Strategies for Enhancing Rural Women’s Empowerment

The world would not be complete without the contribution of women. Women have an important role in social, economic and cultural development of the nation. Very magnificently, women have carried the position of the mother, wife, sister, etc. Today's urban women are more confident. The women in urban areas have more opportunities and advantage, then the women residing in the rural sectors. The rural women are unable to get the proper nutrition, better education, employment, and other basic needs.

Many women do not get the proper nutrition, especially during the pregnancy and lactation period. The lack of food and nutrition not only affects an individual, but also affects the society. Women empowerment is necessary so that the women can understand the importance of proper intake of food and proper hygiene. We need to empower women with the knowledge of prenatal care, breastfeeding, and vaccination of the newborn baby so that the women and infants will stay healthy.

Education is a weapon to eradicate the social evil from the society. Educating women mean not only to provide the schooling facility for the women, but to teach them for their knowledge and enhance their personality. Through education, we can reduce the poverty and improve the livelihood of the women. According to the survey done in the year 2001, the female literacy rate is 46.4% and 69% of male. About 82.14% of the adult men are literate in India while only 65.46% of adult women count under the educated list. Through education, women get the confidence and courage to fight against the discrimination such as gender inequality, female feticide, dowry demand, early marriages and many other offenses that women are facing every day. The Uttar Pradesh police started women helpline service known as Women Power Line for the protection of distress women. The members of the WPL spread awareness among the women to fight for their rights and not to tolerate any violence or harassment. The Women Power Line educate the rural women and provide the safety tips like always keep the main door closed, construct the window grills embedded in the cement work, take care of valuable items such as mobile phones, purses, etc. The members of the WPL also advise the rural women to make proper sanitation near the house because most of the women faced offense while going to the toilet away from the house. Good sanitation is necessary for maintaining the personal, as well as environmental hygiene and health.

Educated women can earn and help in reducing the poverty rate. It also helps in boosting the economic growth of the country. An educated woman wants her daughter to be educated and employed. Empowering women in terms of financial education, information and technology are compulsory in the present modern world. Women and girls have less interest in the financial issues because of the lack of the financial knowledge. We need to provide the financial education to women and girls so that they can effectively manage their families and take confidently financial decisions. We need to encourage women for using the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) tools in the proper way. The information and technology provide many opportunities to the women for their development. The telecommunication technology is widely developed in most of the rural areas; still many rural women do not know how to use the mobile phones. The members of WPL educate the rural women for using the mobile phones so that the women and teen girls can contact the police at the time of emergency.

The rural women can establish small scale business to become self-dependent and self-reliance. Establishment of the micro enterprise by the women is an effective tool for the economic and social development of the society. Women can start a business like bakery, laundry service, agarbati, jewelry, and papad making. Women face tremendous hurdles when they start their enterprise and sometimes the women became the victim of violence. According to the research, women become the victim of domestic violence because they earn more than their husband. The harassed women can immediately seek help from WPL service. WPL encourage those women who fight for their rights and provide full protection to them. One can dial 1090 number from any part of the Uttar Pradesh to avail the efficient service of women empowerment. The Women Power Line creates awareness for the women empowerment and provides protection to the women and girls at the time of emergency.

Women Empowerment the Power to Change Many Things in the Society

Women in India are taking the initiative step towards becoming fully integrated and valued member of the society. The evil practices like child marriage, gender inequality, female feticide, etc. are mainly perpetrated through the customs and traditions of the Indian society. The women silently tolerate the offenses. Therefore, the women in our society are deprived of their basic needs. We should not consider women a helpless and weak entity. We need to empower women and girls so that they get self-motivated to change many things in the society.

The old and evil practice of the child marriage is still prevalent in the Indian society. People still continued the evil practices of early marriage in order to maintain the family status in the community. According to the survey, early marriage is still prevalent because of the poverty and lack of knowledge of the consequences of child marriage. Early marriage is a devastating practice of our society that results in the ill health of a girl. At such a young age, their body is neither physically nor emotionally developed to give birth to a baby. Therefore, the child brides face the higher risk of death at the time of pregnancy. The married females below the age of 14 are more than 8.4%. About 60% of the mothers die at the time of pregnancy because of the underdeveloped body to conceive a baby at the early age.

The gender bias is another cultural belief in India, which is ruining the life of the women. The desire of male child still exists in the society and, therefore, many female infants are killed after the birth or aborted before birth. The men are respected and given more value than the women in the Indian society. The girls are considered as liability by many families. The female feticide affects the women health and causes serve health problems. The female mortality rate is increasing because of the abortion, infection, obstructed labor, etc.

