Activists oppose review of domestic violence Act
Posted by 498A_Crusader on December 24, 2007
Lawyers’ Collective frames e-petition against review
Over 170 activists and groups have already signed e-petitions and sent it to the Ministry
‘Men’s groups have set up blogs campaigning for review of PWDVA’
Bangalore: The Union Ministry of Women and Child Development’s proposal to set up a panel of lawyers to review the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 (PWDVA), has become a cause of worry for women’s activists. They see the move as an effort to dilute the Act, passed in October, 2006, after persistent campaigning by women’s groups demanding a consolidated law against domestic violence.
The New Delhi-based advocacy group, The Lawyers’ Collective (Women’s Rights Initiative), has started an e-campaign against the setting up of the panel and over 170 activists and groups have already signed e-petitions and sent it to the Ministry.
“In the one year of its existence, there have been several challenges posed against the effective implementation of the Act, which in our opinion undermine women’s rights to equality and right to live free from violence. Any move to amend the Act at this stage would therefore amount to a retraction of the promises made by the present UPA Government in its Common Minimum Programme towards upholding fundamental rights of women,” writes Indira Jaisingh of Lawyers’ Collective in her introduction to the e-petition.
The petition says that though the panel is expected to be formed to review a set of six laws, the specific target is PWDVA because the others (Immoral Traffic Prevention Act, 1956; Amendments to the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961; National Commission for Women Act, 1990; the Commission of Sati Prevention Act, 1987; Indecent Representation of Women Prohibition Act, 1986) are either already reviewed by other bodies or is in the process of being reviewed.
To mark the first anniversary of the PWDVA, the Lawyers’ Collective, with the Ministry of Women and Child Development and the National Commission for Women, had done a review of the law in the last week of October and released a monitoring and evaluation report as well. This makes yet another review at such short notice more suspect.
Men’s view
“We are aware that there are several men’s groups, who have set up blogs and websites campaigning for and demanding a review of the PWDVA, alleging that the law victimises innocent husbands and in-laws. No such demand has come from the women’s movement,” states the petition. Donna Fernandes of Vimochana, one of the women’s groups which has signed the petition, says that the priority should be on implementing the Act rather than reviewing it before giving it adequate time to be tested.
Gautam said
Sir, This is with reference to the news article, “Activists oppose review of Domestic violence act”. I strongly oppose the DV act and such one-sided laws passed by the govt in the garb of women’s empowerment. The DV act is unconstitutional, violates fundamental rights of men and lacks common sense. It prejudges men as perpetrators and women as innocent. Times have changed. Women too commit crimes and are violent towards men in many homes. The law
protects women alone and men are are the mercy of some bad elements among women. The supreme court has called poorly drafted law.
There should be review on this law.
Ram Balak said
who is indira jai singh?
If she can make law then next time I shall also be allowed to make atleast one law?
Is it true that DV act is made by indra? I can make better law.
Review of such stupid law is must..
Narendra Kumar Rana said
It is a very very poorly drafted law which was not well debated before passing it. It is totally biased towards the daughter-in-laws. In this law the most soory state is that not a single member of he drafting group thought that there are other womens aslo in the society other than daughter-in-laws. In this law the definition of a women is restricted to only the daughter-in-law, hence is the missuse. But i want to warn those daughter-in-laws who are missusing this law for there illegal interests as they are also mothers, sisters, ets. One day they will be in one of the above role and when they are caught in this law that time they will realise how poorly it has been drafted and implemented. It is really a matter of concern for all of us as our nation is a developing nation and aur parliament cannot draft a law whic can benifit the whole society and not a bunch of people who knows only to missuse this law.
I am very sure if in future we have a war with the neboughring country it will not be false to say that one thought in our soilders mind as to whome are we fighting this war for those false 498A girls. I am sure they will not fight the war and will not be able to fight the war as they are all so badly tormented by this biased and poorly drafted law.
I hope someone can rethink on this issue and resolve this issue at the earliest before it is tooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo late and later we think, “aab kaya karen jab chidya chug gai khet”. Please for god sake think on this and try to stop the damage to the indian society. It will never mend any differences among the husband wife rather will ensure that the kids are deprived of the love and effection of either mother or father.
Please do some thing not for me or for the present generation but for the comming generation because i can foresee that there are a large community of people who are saying that i donot remember how my dad used to look like or another kid saying that my mom is alive but i dont know how she looks like. Had se or he been there i would not have been a criminal today or i would have enjoyed my childhood.
For god sake please think and donot think by ur brains but think by ur heart. As in some cases only heart can take good decisions.
Thanking you in anticipation
regards.
Please pardon me if i have hurt anybodies feelings fer that i am sorry.
a k singh said
the kind of comments we see on website that shows how deep male dominancy is rooted in our pshyqe . Those who are crying misuse of 498a are seen nowhere when situation with daughter-in-law reaches to this level . Same in-laws enjoy torturing daughter-in-law . This torture creates emotional diatress for bahu’s parents & relatives . But when tables turn against in-laws then they cry harrasment as if killing bahu is in-laws birth right . In my opinion all in-laws must be hanged till death only at the statement of daughter-in-law , no further evidence is required . Cruelty against women must be made much more henious crime than high treason .The hue & cry over 498a , DVA & dowry laws show that these laws are not at all stringent as much they need to be .
Ganesh ganu said
if mens are so cruel , why not they are are promoting
” no marriage to indian husband” that is best solution instead of asking implementation of such clumpsy law. out grand parent had spend ther life wihtout the existance of such Law.
decades and decades an educated employed boy’s married to mostly unemployed even sometimes unedcated Girls, and spend ther life confortably.
How many today’s edcated and employed Girls marrring with unemployed Boy’s ?
No because if you check the matrimonial site every girls want high salried , her care taker husband. nobody talked about husband parents.
what is the wife duty for husband and his family ? nobody donot know?
Throwing the men’s out of there homes is social work for NCW?
further it is not mentioed in where should this thrown men go?
not review . scrap the law. the law should be drafted by sucessful grand mother .n ot by divorcee or unmarried mided people.
Scrap the DV law.is only option.