women is a manifestation of historically unequal power relations between men
and women" and that "violence against women is one of the crucial social mechanisms by
which women are forced into a subordinate position compared with men."2
Kofi Annan, the former Secretary-General of the United Nations, declared in a
2006 report posted on the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)
website that: Violence against women and girls is a problem of pandemic proportions. At
least one out of every three women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex,
or otherwise abused in her lifetime with the abuser usually someone known to her.3
According to National Crimes Records Bureau, Government of India, there were
over 32,000 murders, 19,000 rapes, 7,500 dowry deaths and 36,500 molestation cases are
the violent crimes against women during 2006.4 While Madhya Pradesh is worst off

among the states, the national capital New Delhi continues to remain the most unsafe city
in India. Over the last few years cases of rapes and assault have made it to the headlines
with alarming frequency. For an affected woman, it is an ordeal to lodge a complaint with
the police, who, besides being reluctant to file a proper FIR, adopt a most unsympathetic
attitude putting the complainant to further shame by asking her to give a graphic
description as to how she was sexually abused.5
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Women are more likely to be victimized by someone that they are intimate with,
commonly called "Intimate Partner Violence" or (IPV). Instances of IPV tend not to be
reported to police and thus many experts believe that the true magnitude of the problem is
hard to estimate.6 Women are much more likely than men to be murdered by an intimate
partner. In the United States, in 2005, 1181 women, in comparison with 329 men, were
killed by their intimate partners. In England and Wales about 100 women are killed by
partners or former partners each year while 21 men were killed in 2010. In 2008, in
France, 156 women in comparison with 27 men were killed by their intimate partner.7
According to WHO, globally, as many as 38% of murders of women are
committed by an intimate partner. A UN report compiled from a number of different
studies conducted in at least 71 countries found domestic violence against women to be
most prevalent in Ethiopia.8 In Western Europe, a country which has received major
international criticism for the way it has dealt legally with the issue of violence against
women is Finland; with authors pointing that a high level of equality for women in the

public sphere (as in Finland) should never be equated with equality in all other aspects of
women's lives.9
PROBLEMS OF WORKING WOMEN
Working women i.e., those who are in paid employment, face problems at the
workplace just by virtue of their being women. Social attitude to the role of women lags
much behind the law.10 The attitude which considers women fit for certain jobs and not
others, causes prejudice in those who recruit employees. Thus women find employment
easily as nurses, doctors, teachers, secretaries or on the assembly line. Even when well
qualified women are available, preference is given to a male candidate of equal
qualifications. A gender bias creates an obstacle at the recruitment stage itself. When it
comes to remuneration, though the law proclaims equality, it is not always practiced.
There are many who are sceptical about womens ability to exercise equal rights with
men and about their capacity to play equal roles with men. But such apprehensions are
ill-founded in the context of the broader opportunities available for women following
mechanization of industry and agriculture enabling women to compete with men
successfully. The inbuilt conviction that women are incapable of handling arduous jobs
and are less efficient than men influences the payment of unequal salaries and wages for
the same job. A woman could still bear with these problems if she has control over the
money she earns. But in most families her salary is handed over to the father, husband or
in-laws.11

So the basic motive for seeking employment in order to gain economic

independence is nullified in many womens case. Problems of gender bias beset women
in the industrial sector when technological advancement results in retrenchment of
employees. Working women are often subject to sexual harassment even while going to
work in the over-crowded public transport system. 12 At the work-place, a working woman
experiences sexual harassment from colleagues and her higher officers. The latter may
often prove difficult to shake off, when the job is very important for the woman. When a
woman is praised for her work or promoted on merit, her advancement is often attributed
to sexual favours. The psychological pressure of all this can easily lead to a woman
quitting her job. Most of the problems that beset working women are rooted in the social
perspective; that men are the bread winners and women are seen as the house-keepers and
child bearers. This typecast role model continues to put obstacles for the working
women.13 A fundamental change is required in the attitudes of the employers, policy
makers, family members, and public at large.
Even now the society in general expects men and women to adopt, believe in, and
fulfill certain specific gender roles and stereotypes that have been either established or
constructed. Even though the women are independent, the society expects them to be
dependent or obedient to the male members in the family and the society too. Nobody
would like to hear their raised voice in the public. The index of the annual gender survey
of the World Economic Forum (WEF), 2014, shows that no country in the world has
achieved gender equality even in the case of the developed countries like US, UK etc. It
again pointing out that it will take another 81 years for gender parity at the work place.

