Protection of Privacy and Dignity of Women Act required

A comprehensive Protection of Privacy and Dignity of Women Act requires to be enacted to prevent 'new age crimes' including mobile phone harassment, morphing, blackmailing through photographing/videographing, and internet circulation, according to a top police officer.

In her paper "the role of institutional mechanisms in strengthening protection to women" presented at the 'human rights of women-reforms for effective legal protection' here yesterday, Dr B Sandhya, inspector general of police, said in the same enactment stringent sections for harassment of women at public places as well as sexual harassment at work places and public places also could be added.

"While incidents of violence against women of any type occur, an easily accessible mechanism should be available to deal with all such issues. Women helplines have been started by the police department in every police district headquarters with this purpose," she said.

She said, "Digital complaint mechanism has to be popularised," adding, "any women should be able to complain about any type of harassment caused to her, sitting at her residence or accessing from a cyber cafe, through a digital complaint."

"Complaint boxes kept at railway stations, bus stations and other public places were also very useful, but it needed more popularisation," she said.

Sandhya said any type of violence against women including inside the house, private spaces, public places or cyber space need to be addressed then and there with utmost seriousness. "The tendency to decrime and trivialize violence against women need to be totally discouraged," she said.

"Preventing, curbing and eradicating all forms of violence against women was a major concern of the world today," she said.

The societal attitude towards a woman who comes forward to file a criminal complaint was not encouraging, she said, adding this perpetuates violence gainst women and decrimes such violence. Strengthening legal aid to women and strengthen monitorying mechanisms on crimes against women was required, she said.

A special agency exclusively to monitor all types of violence against women with powers to take action against those officers who fail to take prompt action on crimes against women like the provisions of SC/ST Act may be evolved, she said.

PK Sainaba, member, Kerala Women's Commission, in her paper 'domestic violence against woman efficacy of legal measures' said domestic violence was a major problem in India, both in the states and union territories. At least 18 women were killed everyday in dowry related cases and at least 87 women were subjected to sexual harassment daily, she said.

Sainaba said among the cases received in the Kerala Womens Commission, 48% related to domestic violence. "At present, women feel safe under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, passed in 2005," she said.

In his paper 'institutional mechanisms-strengthening protection to women' former MP Dr Sebastian Paul said the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which India has ratified, had stated that women must have the same rights in all matters relating to marriage, including divorce.

"However, Indian women continue to live under personal laws that discriminate against them and serve to disempower them in familial relationships," he said.

"Despite the dictates of international human rights law, laws at the domestic/national level continue to be weak and ineffective, failing women in their hour of need," he said, adding, "the struggle against sex-selective abortion, female infanticide, child marriage, honour killings, domestic violence and dowry deaths still continued."