Discrimination between women and men creates a perception that women are weaker and can't live alone without the support of men. But, women have potential, and their initiative step can change the current status of the society. Education and employment is the most powerful tool for improving the women's situation in the society. If women are empowered with the knowledge, they will fully participate in the decision- making and development process at all levels. Women should strong enough to defend themselves from any situation whenever needed. The women and teen girls need to be powerful enough that they can smartly handle the situation at the time of emergency that any molester, eve teaser or rapist can't harm them.

Every day many women and girls are suffering from the heinous crimes. Therefore, the Uttar Pradesh police have designed Women PowerLine 1090 number to protect those women who are being harassed molested and need protection. The women and teen girls easily dial the four digit 1090 WPL number during the emergency and can feel safe. The WPL has given the responsibility to the women constable to attend the call of the victims. The women constable very calmly listen the problems of the victims and ensures them safety. As WPL do not call the victim to the police station and complaint can be registered by an anonymous identity, so the victims easily share their problems to the female constables. Women Power Line is a gift for the women who protects them and provides safety at the time of emergency.

Why there is a Still Need of Women Empowerment in Modern context?

Modern women have achieved glory in almost all fields. We find women in all walks of life, whether inside or outside the home in the workplace. Women and girls are often referred to as a weak and helpless entity, but we cannot neglect the contribution of women to the development of the country. There was a time when women are considered as the master of homemaking, but now the women are counted as the strong forces that shape a country. There are many women who set examples for others like Pratibha Patil, Kiran Bedi, Kalpana Chawla, Mary Kom, etc. Though, in modern India women are considered in high esteem, but still women and girls have to go a long way to achieve equal status with Indian men.

The path of the women is full of roadblocks. The modern Indian women are well educated and economically strong, but still women are restricted to the social and religious boundaries. The gender inequality creates a wide gap between men and women, and sometimes that leads to less participation of women in many fields of the development. Even in the present Indian society desire of a boy child creating an adverse effect on the modern India. Many women are forced to abort their fetus if carrying a girl child in their fetus. Though female infanticide is illegal in India, but the practice is still common in many parts of the country. The backwardness and the lack of strict government rule ruining the life of the women.

India is a male dominant society where women are considered inferior to the men. Though, we have heard many times "ladies first" in different fields, but women are still deprived of their rights. The offences like domestic violence, dowry death, sexual abuse, female infanticide, etc. are still prevalent in modern India. In India, according to the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), about 1.5 lakh crimes against females are reported in a year out of which domestic violence cases are nearly 50,000. Women are considered weak and inferior whereas male member are the head of the family. Beating of women is the frequent violence against women in the rural societies. Similarly, when a demand for dowry is not met, then the case of bride burning is common in the countryside. According to the Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961, Dowry is a social evil, but the practice of dowry is standard. The dowry demand cases are also seen in the higher middle class educated society. To eliminate the social evils from the country, the government has to empower women economically so that the women and girls can protect themselves from the domestic violence and raise voice against dowry giving as well as taking.

As we know there are lots of crimes against the women, so entire citizen should take initiative steps and protect the women of our country. Women power line number of Uttar Pradesh has been designed to protect those women, who are being harassed, molested and need protection. Women and teen girls can feel safe by dialing the number 1090 and can share their problems with female constables. Trained female constables of Women Power Line attend the calls of the victim and deals with them to provide help to the victimized people. The members of WPL will immediately take action against the violence and harassment to provide better protection to the women. Women Power Line members always give fast support to the women, who have been subjected to the harassment.

Women Power Line 1090 - Women's Strength & Power

The highest number of misbehavior and crime against women is recorded from the India's most populous state Uttar Pradesh. In 2011, out of the total crimes occurred in India, about one -third of the crimes are reported only from the Uttar Pradesh. The state has accounted for the highest number of miscreants such as eve-teasing, sexual harassment, domestic violence, dowry death, etc. According to the record of NCRB 2011 data, Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of violent crimes as well, such as murder, rape, kidnapping, etc.

For years, women and teen girls of Uttar Pradesh are suffering from the harassment and humiliation. To change the scenario, the Uttar Pradesh police started the Women Power Line 1090 to handle the cases of offense against women and ensure immediate protection to the women and girls. Women can register a complaint against fake and annoying calls, awful SMSes, MMSes, web-based provocations, domestic violence and harassment in public places. The girls and women can take an action against internet based harassment like making a fake profile in their name and posting their pictures without their consent. The Women Power Line number 1090 is for empowering the women at the time of emergency. About 3lakh calls, WPL has received and satisfied more than 2.5lakh attended calls. About 95% cases are resolved right away and the rest 5% are forwarded for the further process in the Crime Branch section of the UP Police.

