Addressing discrimination, violence, and mental health issues to ensure women’s well-being and inclusion
Women are the source and spring of love, affection, and care; in the same way, she is very tender, sensitive, and susceptible to social and emotional swings in life. Every year on March 8th, we focus on bringing them out from the morass of discrimination and social deprivation in various fields of life through mass awareness and preventive measures. No doubt, we are able to rake up the issues and challenges confronting women, but still, in this era of technology and awareness, they lack the grit to redress the issues confronting them. In their homes, a sizeable chunk of women are salient sufferers because of hawkish oppressors. The oppressors, either by manipulation or by might, exclude them from inclusion in various social circles. Some homes are no less than concentration cells for them. Their multiple and multi-pronged workload keeps them engaged, and as a result, they can’t serve the family members timely and aptly.
Consequently, the persistent cycle of injustice, neglect, physical bullying, and tormental, and psychological pressure makes their lives miserable. There is no let-up in crime reports against women despite living in an educated society – domestic violence, sexual harassment, dowry death, deprivation, and social isolation due to family feuds and crises.
Women from vulnerable sections are subjected to human trafficking and honour killings, and socially isolated during any type of suffering. Section 354 of the IPC defines crime against women as “whoever assaults or uses criminal force to any woman intending to outrage her shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to two years with fine, section 506 demands punishment for criminal intimidations applicable to whoever commits the offence of criminal intimidation.
The crime against women, a gender-based violence, and this violence is mostly perpetrated by men against women in various forms. Some are as given here: harassment at the workplace, The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 was passed to provide protection to women at the workplace, and due to relationship misuse of power, domestic violence. It can be described as when an adult in a relationship misuses the power in order to control another. It is the establishment of fear in a relationship through violence that includes varied forms of abuse like physical abuse, sexual assault, and threats.
To curb such practices, the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005 was enacted, which shields women against violence and the perpetrators are booked. International Women’s Day is celebrated every year across the globe to discuss the woman, their status, role, and sufferings. In the same manner, preventive measures are devised for her protection. The IWD campaign theme for 2024 is inspiration and inclusion to carve a better life and world for her. Everyone can play a role in groups, and organizations at the community level and at the individual level, at the workplace, and at home to eradicate the social stigma regarding disclosure of any type of abuse and discrimination.
Women have a pivotal role in family welfare, child development, and family chores and management, which exhausts their energy and health. Hence, she deserves genuine consideration and moral support from the rest of the family members. Her life becomes challenging in passion when she opts to work outside the home in an organization or any other department where she is supposed to deliver as she is paid. Any sluggish approach on her part may warrant action from employers. It should be realized by their family members, but it is a matter of dismay and disappointment that she is not getting any consideration and support from her family despite being a working lady outside her home. She is looked at as a source of income by her family partners and they demand equal economic dividends from her earnings.
The sane voice within the conscience speaks that no other fellow should become self-interested due to her womanhood, fragile, and frail structure. At home, she should be made secure emotionally and socially stable instead of intimidating her for minor discrepancies in her approach, attitude, and work. At her place of work, she also deserves and demands dignified treatment; hence she should not be subjected to unjustified treatment for being a woman. Her emotional well-being should be the priority of every human being.
Stable women guarantee a stable future and progeny. Recent research findings indicate that a large number of women are not maintaining harmonious mental health and hygiene because of the circumstances they face in domestic life and situations at the workplace, which in certain cases became the cause of depression, isolation, obsession, and even suicide. It is our collective responsibility to help women mitigate their sufferings and predicaments in their respective homes and at their workplaces. The malaise in their psyche has far-reaching effects on society. The theme of this year’s Women’s Day makes us visualize that her fair inclusion in social circles should inspire them for a better future.
The writer can be reached at ir**********@***il.com