Andhra Loyola College
Value Education. II Year

Unit I- Social Analysis (TO BE TAUGHT IN III SEMESTER)
1. Society, Poverty, Illiteracy, Politics, Impact of Globalization, Social Justice
2. Marriage and Divorce- Premarital Counseling
3. Status of Women. Socioeconomic profile, Gender inequalities etc.
4. Family- Types and functions of family, Domestic Violence
5. Caste- Origin, Merits and demerits, Dalits, Ambedkar and others who fought for Dalit empowerment, Measures for eradicating caste

Unit II- Human Rights (TO BE TAUGHT IN IV SEMESTER)
1. Introduction, Definition, History
2. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), A discussion on how these Human
Rights are being violated in India
3. Rights of Woman, Social, Political. Economic and Political rights.
4, Rights of Children. Menace of Child Labour
5. Rights of Dalits. Rights of the oppressed people.
6. Girl Child. Child trafficking, education

Unit I- SOCIAL ANALYSIS

1. Status of Women (Gender Inequalities)
Gender refers to the social classification on men and women, the way society distinguish them and assign them social roles. Gender is man made. Just having male and female bodies does not necessarily have to determine their characteristics, roles or destinies. There is nothing in a woman’s body, which stops her from wearing shorts or climbing trees. And there is nothing in a man's body that prevents him from cooking, and looking after the children. These gender differences are created by society. We cannot deny that there are biological and anatomical differences between males and females. The inequalities that exist between woman and man can be questioned and challenged. Every society prescribes different norms for girls and boys.
The term “gender” is used to describe those Characteristics of women and men that are socially constructed, in contrast to those that are biologically determined. Boys and girls are taught what the appropriate behavior and attitudes, roles, and activities. They are conditioned as to how they should relate to others. These learned attributes are what make up gender identity and determine gender roles.
A gender analysis identifies, analyses and helps to act upon inequalities that arise from the different roles of women and men, or the unequal power relationships between them. It also studies the consequences of this “gender bias.” Since these inequalities most often disadvantage women, a gender analysis highlights women’s problems. (WHO Gender Policy, 1998).
Case Study.
Sarita, a film actress started acting in films after she was married. Her husband Subbaiah who resides in Cuddapah, went to court requesting restitution of conjugal rights (asking the court to order Sarita to get back to Cuddapah and fulfill the role of a wife). Sarita refused and asked that Subbaiah can move to Chennai rather than her moving back to Cuddapah. Subbaiah then applied for divorce and it was granted.
What are the various considerations that emerge out of this case with respect to the attitude of the people concerned?
Stereotyping
A woman is expected to gentle, caring and obedient. The men are expected to be aggressive, strong and rational. Though the constitution guarantees equality, in practice there is very little. Even when the wife holds a more important position, she is still expected to fulfill the role of a domestic housewife and do the chores such as cooking, sewing, washing etc. However most professional cooks, tailors, and laundry people are men. In poor families boys are given preference in schooling over girls. At work place woman faces harassment.
The roles defined by our culture
“Karyeshu dasi, Karaneshu manthri, Bhojyeshu mata, Shayaneshu Rambha, Kshamaya dharitri” is very much a male oriented norm.
Spaced are gendered. Pubs, pan shops, football stadiums are domains of men. Kitchen and public well is very much women’s domain.
Language is also gendered. Men use abusive language without hesitation. But if a woman use such language people are horrified.
Use of masculine as the standard. E.g. Chairman, Sportsman, One-man show etc.
Words like secretary, Nurse, and Kindergarten teacher are associated with women. The terms boss, pilot, farmer brings to mind only the men.
Advertisements of washing soaps, cooking oil on the TV show women. While men are shown in ads dealing with two wheelers etc.
Birth of a female child is frowned upon. Male and female children are often referred to as “plus” and “minus” respectively.