Women and girls ignore the miscreants and silently tolerate them. In India, women usually hesitate in making complaints against the crime, they face. If a girl wants to take the step against the crime, her family prevents from doing so because they do not wish to involve in any police case or court system. Focusing these entire situations, Women Power Line provides a unique service where any women can easily share their problem without hesitation. As women do not want to involve in the police case, WPL system never calls the victim to the police station. The complaints can be registered through phone calls, text messages or online system. The identity of the victim is kept confidential. Women Power Line 1090 has both males as well as female counselors. But the complaint calls of females are attended by women and girls so that they feel comfortable while speaking to the member of WPL about their problems. The Women Power Line provides immediate help; therefore, the victim does not need to register F.I.R. or any formal letter for the further process of the police department. The success rate of the Women Power Line is 99%, whereas the conviction rate in the courts is only 4%. WPL do not involve the court in solving the cases of harassment. Women Power Line maintains the dignity of the female and provides full security to the victim.

The Women Power Line service encourages the women and girls, to boldly raise their voice against the offenses. The unique service of Uttar Pradesh is giving strength to the women and girls to live their life without any fear. Women power Line is like, a power given to the women by the Uttar Pradesh police to fight against the crime.

Key Issues with Women's Empowerment

The empowering women is essential for the improvement of political, social and economic condition of the country. The active and full participation of women and men enhance the productivity of the nation. In India, women are facing threats to their lives and health. Even though a woman works whole day to raise her children and to take proper care of her family, but she never gets recognition by her family members. We need women empowerment because women are also a human being and also have rights to live in the same way as men. India is a male dominant society, and they have kept the women under their control and always feel that they are weak and helpless. Women, therefore, face so many challenges in achieving goals as compared to the men.

For the women empowerment, gender equality is necessary so that women get the equal rights in the education and employment. In India, discrimination between a boy and a girl is common in the rural areas. In a family, the food given to the girl child is comparatively less than the boy child. The girl child is allowed to go school for not more than five to six standards. The rural people consider the girls as a liability, so they think there is no need of educating the girls. Women don't send their daughter to the school so that she will help them at work inside the home as well as outside the home in agriculture lands and fields. At the age of 15-16, the girls get married and become a mother after one year. The early marriage results in the premature delivery or a weak baby. We cannot eliminate the gender equality from the society by any government law unless there should be a change in the patriarchal system.

In India, the literacy rate of women (65.46%) is lower than that of the men literacy rate (82.14%). According to the report of the U.S. Department of Commerce, the main obstacle to the female education is the inadequate facilities of the school (such as sanitation facilities). Lack of proper sanitation facilities also leads to the crime against women.

Women have contributed a lot in every field and made our nation feel proud many times, but still they are lagging behind with respect to the men. The gender inequality creates a wide gap between men and women, which leads to less participation of women in the workplace. According to the Census 2011, 25.51% of women are at the workplace out of the 39.79% workers of the total population. In the rural sector, many women are working in the home-based industries, like agarbatti making, weaving, stitching clothes, making handicrafts, etc. About one-third of the women are working in the agriculture field, but they get 30% lesser wages as compared to the men. In cities, women are highly willing for the job opportunities, want to live an independent life, and they can work outside the house. Women of the urban sector do not wish to depend on the men for any problem.

In the late 20th century, the internet is the best tool for empowering women. Many women have begun to use the social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, etc. and take active participation for the upliftment of female in the society. Through the online system, women are voicing their opinions on the equality rights. Learning new things through the World Wide Web attracting women, as internet is easily affordable and can be accessible from anywhere anytime.

Exploitation of women is also rising because of the increasing access to the internet. The cyber crime is increasing day by day like harassment, stalking, online pornography, etc. Women and girls are ignoring the offence and tolerating silently. Women Power Line 1090 operated by the Uttar Pradesh police to ensure the safety of harassed women by the vulgar callers, stalkers, eve-teasers, etc. The girls and women can take an action against internet based harassment like making a fake profile in their name and posting their pictures without their consent. Women Power Line is a 24*7 helpline where women can register their complaint. WPL always encourage those women who show courage and take the bold step to fight against the crime that they have faced. Women can only be empowered when they seek power and fight the evil that they face in the society and not by ignoring them.

Women Power Line 1090 - Empowers Thousands of Women

1090 Women Power Line, A service to deal with the crime against women. The Women Power Line ensures that the women and teen girls feel more safe and secure. Women and girls who are being harassed and facing the problem of crank calls, vulgar messages can immediately seek help from the WPL service. Earlier women were feeling unsafe while coming out of the house. Women and girls can easily share their anguish to the women constables of the WPL. The unique service of WPL empowers women and generates confidence among them to approach 1090 at the time of emergency. The women and girls always had the apprehension that somebody is stalking them. Therefore, Women Power Line designed to handle instances of harassment, stalking, and humiliation so that women can feel safe and secure wherever they go.

