rams. The first was at institution run by an American missionary, Cynthia Farrar, in Ahmednagar. The second course was at a Normal School in Pune . Given her training, Savitribai may have been the first Indian woman teacher and headmistress.
Savitri bai (3 January 1831 – 10 March 1897) was an Indian social reformer, educationalist, and poet from Maharashtra. She is regarded as the first female teacher of India. Along with her husband, Jyotirao Phule, she played an important role in improving women’s rights in India. She is regarded as the mother of Indian feminism. Phule and her husband founded one of the first Indian girls’ school in Pune, at Bhide wada in 1848.[a] She worked to abolish the discrimination and unfair treatment of people based on caste and gender. She is regarded as an important figure of the social reform movement in Maharashtra.
A philanthropist and an educationist, Phule was also a prolific Marathi writer.
- Tarvinder kaur
Even though the Dowry Prohibition Act has been in place since 1961, the practice of dowry goes on undeterred. When it is not demanded outright, it is implied that the bride’s family will have to give ‘gifts’ and provide for a certain standard of living for the groom and his family. On refusal, there is always the chance of the bride being harassed or even murdered, – crimes which are not even included in the Dowry Act and had to wait till 1983 to be considered ‘legal’ crimes.
On May 15, as 24-year-old Tarvinder Kaur settled down to watch television in the sitting room of her house in Model Town, New Delhi, she met her death. Her mother-in-law allegedly crept up and poured a can of kerosene oil over her while her young college-going sister-in-law set her ablaze. Her husband, 28-year-old Satpal Singh Anand whom she married three months ago was in the toilet when he heard his wife’s screams. By the time he rushed out to save her, Tarvinder Kaur was scorched with third degree burns. And by the time she was taken to JP Hospital she was dying. Five days later, after admitting that she had been burnt to death by her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, she died.
This one is the landmark dowry case held in delhi in early times after this various rally’s were held new laws have been made.
Tarvinder Kaur’s death in May is one link in a long chain of deaths that have become known since a staunch campaign mounted by women’s organizations has made the issue public. According to one estimate over 300 women were burnt to death in 1975, which means a woman for virtually every day of the year.
In Delhi, the first organisation to raise the issue of dowry and crimes related to it was Mahila Dakshata Samiti. It was however, Stree Sangharsh, a feminist group, that made dowry harassment a common topic in households. On June 1, 1979, they organised a protest march against the death of Tarvinder Kaur, who was burned by her mother-in-law and sister-in-law, claiming it to be murder for dowry. The initiative was in fact taken by Indraprastha College Women’s Committee, who approached Stree Sangharsh to organise the march. Progressive Students Organization also rallied with the other two, showing the enthusiasm and effect on the youth such social issues had. The agitation became a national success and was covered excessively by the press, with many more protests being organised all over Delhi..
However, it was only after many years that the Anti-Dowry cells became fully functioning, even then only dealing with cases of dowry demand or harassment, excluding dowry murders. There were further developments in the legal system of the country. In December 1983 the Criminal Law (second amendment) Act was passed, introducing Section 498A to the Indian Penal Code. According to this section, cruelty, specifying both physical and mental harassment, was made a non-bailable offence, punishable by up to two years in jail and a fine.
Indian Evidence Act was also amended by including Section 113A that helped with proving abetment to suicide. Lastly, there was also an amendment of Section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which made it compulsory to do a post-mortem of a woman who died within 7 years of marriage. Even earlier the Central Government, in November 1980, ordered mandatory investigation and post-mortem of a woman who died within 5 years of marriage under unnatural circumstances. In September 1980 the Haryana government took an initiative – by to making it compulsory to register unnatural deaths of married women as murder (Section 302, IPC), while cases with abetment to suicide be registered under Section 306 of the IPC.
- Bhanwari devi is an Indian social-worker from Bhateri, Rajasthan, who was gang raped in 1992 by higher-caste men angered by her efforts to prevent a child marriage in their family. Her subsequent treatment by the police, and court acquittal of the accused, attracted widespread national and international media attention, and became a landmark episode in India’s women’s
In 1992, the state government of Rajasthan decided to launch a campaign against child marriage during the fortnight preceding the festival of Akha Teej, which is considered an auspicious date for marriages. Many child marriages take place during this festival. WDP members were tasked with convincing local villagers not to conduct child marriages, a task that Bhanwari took up, along with prachetas and members of the District Women’s Development Agency (DWDA). The campaign was largely ignored by the villagers and faced disapproval from local leaders, including the village headman or pradhan.
One family which had arranged such a marriage was that of Ram Karan Gurjar, who had planned to marry off his nine-month-old daughter. Bhanwari made attempts to persuade the family against carrying out their wedding plans. Since many Gujar families seemed determined to go ahead with child marriages, the Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO) and the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) started making rounds of the village. On 5 May, the day of Akha Teej, the Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) and SDO went to Bhateri village to stop the marriage of Ram Karan Gurjar’s infant daughter. While they succeeded in preventing the marriage from taking place on the day of Akha Teej, the marriage took place at 2 a.m. the next day. No police action was taken against this. However, the villagers associated the police visits with Bhanwari Devi’s efforts. This resulted in social and economic boycott of Bhanwari and her family. The villagers stopped selling milk to the family or buying the earthen pots they made. Bhanwari was forced to leave her job when her employer was roughed up, while her husband was beaten up by another Gujar.
According to Bhanwari Devi, at dusk on 22 September 1992, while her husband and she were working in their field, five men from the dominant and affluent Gurjar caste from her village attacked her husband with sticks, leaving him unconscious. In her complaint with the police she named the five men: brothers Ram Sukh Gujjar, Gyarsa Gujjar and Ram Karan Gujjar, the latter whose daughter’s child marriage she attempted to stop, and their uncle Badri Gujjar, along with one Shravan Sharma. She claimed that while Ram Sukh held her, Badri and Gyarsa took turns in raping her. She added that the rape occurred shortly after the said incident happened.The accused of Gurjar caste were arrested and tried in the court, but they were backed by the local MLA, Dhanraj Meena. Meena hired a lawyer called Purohit to defend the accused.
Bhanwari’s case shaped the women’s movement in India. The Bhanwari case is said by some to have encouraged more rape victims to prosecute their rapists.
By 2007, the average age of the first-time mother in Rajasthan had gone up to 16.5 years. This change was brought about by the efforts of women’s groups, catalyzed by the Bhanwari case.
Bhanwari received honours both nationally and internationally. She was invited to be a part of the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. In 1994, she was awarded the Neerja Bhanot Memorial Award carrying ₹1 lakh cash prize, for her “extraordinary courage, conviction and commitment”.
In 2002, the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot, allotted a residential plot to Bhanwari Devi and announced a grant of ₹40,000 for construction of a house on the plot. He also sanctioned an additional amount ₹10,000 for the education of her son.
- Kinds of feminism
Liberal Feminism.
Radical Feminism.
Marxist and Socialist Feminism.
Cultural Feminism.
Eco-Feminism.
- Feminism in india
is a set of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political and economic rights for women in India. It is the pursuit of women’s rights within the society of India. Like their feminist counterparts all over the world, feminists in India seek gender equality: the right to work for equal wages, the right to equal access to health and education, and equal political rights. Indian feminists also have fought against culture-specific issues within India’s patriarchal society, such as inheritance laws.
The history of feminism in India can be divided into three phases:
The first phase, beginning in the mid-19th century, initiated when reformists began to speak in favor of women rights by making reforms in education, customs involving women
The second phase, from 1915 to Indian independence, when Gandhi incorporated women’s movements into the Quit India movement and independent women’s organisations began to emerge
The third phase, post-independence, which has focused on fair treatment of women at home after marriage, in the work force and right to political parity.
Despite the progress made by Indian feminist movements, women living in modern India still face many issues of discrimination. India’s patriarchal culture has made the process of gaining land-ownership rights and access to education challenging. In the past two decades, there has also emerged a trend of sex-selective abortion. To Indian feminists, these are seen as injustices worth struggling against
- Women rights
The Constitution of India guarantees to all Indian women equality (Article 14), no discrimination by the State (Article 15(1)), equality of opportunity (Article 16), equal pay for equal work (Article 39(d)) and Article 42.
On the grounds of gender equality, here are rights an Indian woman holds in India
1. Women have the right to equal pay
According to the provisions listed under the Equal Remuneration Act, one cannot be discriminated on the basis of sex when it comes to salary, pay or wages.
Working women have the right to draw an equal salary, as compared to men.