WOMEN IN THE INFORMAL SECTOR

The Shramshakti report on self-employed women and women in the informal
sector that published in 1988 was a crucial report on women in the informal sectors of
urban and rural India.14 The report shows that women are extremely vulnerable to
working conditions across diverse occupations, suffering high levels of discrimination, as
well as a variety of health hazards. The report demands enlarging the definition of work
to encompass all women engaged in production and reproduction and recognizing women
as major rather than supplementary wage earners and calls for formulating strategies to
enhance womens control over and owner ship of resources. The report suggests the
appointment of a separate Labour Commissioner to ensure the security of employment of
women in the informal sector. The Report throws light on the incredible range of tasks
that poor women perform, their often greater contribution to household income despite
lower wage earnings, their ability to make scarce resources stretch further under
deteriorating conditions etc. The report concludes that poor women are clearly more
efficient economic actors, with greater managerial and entrepreneurial skills.15
DOWRY VIOLENCE
The custom of dowry, which is common in South Asia, especially in India, is the
trigger of many forms of violence against women. Bride burning is a form of violence
against women in which a bride is killed at home by her husband or husband's family due
to his dissatisfaction over the dowry provided by her family. 16 Dowry death refers to the
phenomenon of women and girls being killed or committing suicide due to disputes

regarding dowry. Dowry violence is common in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.
In India, in 2011 alone, the National Crime Records Bureau reported 8,618 dowry deaths,
while unofficial figures suggest the numbers to be at least three times higher.17
STALKING
Stalking is unwanted or obsessive attention by an individual or group toward
another person, often manifested through persistent harassment, intimidation, or
following/monitoring of the victim. Stalking is often understood as "course of conduct
directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to feel fear". Although
stalkers are frequently portrayed as being strangers, they are most often known people,
such as former or current partners, friends, colleagues or acquaintances. Stalking by
partners can be very dangerous, as sometimes it can escalate into severe violence,
including murder. Police statistics from the 1990s in Australia indicated that 87.7% of
stalking offenders were male and 82.4% of stalking victims were female.18
SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Sexual harassment is abusive, uninvited and unwelcome behavior of a sexual

nature, typically in the work/studying place, which may include intimidation, bullying or
coercion of a sexual nature, or the inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for
sexual favors. It can be verbal or physical, and it is often perpetrated by a person in a
position of authority against a subordinate.19. The Council of Europe Convention on
preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence defines sexual
harassment as: "any form of unwanted verbal, non-verbal or physical conduct of a sexual

nature with the purpose or effect of violating the dignity of a person, in particular when
creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment."20
HONOUR KILLINGS
To be young and in love has proved fatal for many young girls and boys in parts
of north India as an intolerant and bigoted society refuses to accept any violation of its
rigid code of decorum, especially when it comes to women. 21 Many such killings, which
go by the name honour killings, happen with regularity in Punjab and Haryana. The usual
remedy to such murders is the suggestion that society must be prevailed upon to be more
gender-sensitive and shed prejudices of caste and class. Efforts should be made to
sensitize people on the need to do away with social biases. So far, there is no specific law
to deal with honour killings.22
TRAFFICKING OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN
Trafficking in women and children is the most an abominable violation of human
rights. It is an obscene affront to their dignity and rights, including the very right to life,
liberty, human dignity and security of person, the right to freedom from torture or cruelty,
inhumane or degrading treatment, the right to a home and family, the right to education
and proper employment, the right to health care and everything that makes for a life with
dignity.23 Trafficking in its widest sense include the exploitation girls by pushing them
into prostitution, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery and the
trade in human organs. In the case of children who have been trafficked or have become
victims of child marriages, it violates their right to education, employment and selfdetermination. In the existing social scenario in India, vulnerability is a product of