The Women Power Line 1090 is a dedicated service that provides immediate help to the harassed women. Women can lodge a complaint against the harassment, domestic violence fake calls, internet based harassment and eve-teasing by dialing the Women Power Line number 1090. Empowering women is necessary for the growth of the society. We need to empower women so that the women and girls bravely come forward and fight against the harassment. Women hesitate to speak about the violence and humiliation they suffer, which results in the increasing rate of offences in the society. If women tolerate the offence, we cannot be able to put an end to the harassment. Therefore, the Women Power Line 1090 provides a platform to the women, where female can easily speak their problems without any hesitation. The women and girls can lodge a complaint against any unsocial behavior happening in their surroundings immediately. To file a complaint, women can dial 1090 number or send a message to the WhatsApp number 9454401090 of the Women Power Line.

Women Power Line has YouTube channel where women and teen girls can learn the techniques of self-defense. The YouTube channel has so many videos to motivate women and girls to fight against the crime instead of ignoring them. Self-defense is important for females because according to the survey, it is seen that the victims of violent crime are mainly women and teen girls. Therefore, we should teach some fundamental and useful tricks to women and girls so that they can utilize them in distress or whenever needed. Women and girls can save someone else also if they know the effective techniques of self-defense. The 'Power Angles' (volunteers of the WPL) protects the girls and women from eve-teasing and harassment. The role of the Power Angles is to empower women and encourage them to fight against the offences.

Women Power Line has received about three lakh calls and has resolved more than 2.5 lakh cases. So far, 28,000 complaints of working women, 1, 26,642 complaints from girl students, and about 80,000 of other ladies have been received. Women and girls can quickly file their complaint without coming to the police station and without disclosing their name. In every police station, the victim has to register the F.I.R. for the further process of the police department, but WPL does not need any formal letters. The success rate of Women Power Line is 99% whereas the conviction rate in the courts is only 4%. WPL do not involve the court in solving the cases of harassment and provide immediate help to the victim. Women power Line is like, a power given to the women by the Uttar Pradesh police to fight against the crimes. The WPL service is appreciated by many people and has been the great success in the Uttar Pradesh.

The Power of Women Empowerment

Women Empowerment means the creation of a society where women can feel independent and equivalents to men in every field. Discrimination between women and men creates a perception that women are weaker and can't live alone without the support of men. But, women have potential, and their initiative step can change the current status of the society. Education and self- defense is the most powerful tool for improving the women's situation in the society. If women are empowered with the knowledge they will fully participate in the decision- making and development process at all levels.

Many women have proved their skills in many fields. Marie Curie got the two Nobel prizes for her contribution in the two different fields i.e. Physics and Chemistry. There are so many names of women from the cooperate world. CEO's like Shikha Sharma, Chanda Kochar, Indra Nooyi, who is on the top of the business ladder. Kalpana Chawla, the first Indian woman to fly to the moon. Tessy Thomas, also known as 'Missile women' is the first woman scientist and awarded as the Lal Bahadur Shastri National Award for her outstanding contribution in the field of missile. Hellen Keller was the first deaf and blind person who earns Bachelor of Arts degree and become one of the leading humanitarians.

Women should strong enough to defend themselves from any situation whenever needed. They need to be powerful enough that they can smartly handle the situation at the time of emergency that any molester, eve teaser or rapist can't harm them.

For the better security of women, Uttar Pradesh police had given a Women Power Line number for helping women in distress. Women can register a complaint against fake and annoying calls, awful SMSes, MMSes, web-based provocations and harassment in public places. They can take an action against internet based harassment like making a fake profile in their name and posting their pictures without their consent. The WPL member immediately takes the strict measures against the crime. If the person repeats their actions again, then police can take a legal action against them. Women Power Line number is the new buzzword in Uttar Pradesh. The police who will deal with calls will be taking care of all women's. So women can impart their issue to the women constables openly. The Women Power Line number benefits many women's in Uttar Pradesh.

The women's helpline number in Uttar Pradesh is connected with Google maps so the police can track the location from where the cases are reported. Women of Uttar Pradesh from any zone can make utilization of this current Women's Helpline number service. Identification of women will be kept confidential. This undertaking goes to helping women and women from harassment.

Trained female officers of Women Power Line attend the calls of the victim and deals with them to provide help to the victimized people. Women Power Line members always give fast support to the women, who have been subjected to the harassment.