DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

A project Report on Gender Sensitization

Submitted To
CVR College Of Engineering

By

(20B81A05T0 )

In partial fulfillment for the award of the degree of

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
IN
COMPUTER SCIENCE & ENGINEERING

CVR COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Vastunagar,Mangalpalli(V),Ibrahimpatnam(M),[Link],Telangana State

1
 CERTIFICATE FROM SUPERVISOR

I hereby declare that this project report entitled “DOMESTIC VIOLENCE”,Submitted by

[Link] Reddy To the department of Computer Science & Engineering Is a bona fide
record of the work carried out under the supervision of Assistant professor of English
department [Link] Raj Antony.

This work has now been submitted for the award of any degree ,diploma or certificate.

DATE:
GUIDE NAME:

2
 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I would like to express my heartfelt thaks to all those who helped me with their
continuous guidance and constant encouragement at all stages throughout my
work.

I would like to convey my deepest sense of gratitude to [Link] Raj

Antony,my teacher for his valuable advice,guidance and constant
encouragement in making this project.

In the end,I would also like to extend my gratefulness to all my friends who
have helped me with this project and my parents for providing me with the
necessary resources.

3
 ABSTRACT
This project deals with "Women Empowerment" a burning issue all over the world. "Women
empowerment" is a universal issue. Women Empowerment refers to the creation of an
environment for women where they can make decisions of their own for their personal
benefits as well as for the society.

Women Empowerment refers to increasing and improving the social, economic, political and
legal strength of the women, to ensure equal-right to women, and to make them confident
enough to claim their rights, such as: freely live their life with a sense of self-worth, respect
and dignity, both within and outside of their home and workplace, have equal social status in
the society, have equal rights for social and economic justice, determine financial and
economic choices, get equal opportunity for education, get equal employment opportunity
without any gender bias, get safe and comfortable working environment Women have the
rights to get their voices heard.

Women population constitutes around 50% of the world population. A large number of
women around the world are unemployed. The world economy suffers a lot because of the
unequal opportunity for women at workplaces. Women are equally competent. Nowadays,
women are even ahead of men in many socioeconomic activities. Women Empowerment
leads to decrease in domestic violence. Uneducated women are at higher risk for domestic
violence than an educated woman.

The information has been gathered from papers, internet on the topic, essays and articles on
the topic ,forums where women have discussed this issues .This has then been analysed and
conclusions have been drawn based on the research.

4
CONTENTS
ABSTRACT
ACKNOWLEDEGEMWENTS
CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION
2. STATUS OF WOMEN IN INDIAN SOCIETY
3. NEED OF WOMAN EMPOWERMENT
4. PRINCIPLES OF WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
5. WAYS TO ACHIEVE WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
6. PROJECTS FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
 Girls not Bride
 Mala Fund
 Women in defence
 She Should Run
 Every mother counts
7. ACTS FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
8. CASE STUDIES
 Case 1
 Case 2
 Case 3
9. CONCLUSION
[Link]

5
 INTRODUCTION
Definition of empowerment
The act or action of empowering someone or something : the
granting of the power, right, or authority to perform various acts or
duties.
Empowerment refers to the delegation of some authority and
responsibility to employees and involving them in the decision-
making process, not in mere job activities, but rather at all the levels
of management.

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
Women's empowerment may be defined in several ways, including
accepting women's viewpoints or making an effort to seek them,
raising the status of women through education, awareness, literacy,
and training.

6
 Empowering women is essential to the health and social
development of families, communities and countries.
 When women are living safe, fulfilled and productive lives, they
can reach their full potential. contributing their skills to the
workforce and can raise happier and healthier children. They are
also able to help fuel sustainable economies.
 The need of women empowerment arose because of the gender
discrimination and male domination in the Indian society since
ancient time. Women are being suppressed by their family
members and society for many reasons. They have been targeted
for many types of violence and discriminatory practices by the
male members in the family and society in India and other
countries as well.
 Classifying the people based on gender is unreasonable and it
is having no worth. Still, women are paid less, expected to
cook and restricted by their family members. To overcome
these situations and to have an independent role in society,
women's empowerment is needed.
 Unemployment of women and unequal opportunities in the
place of work can be eradicated with the help of women
empowerment.

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

7
 Women’s empowerment can be defined to promoting women’s
sense of self-worth, their ability to determine their own choices,
and their right to influence social change for themselves and
others.
 It is closely aligned with female empowerment – a fundamental
human right that’s also key to achieving a more peaceful,
prosperous world.

 In Western countries,
female empowerment
is often associated with
specific phases of the
women’s rights
movement in history.

 Women’s empowerment and promoting women’s rights have

emerged as a part of a major global movement and is continuing
to break new ground in recent years. Days like International
Women’s Empowerment Day are also gaining momentum.
 But despite a great deal of progress, women and girls continue
to face discrimination and violence in every part of the world.

