Opinion: Violence against women has to stop. But how?

Is it the policy that should lead practice or vice-versa? No matter which comes first, the debate concerning violence against women calls for the concurrent implementation of policy with practice. The policy and practice alignment will lead to gender sensitisation and elimination of gender-based violence. The International Day for the elimination of violence against women falling on 25th November comes as a reminder to a country like India which still struggles to check violence against women.

If India is known for its women talent and workforce that has made the global headlines, the country is equally acknowledged for its discouraging figures for atrocities against women. The latest 2015 report of the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB) comes as a warning which records 32,7394 registered cases of crimes against women across the country. Equally shocking is the 24,379 number of complaints received by the National Commission for Women (NCW) in India during 2015-16.

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These numbers are embarrassing for India’s global standing. A number of reasons such as social complexities, economic dependency, backward social standards and lack of vigilance to protect women interest could be prime reasons behind these cases. Besides, in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society like India, discrimination against women, would be hard to completely wipe out. But does that mean that the 21st century India should not rise to the occasion to protect women and their interest which comprise almost half of India’s total population?

India needs a national call characterised by practice plus policy coordination which must have uniformity to protect the interest of the women. The practice-policy coordination means wherein the policy and practice must drive concurrently to complement each other towards eliminating violence against women. Making only policy would not help India to address the violence against women.

In fact, in terms of policy initiatives, India has introduced a number of flagship policy programmes such as National Policy for Empowerment of Women (2001), Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme, SABLA, UJJAWALA Scheme, SWADHAR Greh which are designed around the objective of women empowerment and protecting the interests of women.

Certain legislations such as Sexual harassment of women at workplace Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal Act 2013; Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961; Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 also forms part of the mechanism to combat any gender-based abuse. The issue of violence against women has been highlighted in international development agenda through Sustainable Development Goals.

However, the similar spirit of placing women at the core of national and international development agenda has not yet been translated into practice. When India has been implementing various schemes and policies for women empowerment and safety, the country must realise that simply making policies will not be helpful to address violence against women. Rather, the focus should be on how to make realise the importance of these policies before they are actually implemented. This calls for a national educational consciousness - be it at primary or higher education level- in the favour of women.

The national policies are no doubt effective but the same will yield faster and long-term results if these are not implemented in isolation. Instead, policies must be aligned with the day-to-day practices that may initially be deliberate and are more likely to leave a greater impact and sense of responsibility towards the cause. Both primary, as well as higher education, can create a favourable condition in this regard.

Indeed, a credible environment in favour of the women workforce is missing in India even though the international community looks at India as a country leading the path to its power. India does not lag behind in establishing parity between women and men, breaking the gender discrimination. Still, the country struggles from the psychosis of a deprived environment to effectively protect its women population. Sincere public awareness and effective primary and higher education concerning women and their interest can make a huge difference. The necessity of the time is to educate the public over protecting women’s interest and rights which are fundamental to nation-building.

Instead of building this necessary public awareness, India is rather waiting for a time when policies are framed to add-on the practices and practices facilitate the implementation of policies to reach the last target. For this, it is important that India should realise the significance of education and importance of convergence between different public realms concerning education.

In fact, the role of education in uplifting the economic status of women and empowering them in terms of financial independence leading to their participation in decision making has been long established and accepted. However, economic development is just one part of what education can do in terms of women empowerment. It is important to perceive education as a life experience leading to beliefs formation and overall personality formation. Education, as such, can be utilised to bring into practice what forms the basis of policies regarding women safety and security.

Hence, it is important that the agenda of sensitisation on issues related to genders such as violence and abuse should be introduced at an early age, at the primary education level. There is no better way to start a national practice in doing this than in public and private schools and higher education institutions for bringing about the desired attitudinal change.

This is especially relevant when the Right to Education Act, 2009 talks about bringing all children to school, compulsorily completes elementary level education and help them to learn the basics of livelihood. The role of classroom interaction, whether in schools or colleges or universities, is not limited to exchange of textbook knowledge, but it creates an environment where students learn beyond textbooks.

Issues concerning women and their protection should, therefore, become an integral part of our learning process in schools and colleges. This learning is important in fixing the values and ideas that will lead to eliminating bias against women and will lead to acknowledging women’s place in society as an equal human-being. Besides, a national agenda on women safety focusing on education practices as a mean to promote equality needs to be implemented across the country.

In addition to all these, numerous policies will not bring in the desired results if implemented in isolation. These have to be embedded in the social reality and day-to-day practices especially in various educational institutions, both formal and non-formal such as adult learning centres. In a federal practice, both the Centre and the States are responsible for planning and implementing education-related legislation, schemes and policies giving States flexibility to implement the policies as per their requirement. Value-based education relating to women must be a universal national practice in India no matter how the Centre and States work.

Rather, a national call on adopting practices for eliminating violence against women and implementing policies for women empowerment have to supersede the debate of centre-state and be executed uniformly all over. India does not have to choose between policy and practice, it needs a national perspective that may be implemented universally in which policy and practices go hand in hand.

(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity)