Women activists demand early approval of Domestic Violence Bill
FROM SHRUBA MUKHERJEE DH News Srevice, NEW DELHI: The Protection Officer had
been given extremely wide powers under the bill, which could be misused: Brinda
Karat
Demanding that the Domestic Violence (Prevention) Bill should be presented
before Parliament in the ongoing monsoon session women activists and leaders
cutting across party lines on Tuesday said they would urge the members to
expedite the passage by not sending it to the Standing Committee.
Raising the demand in an interface between Parliamentarians, social activists
and grassroot leaders CPI(M) Polit Bureau member Brinda Karat, CPI leader
Amarjeet Kaur, Mahila Congress President Rita Bahuguna Joshi and activists
Indira Jaising and Ranjana Kumari focused on the need for the early passage of
the bill.
Stating that the bill was delayed as the women’s organisations wanted to bring
in those women, who were not married but living in a relationship, which was in
the nature of marriage, within the ambit of the bill, Ms Karat said victims of
violence in live-in relationships should also get adequate compensation.
She also said the provision of appointing Protection Officers should be
implemented with caution.
Apart from the problems of bureaucratisation leading to delays, the Protection
Officer had been given extremely wide powers under the bill, which could be
misused, she said.
“We feel that the victims’ direct access to the court should not be limited by
the appointment of a Protection Officer,” she said.
Pointing out another lacunae she said the present bill allowed a woman relative
of the husband including his mother or sister to file a complaint against
wife/live-in partner.
“In most cases of domestic violence the husband’s family not only sympathises
with him, but often also participates in perpetuating acts of violence within
the home,” she said adding that the provision could be misused as the husband’s
relatives could file false cases against the battered wife.
Ms Karat also said the Left parties had urged Government to present the Women’s
Reservation Bill in Parliament in the ongoing session so that “instead of
wasting time in consensus-building efforts outside Parliament meaningful debate
could take place inside the House.”
Ms Kaur had a word of caution for the women’s organisations as “those who want
to oppose the bill will now argue that such efforts would break up traditional
family units and hence should not be supported.”
[Deccan Herald: Wednesday, August 17, 2005]