2. Women have the right to dignity and decency
In an event that the accused is a woman, any medical examination procedure on her must be performed by — or in the presence of — another woman.
3. Women have the right against workplace harassment
The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act gives a female the right to file a complaint against any kind of sexual harassment at her place of work.
Under this act, she can submit a written complaint to an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) at a branch office within a period of 3 months.
4. Women have a right against domestic violence
Section 498 of the Indian Constitution looks to protect a wife, female live-in partner or a woman living in a household like a mother or a sister from domestic violence (including verbal, economic, emotional and sexual) by the hands of a husband, male live-in partner or relatives.
The accused shall be punished with a non-bailable imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and shall also be liable to fine.
5. Female sexual assault victims have the right to keep their identity anonymous.
To ensure that her privacy is protected, a woman who has been sexually assaulted may record her statement alone before the district magistrate when the case is under trial, or in the presence of a female police officer.
6. Women have the right to get free legal aid
Under the Legal Services Authorities Act, female rape victims have the right to get free legal aid or help from the Legal Services Authority who has to arrange a lawyer for her.
7. Women have right not to be arrested at night
Unless there is an exceptional case on the orders of a first class magistrate, a woman cannot be arrested after sunset and before sunrise.
In addition, the law also states that the police can interrogate a woman at her residence only in the presence of a woman constable and family members or friends.
8. Women have the right to register virtual complaints
The law gives women the provision for filing virtual complaints via e-mail, or writing her complaint and sending it to a police station from a registered postal address.
Further, the SHO sends a police constable to her place to record her complaint.
This is in case a woman is not in a position to physically go to a police station and file a complaint.
9. Women have the right against indecent representation
Depiction of a woman’s figure (her form or any body part) in any manner that is indecent, derogatory, or is likely to deprave, corrupt or injure the public morality or morals, is a punishable offence.
10. Women have the right against being stalked
Section 354D of the IPC makes way for legal action to be taken against an offender if he/she follows a woman, tries to contact her to foster personal interaction repeatedly despite a clear indication of disinterest; or monitor the use by a woman of the internet, email or any other form of electronic communication.
Stalking, in any form, is a crime.
11. Women have a right to Zero FIR
An FIR that can be filed at any police station irrespective of the location where the incident occurred or a specific jurisdiction it comes under, the Zero FIR can later be moved to the Police Station in whose jurisdiction the case falls under.
This ruling was passed by the Supreme Court to save the victim’s time and prevent an offender from getting away scot-free.
Also there are some acts relating to protection of women:-
- The Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956
- The Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961 (28 of 1961) (Amended in 1986)
- The Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986The Commission of Sati (Prevention) Act, 1987 (3 of 1988)
- Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005
- The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (PREVENTION, PROHIBITION and REDRESSAL) Act, 2013
- The Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013
Every married women who have ever experienced spousal violence is 28.8% national family health servey 2015-16
57% adolescent boys 53% adolescent girls in india thinks think it is alright for man to hit or beat a women (unicef global report card on adolescents 2012)
- Mee too movement
MeeToo movement was founded by Tarana Burke but began as a social phenomenon in October 2017 as a hashtag started by American actress Alyssa Milano who shared her story of sexual assault against Harvey Weinstein. Shortly afterward, women from across the world began talking about their survivor stories. In India, however, the MeToo movement didn’t gain much traction until actress Tanushree Dutta decided to speak up once against actor Nana Patekar.
The Me Too movement in India is a manifestation of the international Me Too movement that began in late 2018 (and continues to the present day) in areas of Indian society including the government, the media, and the Bollywood film industry. In India, the Me Too movement is seen as either an independent outgrowth influenced by the international campaign against sexual harassment of women in the workplace, or an offshoot of the American “Me Too” social movement. Me Too began gaining prominence in India with the increasing popularity of the international movement, and later gathered sharp momentum in October 2018 in the entertainment industry of Bollywood, centered in Mumbai, when actress Tanushree Dutta accused Nana Patekar of sexual harassment. This led to many women in the news media, Indian films, and even within the government to speak out and bring allegations of sexual harassment against a number of perpetrators,began as one woman’s story soon became a phenomenon when the names of powerful men in the country started surfacing. From actor Alok Nath to journalist MJ Akbar, the movement has brought to light many stories of sexual harassment and abuse.