8
 STATUS OF WOMEN IN INDIAN SOCIETY
The status of women depicts the social, economic and mental
condition in a nation. Women have been regarded as a symbol of
spirituality in our scriptures. Yet, women were denied rights and
equality in ancient Indian civilization. They have been treated badly
and unequally to men. Social evils such as dowry, sati-system, child
marriage, and female infanticide were widely prevalent in the early
ages. The spread of education and self-consciousness among women
has led to their progress over the period. Women of today are
empowered. Also, women are gaining advancements and success in
each and every field. True female liberty is only achievable when
people shift their restrictive attitudes and mindsets regarding women.

History of the Status of Women in India

Going back to our origins, we can see how vital women are to
society, not only biologically, but also culturally. Women have been
mentioned in our Vedas and ancient books since ancient times, and
they have been assigned important positions. Because of the
contributions of women, the texts of Ramayana and Mahabharat have
been tremendously influenced and due to women, they may have
become the most sacred of all.

9
 SOCIAL TABOOS ON WOMEN

Social taboos have long been discussed and criticized, but sneakily continue to
linger. Existing more commonly in economically underdeveloped countries and
eastern nations like India, women are usually the worst victims of taboos. What
is heartening is how the perspective is changing against taboos that have long
impeded life for women.

A walk down the centuries brings to light scores of restrictions we have placed
on life based on the times, gender, caste or some such “category”. These
prohibitions, that were probably relevant in the past, get suffocating when they
fail to change with the growth of civilization. Social taboos have proved
especially damaging to the development of women, their social status and
overall living. There is a pressing need for society to re-look and reconsider
taboos in order for us to enjoy a fresh lease of life.

Disturbing Social Taboos for Women

Social taboos in India date back to the prehistoric times and the list can be
unimaginably long. Shocking as they are, women have predominantly been
targeted and forced to adhere to them. Some of these taboos now seem decadent
but continue to be real for some women:

 During her menstruation cycle, a woman is considered “impure” and

has limited access to the social world. She cannot visit a temple, touch

10
 certain things, associate with people, wash her hair or touch elder’s
feet. She cannot even spell out ‘period’ and has no option but to wait it
out.
 Widows in many parts of India have to go bald. With their husband’s
death – who is often far older than her – her venturing out of home and
socialising come to an abrupt end. Remarriage is only a dream.
 In the child marriage era, little girls were often married off early and
kept away from school as education would come at the cost of social
interaction. Being a girl meant remaining illiterate for rest of her life.
Menstrual Taboo in the Modern Scenario
Amid increasing awareness about female physiology, inclusion of sex education
in schools, and transformation of perspectives about the menstruation cycle,
findings of a recent survey are not too encouraging. Recently conducted
research reveals that more than 90% urban women rule out the idea of washing
hair when they are menstruating, close to 70% consider it inappropriate to water
plants, and a large section in Southern India won’t go out of home during this
[Link] enough, the menstrual taboo prevails in all major religions albeit
in different forms. The propagators of this taboo, often belonging to
conservative families, bring out remote mythological connections and religious
beliefs. There is no denying that menstrual taboo persists even in so-called
modern India.

Breaking the Shackles

While setting prohibitions and restrictions in some spheres of life is essential,
this is not so for debilitating social taboos that only bring down quality of life
for women. Taboos for women string us to conform to illogical beliefs and
hamper our growth and development. If you encounter members of your society
adamantly sticking to age-old taboos that serve no purpose but to humiliate a
woman, try to communicate to them the pitfalls of their beliefs. The spread of
education and higher standards of living among women, who are now
increasingly getting financially independent, should help rid India of hogwash.

STATUS OF WOMEN IN
ANCIENT INDIA
11
In ancient times, the women
were considered with respect
and
dignity. During this period,
there were women rishis, and
they were held in high esteem.
In
royal households, women were
given respect and they even
rendered a significant
contribution in the making of
decisions and administrative
functions. They were made
aware

12
in terms of all areas and played
an important part in politics as
well. Whereas, among the
economically weaker sections
of the society, birth of girl
child was not appreciated and
preference was given to male
children. The main areas that
have been taken into account
in
this research paper include,
women’s position in ancient
India, position of women in
the
Hindu dharma, concept of
female infanticide and female
13
foeticide in ancient India, male
ratio
adverse female ratio, ancient
women and education, and
ancient women and politics.
In ancient times, the women
were considered with respect
and
dignity. During this period,
there were women rishis, and
they were held in high esteem.
In
royal households, women were
given respect and they even
rendered a significant

14
contribution in the making of
decisions and administrative
functions. They were made
aware
in terms of all areas and played
an important part in politics as
well. Whereas, among the
economically weaker sections
of the society, birth of girl
child was not appreciated and
preference was given to male
children. The main areas that
have been taken into account
in
this research paper include,
women’s position in ancient
15
India, position of women in
the
Hindu dharma, concept of
female infanticide and female
foeticide in ancient India, male
ratio
adverse female ratio, ancient
women and education, and
ancient women and politics.
In ancient times, the women
were considered with respect
and
dignity. During this period,
there were women rishis, and
they were held in high esteem.
In
16
royal households, women were
given respect and they even
rendered a significant
contribution in the making of
decisions and administrative
functions. They were made
aware
in terms of all areas and played
an important part in politics as
well. Whereas, among the
economically weaker sections
of the society, birth of girl
child was not appreciated and
preference was given to male
children. The main areas that