Case study. Mr Sangameswara Rao and his wife are childless. They decide to adopt a child. Whom should they adopt, a boy or a girl. Substantiate your opinion.
Women make up half of the population of this planet. Yet they are out numbered by men 10 to 1 in prisons. Women do not fight wars. They bring up children and generally do all the beneficial service to human society.
Other issues to discuss: Wife battery (beating), selective termination of female fetuses, Dowry deaths, Sati and so on.
Discuss the portrayal of women’s roles in popular films and traditional literature such as the epics (Ramayana etc.). “Pativrata” concept.
What are the factors that will adjust these inequalities? Education, Economic Empowerment etc.
Women’s Right to hold property.
Until 1937 women have no right to hold property. In 1937 “Hindu Women Property Act was made. According to this she can hold it but cannot sell, transfer or mortgage. At her death the property goes to the relatives of her husband. In 1956 an Act was passed giving absolute right to the woman over her husbands property. NT Rama Rao promoted and amendment to the Hindu Succession Act, making it a daughter’s right to have a share in her fathers property. According to this any daughter born after 1986 or unmarried on the day of the passing of this law becomes a co-partiary (copartner) member of the family.
Reformers who worked for the upliftment of women in India. Raja Ram Mohan Roy
Raja Ram Mohan Roy is often compared to Martin Luther and Francis Bacon.
He was born in 1772 in Bardwan district of West Bengal in a traditional Hindu family. He came under the influence of Islamic thought in childhood. He learned Persian, Arabic, Hebrew, and Greek at a tender age. He opposed idolatry and was turned out of home by his father.
Roy roamed the country for 3 or 4 years. He settled down in Varanasi and learned Sanskrit, and studied Upanishads and other philosophical literature. After the death of his father in 1803 he inherited the property and settled in Mushirabad. He promoted the “Devotion to One God” (Ekeswaropasana).
He worked for British East India Company between 1805 and 1814. He translated some Upanishads into English. He wrote Bengali Grammar. He studied Buddhist, and Jain literature. Finally Roy settled in Calcutta in 1814. In his spiritual quest he was deeply attracted to Christianity, and the morals contained in it. He came into contact with Dwaraka Nath Tagore (Rabindra’s grand father) in Brahma Samajam.
At this time he started his fight against Child marriages, promotion of widow remarriages, abolition of superstitions, Polygamy, Abolition of Caste and other social evils.
Most noteworthy is his fight against Sati. Sati was considered to be a mark of a “Pativrata.” However majority of the women were used to be forced into Sati. Often the woman is tied to the dead body of the husband. Her shouts for help are drowned in the beatings of the drum. The relatives of the dead person usually resort to this heinous crime.
Roy saw the Sati of his own brother’s wife. He started writing in the newspapers. The British hesitated to interfere with a “Hindu" custom. But as a matter of fact sati was never prescribed in any Hindu writings. Finally in 1829 Dec. 4 the British Governor general Lord William Ben tick passed a law against Sati.
Roy later went to Englandin1830 and died there in 1833.
He took to heart, the idolatry-free Bhakti of Islam, the morality of Christianity and the Brahma Tatva of the Upanishads.
Others who worked in this area of gender inequalities are Kandukuri Veerasalingam, (Child marriages, Remarriage of the widows) Gurajada Appa Rao (Kanya sulkam 0, Raghupati Venkataratnam Naidu and others

2. Caste
Every nation has differences of class, race or religion. But caste is peculiar to India alone. No where else does caste exist. Caste in India is an organ of Hinduism. Both caste and Hinduism are mutually supportive to each other. Caste is mentioned in the oldest religious book, the Rig veda. In Bhagavatgita, God says “Caste is my creation.
Caste is a social group to which a person belongs by birth. Within a caste most people share a common culture or occupation, and usually belong to the same religious sect. Caste is mainly preserved by “endogamous” (marriages within the caste).
Origin of caste in India is not very clear. Even though some kind of division of labor existed in ancient India, it is generally believed that the caste system came into being with the arrival of Aryans probably around 1500 BC. The Aryans subdued the original people and their rulers and made them slaves. The Aryan society has a system of division of labor. And these divisions became well established with the help of endogamous marriages. There is a relation between caste and “Varna” (Color). According to the type of occupation there are 4 castes. They are Brahman (Priests), Kshatriya (warriors), Vysya (merchants), and Shudra (artisans). In addition to this there is a fifth caste that does not come under the Hundu caste system. They are panchamas (the fifth caste) or out castes. They are considered untouchables in many places even today. One out of every 5 Indians belongs to the Panchama caste groups. Buddism and Jainism came into existence as protest against caste system. Islam and Christianity also does not sanction castism.
Merits and demerits. Caste had a lot of relevance for the ancient Indian society. When Indian came across with the western thought, people started realizing that caste is unjust. Now there is an opportunity for individuals of any caste to adopt any occupation. Thus the caste distinctions are fading away. Now it is felt that caste is no more relevant.

