Empowerment of Women in India - An Attempt to Fill the Gender Gap

In India, the discrimination between men and women is affecting the lives of both the genders. The discrimination creates hindrance in the development of the society. The men and women have equal rights according to the Constitution of India but still the gender disparity exists. Women are discriminated in each stage of their life.

Discrimination against women

The low status of the women is due to the gender inequality. The sex- selective abortion is declining the girl population in the Indian society. The demand for son among the parents still exists. Therefore, many girls are killed in the fetus or killed after the birth. Studies show that, the practice of female feticide is still happening in the society due to the backwardness and orthodox cultural beliefs of the people.

According to the 2001 census of India, the literacy rate of women (65.46%) lags behind the literacy rate of men (82.14%) because very few populations of women are receiving the education. A certain mass of people of the tribal sector in India, believe that educating a girl is the waste of resources because the daughters would live with their husbands after the marriage and, therefore, consider the girl as a liability. According to the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, the women and girls have the equal right in the parental property. But, still in the different region of India, many women are deprived to the parental property.

How to fill the gender gap?

According to the data of National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), the average wage rate of women is one-fifth lower than the men. Therefore, the participation of women in the workforce is less than the men because women get fewer wages. The Government of India needs to enforce more acts to increase the women’s right in employment. We need to encourage women to participate in the public and political development of the country. The statistical data show that there are only 5% of women in the police force. According to the survey done in April 2014, there were only two out of 24 Supreme Court judges.

We need to promote women through education, skill development, etc. so that they can know their basic rights. The awareness programs related to health care should be organized in rural areas so that women can take proper care of their children and themselves as well. The prohibition of all forms of violence against women is necessary so that women can actively participate in the social, economic and cultural development of the country.

The violence against women is ruining the life of many women and teen girls. In India, various women are harassed at every step of life, but they silently accept the torture. The women and girls should strongly protest against the crime. If women will not raise their voice, we cannot able to abolish the discrimination against women. Therefore, the Uttar Pradesh police started the Women Power Line to protest against the crime and to eliminate all the anti-social activity happening in the society.

Women hesitate to share their problems related to harassment and violence and also do not want to disclose their identity while filing a complaint. Therefore, Women Power Line provides a platform where any woman or girl can easily share their problem to the woman constable. With an anonymous identity, women can file their complaint and no need of writing any formal letters. The Women Power Line takes strict action against any offenses against women and ensures their safety. The four-digit number (1090) of WPL is providing strength to many women and girls. The Women Power Line is a dedicated service and provides immediate help to the women in distress. The service of the Women Power line is gaining popularity by the girls and women of Uttar Pradesh.

Protective Measures for Women's Development & Empowerment

Empowerment of women is necessary for the development of the country and also to promote the women's inherent strengths. The contribution of women in the country should be recognized and valued to enhance their abilities, potential and talent. Women empowerment enables the women and girls to raise their voice against exploitation, injustice, violence, harassment, and abuse.

Educating women and girls are the key to empowerment of women. The lack of education among the women and girls leads to the poverty, ill health, exploitation, etc. Awareness programs should be organized to encourage women in the education. Parents should also encourage and know the importance of the education so that they will send their daughters to the schools. According to the research, 31% of rural girls do not able to complete their studies because of the lack of high schools and college institutions in the villages. Parents of the tribal sector do not send their daughters to cities and metros to complete their studies. According to the report, the lack of the facility of toilets in the school is also a reason for the parents for not sending their daughters to school and college. The young girls are more vulnerable to the offenses. Therefore, most of the parents hesitate to send their daughters to school after the age of 14-15 years. The Government should take the initiative step for the protection of women and girls because most of the crime occurs in the rural areas while going toilets far from home or school. The Uttar Pradesh police started Women Power Line for the protection of women and teen girls. Any girl or a woman who is harassed or molested can lodge a complaint to the Women Power Line. To register a complaint, women do not need to come to the police station. Women and girls hesitate to disclose their identity while complaining against the crime. Therefore, Women Power Line provides a platform where women and girls can file a complaint with an anonymous identity.

Women are strong and have the potential to improve the economic condition of the country. Economically empowered women are self-dependent. Their children are educated, families are healthier and improved livelihood. We need to encourage women so they can earn money to improve their livelihood by educating their children, provide nutritious food for their family, etc. In India, many women are illiterate that results in the lack of interest and motivation to earn money. We need to encourage women for education as well as to earn money so that they can contribute in the economic and social development of the society. Economically empowered women can reduce the poverty from the society.

Educated women are self-motivated and bravely accept the responsibilities as well as risk. Women face tremendous hurdles when they start their enterprise and sometimes they became the victim of violence. According to the research, women became the victim of domestic violence because they earn more than their husband. In the cities, many women are harassed and molested in the workplace and also tortured by the family because of working outside the home. We need to put an end to the violence against women for a better tomorrow. Therefore, the contribution of Women Power Line to controlling the crime against women is quite appreciable. The WPL is a potent tool for managing and improving the current situation of the police department. The Women Power Line has given the responsibility to women constable to attend the call of the victims. Therefore, victims share their problems without hesitation. The Women Power Line is a system for the women by the women.

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.

Gender equality and Empowerment of women in rural areas

In the rural areas of India, gender inequality is one of the significant challenges in order to empower women. The poor education, inequality in employment as well as wages, and sex ratio are the major challenges that have to focus to eliminate the gender difference from the rural areas.

We cannot eliminate the gender equality from the society by any government law unless there should be a change in the patriarchal system. In a family, the food given to the girl child is comparatively less than the boy child. They are 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. And this results, the premature delivery or the underweight and weak baby.

In India, the female literacy rate (65.46%) is lower than that of the male literacy rate (82.14%). According to the report of U.S. Department of Commerce, the main obstacle to the female education is the inadequate facilities of the school (such as sanitation facilities). It is also seen that the in a same family boys were sent to the private school and girls were sent to the government school in the village, where no facilities were given to the students. The government of India has taken step for the protection and survival of the girl child, by the National Plan of Action for the Girl Child (1991-2000) for giving a better and bright future to the girls.

According to the National Family Health Survey-3 of 2005, the immunization rate is 41.7% for the 2year old girl and 45.3% for the 2-year old boy. The reason for the high mortality rate of women and children is due to the malnutrition. These factors are not controlled because of the gender biased as the family creates inequality even with their children and provide less food to their girl child. Maternal death rate is 437 per 100,000 live births, which is mainly caused due to the anemia, abortion, infection, hemorrhage and obstructed labor.

Sometimes, women are forced to abort the child, when a mother is carrying a girl child. This is the major problem of gender bias and decreased level of sex ratio. The female infanticide is the common problem of most of the states of India like Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, and almost every women face in the rural areas. This type of cruelty against women leads to the increase in the female mortality rate and severe health problems. However, a forceful abortion is a crime, and a person can be punished under the Section of 312 and 316 of Indian Penal Code. If abortion is done without the consent of the mother carries the baby.

To stop the crime against women in the society a Women PowerLine number has started by the police of Uttar Pradesh to help women at the time of emergency. Women Power Line is a 24*7 helpline where women can register their complaint. The members of WPL effectively deal with the crime against women and ensure that they feel more secure. Women power line 1090 is also receiving calls from those teens who were forced by their parents to get married in at an early age and those women who are compelled to abort their girl child. Women Power Line is a gift for the women who protects them and provides safety at the time of emergency.