17
have been taken into account
in
this research paper include,
women’s position in ancient
India, position of women in
the
Hindu dharma, concept of
female infanticide and female
foeticide in ancient India, male
ratio
adverse female ratio, ancient
women and education, and
ancient women and politics.
In ancient times, the women
were considered with respect
and
18
dignity. During this period,
there were women rishis, and
they were held in high esteem.
In
royal households, women were
given respect and they even
rendered a significant
contribution in the making of
decisions and administrative
functions. They were made
aware
in terms of all areas and played
an important part in politics as
well. Whereas, among the

19
economically weaker sections
of the society, birth of girl
child was not appreciated and
preference was given to male
children. The main areas that
have been taken into account
in
this research paper include,
women’s position in ancient
India, position of women in
the
Hindu dharma, concept of
female infanticide and female
foeticide in ancient India, male
ratio

20
adverse female ratio, ancient
women and education, and
ancient women and politics
In ancient times, the women
were considered with respect
and
dignity. During this period,
there were women rishis, and
they were held in high esteem.
In
royal households, women were
given respect and they even
rendered a significant
contribution in the making of
decisions and administrative

21
functions. They were made
aware
in terms of all areas and played
an important part in politics as
well. Whereas, among the
economically weaker sections
of the society, birth of girl
child was not appreciated and
preference was given to male
children. The main areas that
have been taken into account
in
this research paper include,
women’s position in ancient
India, position of women in
the
22
Hindu dharma, concept of
female infanticide and female
foeticide in ancient India, male
ratio
adverse female ratio, ancient
women and education, and
ancient women and politics
In ancient times, the women
were considered with respect
and
dignity. During this period,
there were women rishis, and
they were held in high esteem.
In

23
royal households, women were
given respect and they even
rendered a significant
contribution in the making of
decisions and administrative
functions. They were made
aware
in terms of all areas and played
an important part in politics as
well. Whereas, among the
economically weaker sections
of the society, birth of girl
child was not appreciated and
preference was given to male
children. The main areas that

24
have been taken into account
in
this research paper include,
women’s position in ancient
India, position of women in
the
Hindu dharma, concept of
female infanticide and female
foeticide in ancient India, male
ratio
adverse female ratio, ancient
women and education, and
ancient women and politics
In ancient times, the women
were considered with respect
and
25
dignity. During this period,
there were women rishis, and
they were held in high esteem.
In
royal households, women were
given respect and they even
rendered a significant
contribution in the making of
decisions and administrative
functions. They were made
aware
in terms of all areas and played
an important part in politics as
well. Whereas, among the

26
economically weaker sections
of the society, birth of girl
child was not appreciated and
preference was given to male
children. The main areas that
have been taken into account
in
this research paper include,
women’s position in ancient
India, position of women in
the
Hindu dharma, concept of
female infanticide and female
foeticide in ancient India, male
ratio

27
adverse female ratio, ancient
women and education, and
ancient women and politics
In ancient times, the women
were considered with respect
and
dignity. During this period,
there were women rishis, and
they were held in high esteem.
In
royal households, women were
given respect and they even
rendered a significant
contribution in the making of
decisions and administrative

28
functions. They were made
aware
in terms of all areas and played
an important part in politics as
well. Whereas, among the
economically weaker sections
of the society, birth of girl
child was not appreciated and
preference was given to male
children. The main areas that
have been taken into account
in
this research paper include,
women’s position in ancient
India, position of women in
the
29
Hindu dharma, concept of
female infanticide and female
foeticide in ancient India, male
ratio
adverse female ratio, ancient
women and education, and
ancient women and politics
In ancient times, the women
were considered with respect
and
dignity. During this period,
there were women rishis, and
they were held in high esteem.
In

30
royal households, women were
given respect and they even
rendered a significant
contribution in the making of
decisions and administrative
functions. They were made
aware
in terms of all areas and played
an important part in politics as
well. Whereas, among the
economically weaker sections
of the society, birth of girl
child was not appreciated and
preference was given to male
children. The main areas that

31
have been taken into account
in
this research paper include,
women’s position in ancient
India, position of women in
the
Hindu dharma, concept of
female infanticide and female
foeticide in ancient India, male
ratio
adverse female ratio, ancient
women and education, and
ancient women and politics
In ancient times, the women
were considered with respect
and
32
dignity. During this period,
there were women rishis, and
they were held in high esteem.
In
royal households, women were
given respect and they even
rendered a significant
contribution in the making of
decisions and administrative
functions. They were made
aware
in terms of all areas and played
an important part in politics as
well. Whereas, among the

33
economically weaker sections
of the society, birth of girl
child was not appreciated and
preference was given to male
children. The main areas that
have been taken into account
in
this research paper include,
women’s position in ancient
India, position of women in
the
Hindu dharma, concept of
female infanticide and female
foeticide in ancient India, male
ratio

34
adverse female ratio, ancient
women and education, and
ancient women and politics.
In ancient times, the women were considered with respect and dignity. During
this period, there were women rishis, and they were held in high esteem. In
royal households, women were given respect and they even rendered a
significant contribution in the making of decisions and administrative functions.
Whereas, among the economically weaker sections of the society, birth of girl
child was not appreciated and preference was given to male children. The main
areas that have been taken into account in this research paper include, women’s
position in ancient India, position of women in the Hindu dharma, concept of
female infanticide and female foeticide in ancient India, male ratio adverse
female ratio, ancient women and education, and ancient women and politics.