The evils of caste are many. Discrimination. Untouchabllity and so on It is looked upon as an inhuman system that eliminates large sections of people from their fundamental rights.
Dalits. This is the name given to the people of socially and economically backward castes. Gandhiji sought to improve their position and under the leadership of Ambedkar (study his biography), the Indian Constitution outlines various measures to uplift them. One such measure is providing them reservations in education and employment. Ambedkar, himself, a Dalit belonging to Mahar caste, embraced Buddism and encouraged Dalits to do so, because it is a casteless religion. Gandhiji called them Harijans, meaning children of God. On the political scene leaders like Jagajjivan Ram, Mayavati and others are generally recognized as Dalit leaders. Also discuss the Madiga Hakkula Dandora.
Measures to eradicate Caste.
Reservations. It is mainly the socio economic backwardness that keeps the lower castes in the shadow of misery. The makers of constitution felt that reservations should be provided to uplift their conditions. This has changed the conditions of dalits to a large extent, but succeeded in dividing the people of the nation. The so called forward castes resent this reservation policy. Reservation policy also denies merit and efficiency by giving jobs and seats in academic and professional courses to persons of inferior capabilities in the name of reservation. Numerable families belonging to the so called forward castes remain in utter poverty. An opinion favoring provision of reservations of economic basis, is gaining ground.
Inter caste marriages. The government encourages such marriages by announcing attractive incentives for inter caste marriages. Caste is perpetuated mainly due to marriages within the caste. The children of inter caste unions will naturally be more open and tolerant towards other castes.
Social Justice. In India many things depend upon equations of caste, religion, language and region. Caste play a large part in the elections. Caste is also a basis of much favoritism even in higher academic and administrative circle. Bringing about strict measure to implement social justice will be helpful to wipe away the caste barriers. Education is a powerful tool.
Caste in the changing times of privatization and Globalization. The new trends that are emerging in the world today will further affect the caste system. Privatization will ensure that only merit is the criterion for jobs. Reservations or caste related favoritism will be removed. The new generation of Indians in public schools are likely to reject the old values related to the traditional caste system.

