Knowledge is power. As a parent, wife, daughter, employee and a woman these are rights set in place to protect you and it is important that you are aware about these.
11 Rights of Indian women :
1. Safety at workplace – POSH Act
POSH means Prevention of sexual harassment . Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act, 2013 ensures women’s safety at workplace . Each organisation with more than 10 employees is required to form an ICC (Internal Complaints Committee) headed by a senior female officer. A woman who faces SH at workplace can complaint to ICC within three months .
2. Domestic Violence
Domestic violence act 2005 usually protects women from their partners. It also applies to those women who are sisters, widows, mothers or single women.
- Domestic violence includes actual abuse or the threat of abuse that is physical, sexual, verbal, emotional and economic.
- An important feature of the Act is the woman’s right to secure housing.
3. Right to Equality
Equality Act 2010 gives a right to equal pay between women and men for equal work . The ‘equality of terms’ provisions of the Act cover all aspects of the contractual pay and benefits package, including basic pay , allowances , sick pay or even pension schemes .
4. Dowry prohibition
Dowry prohibition act says that if a man is guily of taking or demanding dowry , he may be punished with imprisonment which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to five thousand rupees, or with both.
5. Stalking : Nirbhaya Law
Nirbhaya Law or The criminal law (Amendment) Act, 2013 includes Stalking as an offence under Section 35D of the IPC(Indian penal code). This act states that any man who observes the use of a woman over the internet, instant messages, e-mail or any other form of electronic communication is the offence of stalking.
Section 500 of IPC criminalises publishing any false statement against a person or harming the person’s reputation and provides punishment for any such act with imprisonment up to 2 years, fine or both.
6. Rape- The doctor can’t decide it
A case of rape can’t be dismissed even if the doctor says rape had not taken place. Rape is crime and not a medical condition. It is a legal term and not a diagnosis to be made by the medical officer treating the victim. The only statement that can be made by the medical officer is that there is evidence of recent sexual activity. Whether the rape has occurred or not is a legal conclusion and the doctor can’t decide on this.
Are rape laws appropriate in our country ?
7. No arrests after sunset
According to a Supreme Court ruling, nobody can arrest a woman after sunset and before sunrise. Even if there is a woman constable accompanying the officers, the police can’t arrest a woman at night. In case the woman has committed a serious crime, the police has to get it in writing from the magistrate explaining why the arrest is necessary during the night. This is in accordance with Criminal law amendment act.
8. Zero FIR
A rape victim can register her police complaint from any police station under the Zero FIR ruling by Supreme Court. The Criminal Act 2013 can even punish the public servants who refuse to register complaints of sexual assault victims.
9. Acid attack
Acid attack (or attempt to attack )is a very serious and punishable offence. The Section 326 A in the Indian Penal Code lays down minimum 10 years of punishment for acid attack offenders . It can extend up to life imprisonment with fine.
Laxmi , an acid attack survivor , had filed a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) for a total ban on sale of acid. Supreme Court passed new regulations that acid could not be sold to any individual below the age of 18 years. One is also required to furnish a photo identity card before buying acid. Despite these regulatory orders , not much has changed on the ground and acid is still freely available in shops.
10. Eve Teasing
Under Section 292, if a man shows pornographic or obscene pictures, books or slips to a female, he will be fined a sum of Rs.2000 with two years of rigorous imprisonment, if the offence has been committed for the first time. In the event of a repeated offence, the guilty will have to pay Rs.5000 and spend five years in prison.
11. Property Inheritance
Hindu succession act says that a daughter shall have the same rights in the parents’ property as she would have had she been a son. You as the daughter of the family will get the same share as your brother or the son of family . How practically it gets implemented in our society , that’s a different issue .
Disclaimer : It’s a complied list of some of the important women’s rights . I am not any legal authority and this post doesn’t contain any legal advice . For detailed reading you may go to:
https://indiankanoon.org/
http://www.legalserviceindia.com/legal/article-1048-cyber-stalking-in-india.html
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