REPORT TO THE PEOPLE 2004-07’ – MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Posted by 498A_Crusader on June 2, 2007
The following are the excerpts from the “Report to the People 2004-07” on Women and Child Development. The report was released by the Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan singh on 22nd May, 2007.
EMPOWERING WOMEN
In order to give greater focus to issue relating to women, an independent Ministry of Women and child Development has been created first time.
Forty-two laws which are either specifically related to women or contain provisions affecting them, administered by various Ministries/Departments, have been under the scrutiny of the Government. The Government has set up an Inter-Ministerial Committee to monitor the status of amendments to such laws with a view to making them more women-friendly. So far, the Government has amended six laws, enacted two new laws and issued executive orders in respect of five statues.
Through coming into force of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, more effective protection has been provided to women who are victims of violence of any kind occurring within a family. The Act enables women to negotiate non-abusive and non-violent available in the criminal law regime. The Hindu Succession Act, 1955 has been amended to make Hindu women’s inheritance rights in coparcenary property equal to men’s across states, overriding any inconsistent state laws. A bill for compulsory registration of marriages is under active consideration. Amendments to the Commission of Sati (Prevention) Act, 1987 are being introduced to make the provisions of the Act more stringent, deterrent and effective and help re-orient the existing perception of the woman attempting to commit sati as an offender and, instead, treat her as a victim of prolonged social conditioning.
Amendments have been passed by Parliament prohibiting arrest of women after sunset and before sunrise; medical examination of persons accused of committing or attempting to commit rape; and mandatory judicial inquiry in case of rape while in police custody. The Sexual Harassment of Women at Work Place (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Bill is being finanalised. Steps are being initiated to eliminate female foeticide. In order to provide flexibility in the matter of employment of women during night while requiring the employer to ensure measures for safety and protection, the Government has introduced a bill in Parliament to amend the Factories Act, 1948.
The Government has introduced a bill in Parliament for amending the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 in order to make the provisions of law more stringent, deterrent and effective against traffickers, pimps and brothel-owners, omit such provisions of the Act as are discriminatory towards women who are victims of commercial sexual exploitation, provide for in camera proceedings to protect the privacy and dignity of victims, and provide for setting up a Central authority as well as state authorities for effectively preventing and combating trafficking in persons.
Amendments are also being considered to the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986, the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971, the Guardians and Wards Act, 1890, the Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Act, 1956, the Foreign Marriage Act, 1969, the Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act, 1956.
Gender Budgeting: gender budgeting for assessing and focusing the impact of Government spending on the welfare of women and improving the gender sensitivity of programmes and schemes has been introduced. Gender Budgeting Cells have been established in 50 Ministries/ Departments. The outlay for 100% women-specific programmes is Rs. 8,795 crore and for schemes where at least 30% is specifically for women is Rs. 22,382 crore.
Girls’ education: 2,180 new residential Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya Schools have been sanctioned over the last three years for providing free residential education up to class VIII to girls. A new scheme to incentivise secondary education of girls through deposit of a sum of Rs. 3,000 in the names of girl children passing class VII and enrolling in secondary school with entitlement to withdraw upon attainment of majority has been announced.
NCJ/DT
Source : REPORT TO THE PEOPLE 2004-07’ – MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