3. FAMILY AND MARRIAGE

Family is a social units based on economic cooperation management of reproduction child rearing, and common residence. It Includes male and female adults who maintain a socially approved sexual relationship.
Extended family includes those who are related by blood (consanguine) and/or by marriage - Family also refers to the conjugal pair and their children, as in nuclear family.
Household is a group of family members that live in the same house or share the same kitchen. Nuclear family household consists of a conjugal pair and their children. Extended family household is of two types- Lineal (joint) extended household and Collateral (joint) extended family household.
Purpose of marriage Is to prevent Sexual intercourse with the wrong kind of person. Incest (sexual relations between close relatives (brother and sister etc) discouraged in human societies. The following theories explain why incest died down in human societies as civilization advanced. Natural Aversion Theory - there is a natural aversion to sexual intercourse among those who have grown up together. Inbreeding Theory - mating between close kin produces a higher incidence of genetic defects. Family Disruption Theory – mating between family members would create intense jealousies and the family would not be able to function. Theory of Expanding Social Alliances - marrying outside the immediate family creates a wider network of interfamily alliances.
Restrictions on Marriage Partners Monogamy- Marriage of one person to another person. Bigamy- Two simultaneous monogamous marriages. Polygyny- Marriage of a man to two or more women. Polyandry- Marriage of a woman to two or more men.
Social Functions of Marriage 1. Creates relationships between men and women that regulate mating and reproduction.. 2. Provides a mechanism for regulating thesexual division of labor. 3. Creates a set of family relationships that provides for the material, educational, and emotional needs of children.
Economic Transactions of Marriage
1. Bride wealth. Compensation given upon marriage by the family of the groom to the family of the bride. Approximately 46% of all societies give substantial bride wealth payment as part of the marriage process. Bride wealth is most widely found in Africa,where it is estimated that 82% of societies require the payment of bride wealth.2. Bride Service Men give labor to the bride’s family in exchange for a wife. He often moves in with his bride’s family, works or hunts for them, and serves aprobationary period of several weeks to several years. Found in approximately 14% of societies.
3. Dowry. Transfer of goods or money from bride’s family to the groom or the groom’s family. This is practiced in less than 3% of societies. If the marriage ended in divorce, the woman was entitled to take the dowry with her.4. Reciprocal exchange. Woman exchange: two families exchange males or females in marriage.
Divorce Across Cultures Divorce arrangements found in the many cultures of the world vary widely. Organizations such as the Roman Catholic Church prohibit divorce outright. A Hopi woman from Arizona could divorce her husband easily by simply putting his outside the door.
Marriage Residence Patterns-
Patrilocal: Couple lives with or near relatives of the husbands father (69%).Matrilocal: Couple lives with or near the relatives of the wife (13%).Avunculocal: Couple lives with or near the husband’s mother’s brother (4%).Umbilical: Couple has a choice of living with relatives of the wife or the husband (9%).Neolocal: Couple forms independent residence away from relatives (5%).
Functions of the family. Family is the primary institution that transfers values to its members. .Family is a nursery in which children grow up and acquire personality that equip them for the outside world. How ever some families are “Dysfunctional.” Improper or immature behavior of parents damage individuality and relational skills of members. Members are impaired emotionally and psychologically.
“Functional” family is where proper and mature behavior of parents cultivates a healthy balance between individuality and relational skills among members Healthy emotional, psychological growth is cultivated
Dysfunctional family types
1. The Chaotic Family. Household and individuals are poorly organized
Family is plagued by problems. Parents are inconsistent and indecisive
Children are emotionally abandoned. Family members are not connected
2. The Controlling Family. Structure in very rigid Tone is authoritative and dictatorial. Parents tend to be fault finding and critical. Value is placed on the performance. Family members are fearful and insensitive
3. The coddling Family. Parental authority is lacking. Feelings are over protected. Disagreements are avoided. Children are center of attraction
Family members are undisciplined.
4. Codependent Family. Conformity is strong in the family. Self direction is lacking. Parents are overly protective. Family members are insecure.
Functional Family type
1. The Cultivating Family. Structure and discipline is maintained. Individual responsibility is required. Children are secure. Family relationships are balanced. Steps to cultivate the family. An ideal family emphasizes uniqueness of each member. It seeks togetherness, but encourage individuality It maintains consistency in the message it communicates; Practices immediate and appropriate discipline. A generous margin for mistakes is allowed. It encourages appropriate expression of feelings. It promote and develop natural talents and abilities. It requires members to take responsibility of their own actions.