Women’s Position in Ancient India

When the Vedic period came to an end, then women were deprived of social
and
religious rights. They were not allowed to participate in social, religious and
cultural
functions. Gradually, with the course of time, the position of women declined to
such an
extent that the birth of the girl child within the family was regarded as a
misfortune. It was
believed that the birth of girls would prove to be a major hindrance within the
course of
bringing about welfare of the family and community. Whereas, the male
children were
regarded as assets. There was prevalence of the viewpoint among the
individuals that males
would be the assets and enhance the status and promote welfare of their family
and the entire
community (Mohapatra, 2015).
The role and position of women in ancient India is determined by number of
factors,
these are, social structure, cultural norms, value system and social expectations.
Changes do

35
not come about in the norms, values, principles and standards of the society at
the same pace,
as the changes that come about within the social structure with the advent of
technology,
modernization and globalization. Within the Indian society, practices such as,
giving away
daughters in marriage and sending them to their marital homes after marriage is
one of the
most common aspects that are related to women. The male members are also
regarded as
significant as, they are the ones, who maintain the heritage and continue the
lineage. The
practice of child birth is also regarded as the one that makes them inferior to
men in status
(Mohapatra, 2015)
Women’s Position in Ancient India. When the Vedic period came to an end,
then women were deprived of social and religious rights. They were not allowed
to participate in social, religious and cultural functions. Gradually, with the
course of time, the position of women declined to such an extent that the birth
of the girl child within the family was regarded as a misfortune. It was believed
that the birth of girls would prove to be a major hindrance within the course of
bringing about welfare of the family and community. Whereas, the male
children were regarded as assets. The role and position of women in ancient
India is determined by number of factors, these are, social structure, cultural
norms, value system and social expectations. Within the Indian society,
practices such as, giving away daughters in marriage and sending them to their
marital homes after marriage is one of the most common aspects that are related
to women. The male members are also regarded as significant as, they are the
ones, who maintain the heritage and continue the lineage. The practice of child
birth is also regarded as the one that makes them inferior to men in status.

STATUS OF WOMEN IN
MEDIEVAL INDIA
The Medieval period (500 A.D to 1500 A.D) proved to be highly
disappointing for the Indian women, for their status further deteriorated
during this period.

36
Medieval India was not women’s age it is supposed to be the ‘dark age’
for them. When foreign conquerors like Muslims invaded India they
brought with them their own culture. For them women was the sole
property of her father, brother or husband and she does not have any
will of her own. This type of thinking also crept into the minds of Indian
people and they also began to treat their own women like this. One more
reason for the decline in women’s status and freedom was that original
Indians wanted to shield their women folk from the barbarous Muslim
invaders. As polygamy was a norm for these invaders they picked up
any women they wanted and kept her in their “harems”.

In order to protect them Indian women started using ‘Purdah’ (a veil),

which covers body. Due to this reason their freedom
also became affected. They were not allowed to move freely and this
lead to the further deterioration of their status. These problems related
with women resulted in changed mindset of people. Now they began to
consider a girl as misery and a burden, which has to be shielded from
the eyes of intruders and needs extra care. Whereas a boy child will not
need such extra care and instead will be helpful as an earning
hand. Thus a vicious circle started in which women was at the receiving
end. All this gave rise to some new evils such as Child Marriage, Sati,
Jauhar and restriction on girl education.

37
 STATUS OF WOMEN IN MODERN INDIA

The constitution of India has greatly enhanced the status of Indian women by
throwing upon to them all its series on equal terms with men. All the men and
women of India are equity entitled for individual freedom, fundamental rights
including the right to participate in social, cultural, religious, educational,
economic and political activities. The constitution provides for equality of sex
and offers protection to women against exploitation. It has given the voting
right to women and in no way treats women as second grade citizens.
Women in modern India have largely been influenced by the programs of
reform and upliftment largely influenced by the western democratic and liberal
ideology. Before the advent of the British in India, the life of women was rather
oppressive, and they were subject to a constant process of subjugation and
social oppression. During the British rule, a number of changes were made in
the economic and social structures of Indian society, and some substantial
progress was achieved in elimination of inequalities between men and women,
in education, employment, social rights, etc.
Women are the epitome of strength, love, sacrifice and courage. The role
of women in today’s world has changed significantly and for better.
Women are now self-sufficient, well aware and financially independent.
They have attained immense success in every field, whether it is sports,
politics or academics. With the encouragement of co-education, women are
now marching side by side with men, in every walk of life.
Women are more focused and have a unique decision making power even
at senior leadership level, in the most optimal manner, and at times are in a
better position than men. Empowering women can help the society to grow
and develop at a faster pace. We are definitely redesigning the world!

