'Haryana having high rate of violence against women'
[ Thursday, February 20, 2003 11:35:55 pmTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
CHANDIGARH: The violence against women has increased so much in Haryana in
recent years that the state has attained the dubious distinction of being among
the states with high VAW rate.
This observation has been made by Multipleaction Research Group (MARG) in its
latest publication ''Support Services To Counter Violence Against Women in
Haryana'' (a resource directory) which contains information about government and
non-government agencies which can be helpful in dealing with VAW and helping the
victims in the state; various national and state-run schemes available to the
victims of VAW and the legal provisions helpful to combat VAW.
MARG points out that during its survey, a Haryanvi women admitted that a girl's
status in the state is that of an unpaid labourer, be it her parents' place or
her in-laws. The whole day they are found toiling in various chores such as
rearing children, tending cattle, managing the home, working as labourers in
fields.
Despite all this, these women do not have any role in decision-making, even
where it concerns them. The inferior status of women, says the directory, is the
result of repression inflicted on her, it is the off-shoot of gender inequality
of hundreds of years, female foeticide, female infanticide, dowry, lower
benefits of employment, issues relating to inheritance, lack of political
participation and illiteracy.
Sex ratio is an important social indicator to measure the extent of prevailing
inequality between males and females of this society. And some of the important
reasons for Haryana being one of those states where the sex ratio is lowest are
neglect of girl child resulting in higher mortality at younger age, high
maternal mortality, sex selective female abortions and female infanticide.
It further points out that one of the Haryana folklores depicts death of female
child as a stroke of luck and that of a male child as a stroke of bad luck. ''Chora
mare nirbhag ka, chori mare bhagvaan ki.''
''Parda'' is another form of repression responsible for the backwardness of
women. This makes them more dependant on their male counterparts and is also the
main hindrance in their active participation in Panchayati Raj institutions,
says the publication.
[Times of india, Thursday, February 20, 2003]