4. Divorce
You have probably known someone who has gone through a divorce. What were the positive outcomes of this? What were the difficulties they had to go through? Do you think they could have worked it out?
Would it have been better if they did?
Factors Leading to Divorce. The most common cause of divorce is selfishness. It could be selfishness with time, money, work, caring and communication. Other factors of divorce may be changing value system, physical and emotional abuse, religious differences or alcohol/substance abuse.
Personal Problems Associated With Divorce. No one ever escapes from a divorce unharmed. Hopes and dreams are replaced with feelings of rejection, security, and a loss of self-esteem. The 4 major arguments against divorce are: Divorce hurts you. Divorce hurts those around you. Single life is not what you thought it would be. Staying married is better for you.
Divorce people have more illness, more premature deaths, higher suicide rates and more accidents than those who are married. When we divorce we learn to doubt that any relationship can be permanent. Children fear that they caused the divorce and they feel rejected and alone.
Coping With Divorce
Dealing with divorce is similar to coping with a death. A person goes through three stages. Shock and numbness – one blocks out reality, denial. Reality – deep sadness and great sense of loss, depression and anxiety. Recovery – they give up their hopes and plans they had with the other person. The impact of divorce on children can affect their self-concept, school performance, peer relationships and needs.
Parents can help children adjust to divorce by decreasing conflict, relationship with parents, economic stability, and consistent visitation.
AMERICA has one of highest marriage rates in industrialized world; One of the highest divorce rates in world. One of the highest remarriage rates in the world (1/3 remarry within a year). 50% OF ALL MARRIAGES ARE LIKELY TO END IN DIVORCE. By 1974 more marriages ended in divorce than by death.
THE RISING PROPORTION OF MARRIAGES THAT WILL END IN DIVORCE
HOW CAN WE PREVENT DIVORCE? Make divorce more difficult? It used to be hard with a reason. Encourage women to stay home with children so they can’t afford to get out? (Large contributor to likelihood of divorce.)
Encourage family self-sacrifice and less self-fulfillment? Impose more religious constraints? Should we re-stigmatize divorce?
GROUNDS FOR DIVORCE?
Impotency at time of marriage, Adultery committed after the marriage
Desertion of a spouse for more than one year, Failure to provide the necessities of life, Habitual drunkenness, Domestic violence or physical cruelty that causes bodily injury or great mental distress. Being legally separated by a court degree for more than three years in a row.
Permanent or incurable insanity, established by competent medical testimony.
DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS AFFECTING DIVORCE:
High or low income? low
Woman has the higher or lower income? high
High or low education? low
More or less religion? less
Religion? (Jewish, Catholic, Protestant) protestant
Race? (white, African American or Hispanic) African American
Younger or older at time of marriage? younger
1st or 2nd marriage? 2nd
Parents married or divorced? divorced

FACTORS AFFECTING DIVORCE: The shift from agriculture to industrialization undermined many of the families traditional functions. Social integration – the degree of interaction between individuals. Individualism which can take priority over family.
ASPECTS OF LIFE AFFECTING DIVORCE:
Adolescent marriages = twice the likelihood of divorce
Premarital pregnancy does not significantly increase likelihood of divorce.
But it increases if she is an adolescent. drops out of high school. Faces economic problems. PEOPLE WHO MARRY YOUNG ARE MORE LIKELY TO DIVORCE
THE ACTUAL DAY-TO-DAY FAMILY PROCESSES MAY BE THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR. Personality problems, Home life, Authoritarianism, Differing values, PUBLIC OPINION FAVORS ENDING UNHAPPY MARRIAGES , ATTITUDES ABOUT DIVORCE, Staying married for the sake of the children Impact of divorce on children. Single parenting, Children living between two households, Child support, Alimony- Payment made to the wife
IDEAS FOR CREATING A LASTING MARRIAGE Get premarital education & counseling
6 C's - Communication, commitment, conflict resolution, children, church and career
Handle anger, like feeling of hunger, fatigue, happiness, etc. Make spouse your best friend. Learn conflict management skills. What couples argue about is not as important as how they argue. When solving differences do not use: contempt, defensiveness, criticism, don’t care attitude and stonewalling. They are toxic to a marriage. Make and renew commitments.
Evaluate often and be willing to change. Frequently share appreciation.
Eliminate negative or sarcastic comments. Try marriage education before marital therapy. Get professional help before divorce.
DIVORCE PROCESS: Lawyers usually never work to reconcile a divorcing couple – catalyst for adversary 90% NO CONTEST. No Fault Divorce (irreconcilable differences, neither party responsible)
Legal Divorce: court ordered
Economic Divorce: property settlement
Co-parental Divorce: Marriage ends but parenting does not
Community Divorce: In-law become ex-laws, friends take sides
Psychic Divorce (Most Difficult): Former spouse becomes irrelevant to you
Emotional Divorce: one spouse disengages
MARITAL SEPARATION
1. SEPARATION DISTRESS: Situational anxiety caused by separation from an attachment figure. 2nd only to death of a spouse. All attentions are centered on spouse with feelings of anxiety & fear. Sometimes immediate effect of separation is euphoria, but usually slips into separation anxiety
Slowly gives way to loneliness
2. UNCOUPLING: a quiet detachment of one of the spouses
Most divorces are uncontested and settled out of court. In NO FAULT DIVORCE no one is guilty, No adversary process, Settlements are based on equity and need, Promotes gender equality
ALIMONY means the money paid by the husband to the wife at the time of divorce. This happens in only 15% of divorces
CHILD CUSTODY
SOLE: Child lives with one parent who has sole responsibility for physically raising child and making all decisions.
JOINT LEGAL: Child lives primarily with one parent but both share in decisions.
JOINT PHYSICAL: Child lives with both parents, splitting time equally.
SPLIT CUSTODY: Splits the children of a couple between parents, girls to mother, boys to father usually.
JOINT: Parents share legal rights and responsibilities (10% of cases).
NONCUSTODIAL PARENTS:
Often have disruption or disappearance of parenting role during divorce.
Children tend to have little contact with the nonresident parent which weakens the bonds of affection.
CUSTODIAL DISPUTES AND CHILD STEALING
As many as 1/3 of all post-divorce legal cases involve children. About 350,000 children are kidnapped each year by family members in child custody disputes.
VOCABULARY
1. Alimony: Court ordered monetary support to a spouse or former spouse following separation or divorce.
2. Covenant Marriage: A new anti-divorce reform of legal marriage in which couples acknowledge the life-long nature of their marital commitment. It includes pre-marital counseling, and marital counseling if needed & only divorce under extreme hardships via a fault-based divorce.
3. Divorce Mediation: The process in which a mediator assists a divorcing couple in resolving personal, legal, and parenting concerns in a cooperative manner.
4. Joint Custody: Custody arrangement in which both parents are responsible for the care of the child.
5. Joint Legal Custody: Child lives primarily with one parent but both parents jointly share in important decisions regarding the child’s education, religious training, and general upbringing.
6. Joint Physical Custody: Child lives with both parents in separate households and spends more or less equal time with each parent.
7. No-fault Divorce: The dissolution of marriage because of irreconcilable differences for which neither party is held responsible.
8. Separation Distress: A psychological state following separation that may be characterized by depression, anxiety, intense loneliness, or feelings of loss.
9. Sole Custody: One parent has both legal and physical custody of the child.
10. Split Custody: Custody arrangements when there are two or more children in which custody is divided between the parents, the mother generally receiving the girls and the father receiving the boys.