38
 NEED OF WOMEN
EMPOWERMENT
Empowering women is essential to the health and social
development of families, communities and countries. When
women are living safe, fulfilled and productive lives, they can
reach their full potential. contributing their skills to the workforce
and can raise happier and healthier children. They are also able to
help fuel sustainable economies and benefit societies and
humanity at large.

A key part of this empowerment is through education. Girls who

are educated can pursue meaningful work and contribute to their
country’s economy later in life. They are also four times less
likely to get married young when they have eight years of
education, meaning that they and their families are healthier.

With higher literacy rates and equal pay for equal work, women are
able to thrive economically and rise out of poverty. Protecting women
and girls from violence and abuse while challenging the stigmas
against reporting crimes would overall create a much safer society.

39
 PRINCIPLES OF WOMEN
EMPOWERMENT
Women's empowerment can be defined to promoting women's sense
of self-worth, their ability to determine their own choices, and their
right to influence social change for themselves and others.
Created in a collaboration between the UN Global Compact and UN
Women, the Women’s Empowerment Principles are used to empower
women in the marketplace, workplace and community.
The seven Principles are:
Principle 1: Create high-level corporate leadership for gender
equality
Principle 2: Treat all people fairly at work, respecting and supporting
non-discrimination and human rights
Principle 3: Ensure the health, wellbeing and safety of all workers,
whether male or female
Principle 4: Promote education, training and professional
development for women
Principle 5: Implement supply chain, marketing practices and
enterprise development that empower women
Principle 6: Champion equality through community initiatives and
advocacy
Principle 7: Measure and report publicly on progress to create gender
equality

SIX ‘S’ FOR WOMEN

EMPOWERMENT
40
1)Shiksha = Education
2)Swasthya = Health
3)Swavlamban = Self Respect
4)Samajik Nyay = Justice
5)Samvedam = Sensitivity
6)Samta = Equality

Education is regarded as an important milestone of women empowerment

because it enables them to face the challenges, to confront their traditional
role and change their life.
Learning to be self-reliant is important to be taught when a child is at a
young age so it can develop, as they grow older. Being self-reliant is
presented to be the ability to take control over your life, being motivated
from within, and being able to take care of yourself.
Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the sexes, is
the state of equal ease of access to resources and opportunities regardless
of gender, including economic participation and decision-making; and the
state of valuing different behaviours, aspirations and needs equally,
regardless of gender.
Gender sensitization is important because representation is important.
Representation of a person and community not only advocates equality but
also adds a sense of inclusion to the previously marginalized community.

WAYS TO ACHIEVE WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

To overcome these situations and to have an independent role in society,
women's empowerment is needed. Empowering women is the fundamental right
of women. They can have equal rights to participate in education, society,
economics, and politics. They are allowed to have higher education and treated
in the way like men.

41
Get more women in global leadership goals
As both business and political leaders, senior women regularly challenge conventional
wisdom in their approach to leadership.

Research suggests that the most powerful and attractive symbolism of women leaders
is the hope that they will bring significant change. When a woman is chosen as the
first woman to become the most senior leader – the president, prime minister, or CEO,
people begin to believe that other more substantive and less symbolic changes are also
possible.

Create self-help groups in rural areas

Evidence suggests that there is a strong relationship between self-help groups (SHG)
and women’s empowerment.

SHGs are associations of 10-20 members who come together to find solutions to their
common problems with the main objective to help villagers, mainly women, to
develop the habit of small savings. SHGs have been instrumental in generating
livelihoods for women by allowing them to generate income and contribute to social
development.

Empower entrepreneurs in developing countries

Micro and small business enterprises (MSEs) have empowered women in developing
countries through enhancing their decision-making in the household and the
community.

Evidence suggest that MSEs have strengthened women’s bargaining power in decision
-making on family resource access to use and control and income allocation and
expenditure of household resources.

Encourage more women to take apprentice roles

A recent survey has highlighted the need to encourage more young women to take
apprenticeship roles, especially in male dominated industries.

The survey found that more could be done to support women taking on
apprenticeships and to achieve such changes support structures for women and girls
should include mentors, networks and female-friendly workplaces.

Create a better environment for career development

Research findings indicate that there is a need for better career development guidance
and support for women. Getting women managers to senior executive and board level
can partly be achieved by women taking more responsibility or ownership for their

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own career development. However, alone, that is unlikely to be enough –organizations
therefore need to take a decisive, agentic role in creating a better organizational
culture for women.

More Job Opportunities for Women

Despite being significant contributors to social and financial development, women
don’t have access to equal job opportunities. Equal rights programs can invest
significantly in promoting decent jobs and public policies, advocating growth and
development.