inequality, low status and discrimination, and of the patriarchal authority unleashed on
children, especially the girl child. This is further compounded by the apathetic attitude of
the society fuelled by a mind-set which views women as mere chattels with no freedom
of choices and options to lead a life with dignity. Women and children are trafficked and
exploited, and force to lead a life of indignity, social stigma, debt bondage and a host of
ailments including HIV/AIDS.24 According to a recent survey women are bought and sold
with impunity and trafficked at will to other countries from different parts of India, only
to be forced to work as sex workers undergoing severe exploitation and abuse. Such
honour killings are sanctioned by caste Panchayats and carried out by mobs with the
connivance of family members. Such honour killings exist even among Muslims who do
not accept a Muslim girl marrying a non-Muslim boy. Acute poverty and lack of
employment opportunities has been abetting an increased voluntary entry of women into
sex work. Trafficking is a complex challenge as it is an organized criminal activity.
GENDER BIAS IN IDENTITY FORMATION
The Indian societys unique social structure is an oppressor of women in almost
every sphere of life due to its denial of equal status to them. The patriarchal system of the
society forces women to be confined to the four walls of their homes largely engaged in
the household chores.25 There are various social hassles which still pose a hindrance to
the identity of women. Although the Panchayati-Raj system is an important tool for
transforming women into equal partners in the process of development, the elected
women still face a lot of resistance from the males. Women are not allowed to participate
in decision making process and more than eighty percent of the elected women admit that
decisions are made by the male members, who ignore suggestions from the women

members. In addition, the other major factors that affect the performance of women
members are their illiteracy, non-recognition of their usefulness by the male members and
lack of assertiveness among them due to social and psychological restrictions. 26 Although
there are some cases of women coming forward to make their presence felt as potential
workers in Panchayati-raj system, women have to go long way in achieving a dignified
and acceptable identity for themselves.
MEASURES TO REDUCE CRIMES AGAINST WOMEN
1.

The empowering of women economically would help in building confidence.

2.

A strong media (without biased) and awareness generation drive and tighter
control over the functioning of the police could lead to further reduction of crimes
against women.

3.

Awareness generation programs on womens rights

i) The right to liberty and security, protection of bodily integrity is an
essential aspect.
ii) The right to health

4.

The rise in the literacy status of women would lead to better awareness of their
rights, as well as access to information relating to criminal administration.

5.

Establishment of leading women voluntary organizations to give information on

crimes against women, as well as follow-up action to ensure that crime is
reported.

Notes and References

Beverly McPhail, (2003). Gender-Bias Hate Crimes: A Review

Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women, United Nations General
Assembly
3
Azad Moradian, Domestic Violence against Single and Married Women in Iranian Society, 2009.
4
Internees Report, Status of Women in India: Problems and Concerns, p. 27.
5
Ibid. p. 28
6
Ethiopian Women are most Abused BBC News, 11 Oct, 2006
7
Intimate Partner Violence: Overview Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006
8
BBC News, op.cit.
9
http://www.scottishaffairs.org/backiss/pdfs/sa48/sa48_McKie_and_Hearn.pdf
10
Internees Report, p. 27
11
Ibid, p.27
12
Ibid, p.28
13
Idem
14
Idem
15
Ibid, p.29
16
file:///G:/Violence against women Wikipedia, free encyclopedia.html
17
http://www.unwomen.org
18
http://www. aic.gov.ac/media_library/conferences/stalking/dussuyer.pdf
19
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/osagi/pdf/whatissh.pdf.
20
Council of Europe- convention on preventing and combating violence against women and
domestic violence
21
Internees Report, p. 30
22
Ibid. p. 31
23
idem
24
idem
25
Ibid. p.32
26
Idem
2