Invest in Women’s Entrepreneurial Ideas, Emotionally and Financially

The women empowerment programs are investing abundantly in the welfare and
empowerment of women, encouraging women to break free from their traditional
roles and do away with gender stereotypes. To keep up with the changing global
trends and fulfill sustainable development goals, it’s time to break barriers and
explore alternative programs for advocating equal opportunities for women and
promoting financial inclusivity.

CONSTRAINTS IN WOMEN
EMPOWERMENT

It has been established that there are diverse issues in tackling women
empowerment in the typical African society, especially in Nigeria, including
cultural stereotypes, religious beliefs and patriarchy.

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These issues lead to victimization of women, gender-restrictive structures,
violation of women’s rights as well as repressive justice. These prevent women
from standing for themselves, having a voice, achieving self-actualization and
standing for their rights in decision-making.

For women empowerment to be a reality, structures in the family or governance

must be placed in a way that allows women to take decisions that affect them
and allows them to promote gender equality, parity, and social justice and
enables them to contribute to sustainable national development.

The two major issues that affect women empowerment are culture and religion.
Women are hampered by these two fundamental issues which form a basis of
the way things are done. The society thrives on ideologies that has its roots in
culture and religion, especially Christianity, which teaches that the man is the
head of the woman and consequently, she should be subservient to the man.

And while women are said to be participating more in politics, leadership and
governance, what they are allowed to do is an extension of their gender roles. In
an association, women automatically are given welfare secretary position rather
than chairmanship. As state executives, their roles is usually around women
affairs. This hinders development and creates glass ceilings that keep women on
the same position forever.

Men abuse women, earn more salaries, retain top managerial positions in
organizations and gag women because culture and religion say the man is the
head of the woman. This psychology of patriarchy and male dominance
continues to be a major hindrance in women empowerment.

In politics, there are culture-imposed benchmarks and systemic constraints that

reinforce the system of women taking the back seat.

How then could this be resolved to allow women attain their potentials and also
be financially independent to rid the society of its prevalent poverty which
affects women more than men? The most potent tool is education; but there is a
need to correct the erroneous belief that only women need education. Men also
need enlightenment to know that giving women a voice does not erode their
authority. It can only aid the growth of the society and eradicate poverty.

Education is an identified tool that is effective for the emancipation and

empowerment of women because it can improve the status of women in any
society by allowing them explore their skills, talents and initiatives to make a
difference and create a balanced society where policies will work.

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Education not only allows women to gain more knowledge about the world but
helps them to get status, self-confidence and belief in individual capabilities as
well as courage and inner strength needed to tackle the issues of living.

Educated women have what it takes to play an equal role as their male
counterparts in governance, development nation building. There is still a large
number of women who have no access to education and are more vulnerable to
abuse, exploitation and poverty. That education empowers women is an
indisputable fact, so government and policy makers need to make education for
women an important issue while women should consciously develop their skills
and assist themselves in the men dominated society.

CHANGES OF AN
EMPOWERED WOMEN
An empowered woman is someone who knows her strengths and isn’t
afraid to embrace them. To be empowered means to be in control of your
life, aware of your capabilities, and ready to take on even your biggest
dreams. In a time like this, saying that you’re empowered sounds easy –
but truly being empowered is a different story.

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Empowered women aren’t perfect; in fact, empowered women mess up, a
lot. But they learn from their mistakes, and they’re not afraid to get back
on the horse after a disappointment. Empowered women take risks and
they work hard to ensure that those risks pay off. They build their empire
brick by brick. Being empowered means being determined, confident, and
fearless.

To be an empowered woman means not only believing in yourself, but

also believing in those around you. Empowered women empower women.
They lift up their peers, and they’re willing to help you lift that brick that’s
a little heavier than the rest. A key to being empowered is surrounding
yourself with hardworking, successful, empowered women who can
encourage you and be an example for you when times gets tough.

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PROJECTS FOR WOMEN
EMPOWERMENT
 The UN came out with a set of goals called the
Sustainable Development Goals [SDG], to help make the
world a better place.
 There are also some prominent non-profits that help
empower women:
 She Should Run
 Women in Defense
 Girls Not Brides
 Malala Fund
 Every Mother Counts

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 GIRLS NOT BRIDES
The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage is an international non-
governmental organization with the mission to end child marriage
throughout the world. The organization was created by The Elders to
enable small groups from around the world to address the common issue
of early marriage.

As of 2017, more than 700 organizations from over 85 countries are

partnership members of Girls Not Brides. Less than 10 percent of
partnership members are international organizations. Sixty-three percent of
them focus their work in their own communities. Girls Not Brides worked
to include ending child marriage in the United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals for 2030.

Girls Not Brides works alongside governments to develop, implement, and

monitor strategies to end child marriage nationwide. Sharing information
to better combat child marriage and raising public awareness of child
marriage are the main goals of the national partnerships they have with
Bangladesh, Ghana, Mozambique, the Netherlands, Nepal, Uganda, the
United Kingdom and the United States.

MALALA FUND
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Malala Fund is an international, non-profit organization that advocates for
girls’ education. It was co-founded by Malala Yousafzai, the Pakistani
activist for female education and the youngest Nobel Prize laureate, and
her father, Ziauddin. The stated goal of the organization is to ensure 12
years of free, safe and quality education for every girl. As of July 2020, the
organization has 48 staff and supports 58 advocates working across
Afghanistan, Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Lebanon, Nigeria, Pakistan and
Turkey.

• Who we are
Malala and Ziauddin Yousafzai founded Malala Fund in 2013 to champion
every girl’s right to 12 years of free, safe, quality education. Together our
board, leadership council, staff and champions are creating a more equal world
by making sure all girls can go to school.

• How we work
Malala Fund invests in education advocates and activists who are challenging
the policies and practices that prevent girls from going to school in their
communities.

• Where we work
Malala Fund works in regions where the most girls miss out on secondary
education. Malala Fund is working for a world where every girl can learn and
lead.

• GOAL
To ensure 12 years of free, safe and quality education for every girl.

• MOTTO
Working for a world where every girl can learn and lead.

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 WOMEN IN DEFENSE
Indian women have been unique and extremely talented since
the ancient times. The past is studded with their deeds of
glories and feats. The contemporary times are painted with
their success stories. They have achieved new height in all the
fields. They have already proved their mettle all spheres. Space
exploration, defence, research and development, science and
medicine, politics, financing, management, education, and
whatnot, women have set higher standards than man.
Women have carved a niche for themselves in defence forces
recently. Their number in BSF, Army, Air-Force, Navy, Police,
etc. has risen exponentially. Seeing their capabilities, the
Government is mulling over allowing them to take part in active
combat roles.

According to national statistics 2016, 1300 women were

working in Indian armed forces. Punita Arora, Padmavathy
Bandopadhyay, Mitali Madhumita, Divya Ajith Kumar, Nivedita
Choudhary, Anjana Bhaduria, Priya Semwal, Deepika Misra,
etc. are the names of women who have brought laurels to the
departments they were given the responsibilities in.

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 SHE SHOULD RUN
MISSION
She Should Run is a national, nonpartisan non profit dedicated
to building a future of gender equality in elected office. We
mobilize American women from all walks of life to fully
acknowledge the systemic crisis of gender inequality and the
unique role they play in addressing the challenges of the 21st
century. Together, we cultivate this newfound awareness into
political action.
Today She Should Run, the nonpartisan lead-finding
organization for future ballots, doubled down on its commitment
to see 250,000 women run for office by 2030 by further
sharpening its focus on reaching women who aren’t currently
considering political leadership but should be. A new initiative
between She Should Run and Reflect US will provide women in
the She Should Run Community who have self-declared as
“likely to run” with an optional connection point for additional
resources and training.

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 LIST OF BILLS & ACTS FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

The Parliament not only passed the landmark Bills in favour of

Women and Children but also passed many other Bills and created a
record to pass maximum Bills in the last 67 years. Here's the list of
the Bills passed in Parliament for Women and Child Empowerment:
Bills and Acts for empowering the Women and Children:
 The surrogacy (Regulation) Bill
 The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act
 Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act
 The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill

The Surrogacy(Regulation)Bill
The surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2019 was introduced in Lok Sabha on
July 5, 2019, by Dr. Harsh Vardhan (Minister of Health & Family
Welfare) and was passed in Lok Sabha on August 5, 2019. The purpose of
the Bill was to ban commercial surrogacy in the country.

The Muslim Women (Protection of Right on Marriage)Act

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019 was
introduced in Lok Sabha on June 21, 2019, by Ravi Shankar Prasad
(Minister of Law and Justice) and was passed in Lok Sabha on July 25,
2019, and passed in the upper house i.e., Rajya Sabha on July 30, 2019.
The purpose of the Bill was to declare triple talaq illegal.

Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act

The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill or
Commonly known as POSCO was introduced in Rajya Sabha on July 18,

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2019, by Smriti Zubin Irani (Minister of Women and Child Development)
and was passed in Rajya Sabha on July 24, 2019, and on August 1, 2019,
in Lower House i.e., Lok Sabha. It was proposed to protect children from
any kind of sexual offenses.

The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill

The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill was introduced in
Lok Sabha on July 19, 2019, by Thaawarchand Gehlot (Minister for Social
Justice and Empowerment) and was passed in Lok Sabha on August 5,
2019, and in Upper House i.e., Rajya Sabha on November 26, 2019. It was
passed to protect the rights of transgender persons.

CASE STUDIES

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SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN TVF’S CASE :

 In an anonymous blog posted earlier this month, Arunabh

Kumar, CEO, The Viral Fever (TVF) has been alleged of sexual
harassment by a woman employee who worked at TVF from
2014 to 2016. This was followed by a series of similar
allegations of sexual harassment against Kumar by other women
posting anonymously which went viral all over social media.

 On 29th March, a 27-year-old writer-director had lodged the

first FIR with the MIDC police station alleging that Kumar
made inappropriate gestures and even touched her while
shooting a web series production in 2016. Then, on 30th March
2016, another victim joined in to register a sexual harassment
case against Kumar at the Versova police station.

 Arun Chavan, Assistant Commissioner of Police (DN Nagar

division) confirmed TOI about the FIR lodged by a woman who
was formerly employed with the TVF CEO. Chavan further
added that “The victim used to work with Kumar in 2014 and
she claims that it was then he misbehaved with her. A case
against Kumar has been filed under IPC section 354 (A) with
the Versova police”.

 In her blog the victim writes about the abuse and harassment she
faced, stating that Kumar asked her if she’d be interested in role
play, a quickie or a “commercial” transaction at different
instances. When she said of informing the police of such
remarks and behaviour, he told her that the police are “in his
pocket.” Adding on the blog had mentioned details of the
reactions she faced on speaking about it to the fellow TVF
employees. Actor Naveen Kasturia, who has worked in several
videos for TVF shared how she continues to receive breach of
contract notices from the company as she quit when she just
couldn’t bear anymore. Complainant blogger also wrote of
wanting to kill herself. Meanwhile, nine other women like actor-
director Reema Sengupta made similar allegations on
a Facebook post supporting the anonymous blog and said
Kumar made overtures when she was directing a web series for
TVF last year.

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  TVF spokesperson Aditi Singh told The Indian Express that
they have no records of these employees ever working at the
company. “There are several other points in the blog which
seem factually incorrect. We are preparing an elaborate response
to the accusations made in the blog,” Singh said. TVF’s
response, by saying categorically, that, the allegations
mentioned in the post were ludicrous, false, defamatory,
baseless and unverified. Also TVF shockingly added that it will
leave no stone unturned in locating the author of the article and
get her to severe justice.

AMALA PAUL’S CASE :

 Amala Paul is one of the well-known actresses in the Tamil
cinema industry, and she shared screen space with several
leading heroes. However back in 2018, the bold actress had
filed a complaint at the T-Nagar Women's police station
against a sex racket team as she was approached by them
during one of her dance rehearsals at a studio in Chennai. The
Madras High court has now issued the latest statement on the
sexual harassment case which was filed by the actress a few
years back.

 The two businessmen Baskaran and Sreedhar, who are named

in Amala Paul's complaint, had filed a petition in the Chennai
High Court seeking the quashing of the pending case and an
injunction. They demanded the case be dismissed as they
have no connection to the case. But the Judge, who heard the
case, had dismissed the petitions of the two businessmen,
saying the case shall not be dismissed.

 Amala Paul was supposed to participate in a special show

in Malaysia in 2018, and she was rehearsing her dance steps
in a dance studio, owned by Sreedhar. Alagesan then
approached Amala Paul about having dinner with Ibrahim on
her way to Malaysia. Amala Paul then realised it was a sex
racket team, and filed a complaint against Sreedhar,

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 Alagesan, Baskaran and Ibrahim at the T Nagar women's
police station in January 2018.

RAPE CASE IN CHENNAI :

 A 22-year-old man, who went to steal valuables at a house, raped
a woman, who was sleeping alone in the house in the wee hours
of Friday in the city suburbs. Police nabbed him with the help
of CCTV camera footage.

 The woman is a 22-year-old college student. The accused V

Sathish, from Tambaram is a school dropout. He told police he
managed to scale a wall and climbed a tree to reach the first floor
of the house where he found the woman sleeping.

 Sathish entered the house and held the victim at knife point.
Instead of robbing her, Sathish raped her. Her parents were
sleeping on the ground floor. After the accused left the building,
the girl informed her parents, who lodged a police complaint.

 Police registered a case under 10 sections including sections

pertaining to rape, assault, attempt to robbery, obscene words
and Women Harassment Act. Police said the man broke his hands
when he tried to escape and slipped over a compound wall.

 Sathish was admitted in a government hospital and remanded in

judicial custody on Saturday. The woman has been sent for
counselling.

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 CONCLUSION
Women’s Empowerment in the truest sense will be achieved only when there is
an attitudinal change in society with regard to fairness and equality.

Women Empowerment is empowering the females to take decisions for their

personal dependence. women empowerment refers to the creation of
an environment for personal benefits as well as for society. women also should
be given equal rights like men to actually empower them.

They need to be strong, aware, and alert every time for their growth and
development. The most common challenges are related to the education,
poverty, health, and safety of women. after the independence of the
country, India had to face lots of challenges which had created a big gap
between men and women especially in the field of education.

A woman can be considered with women

empowerment when :
 She lives her life independently consistent with her own lifestyle whether
at home or outside.
 She feels free to make her own decision according to her preference.
 She gets equal rights within the society sort of a man.
 She feels safe and comfortable at work, on the street, etc., whether at
home or outdoors.

Should now there fundamental and social rights

which women get once they born
 There should be respect and dignity for women.
 There should not be any discrimination, between women and men while
giving jobs and employment.
 They should not be discriminated against while providing any type of
education.

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 REFERENCES

 [Link]
 [Link]
 [Link]
 [Link]
 [Link]
 [Link]
 [Link]

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