Unit II- Human Rights
INTRODUCTION
Times of India. 28th Oct. Head lines. And Indian Express Oct 26
Five Dalits were lynched in Haryana on suspicion of skinning a live cow. Post mortem examination proved that the cow died the night before the skinning. VHP’s Giri Raj Kishore said that as per the “Shastras” the life of a cow is more valuable than that of a man
Some of the incidents of atrocities against Dalits came into light over the past decade. Karamchedu, Neeru konda palli and Chunduru carnages attracted nationwide attention.
Case Study. Sudhakar (48) worked as a Telugu teacher in a small town High school. His wife is a nurse in the local mission hospital. They have two sons. Sudhakar habitually tortured his wife. He used to undress and beat her regularly, and leave her locked up naked until the morning. The wife left him and the local police intervened. Sudhakar left for Vishakhapatnam, having enrolled himself in the M.Phil program full time in the University. He went on to do his Ph.D. and teach in the Univ dept. He also started a thriving church group. In the early nineties he took a 9th class girl under his care and had sexual contact for more than ten years with her. She had abortions 3 times. She finished her schooling, college education and B.Ed., and now left him free to marry anybody who is willing. All these years Sudhar also had sexual contact with one or the other poor destitute young widows of his church. He is at large leading this church today. (Personal Communication)
Case Study. Lakshmi, daughter of a welknown doctor took B. Tech admission into a local Engg. College. On the second day some senior students came round to the class and started asking the new comers their caste. This girl being a Brahmin was asked to occupy specified benches and specified computer sets in the lab, leaving the best to the students belonging to a certain caste (caste of the Managing body members). All the students are warned that old friendships (from the high school/Inter days) must come to an end and the students of a particular caste should not befriend students of other castes. Lakshmi left the college and took admission in another college out side Vijayawada.
In 1976 hundreds of dwellings of the poor in the Turkman gate area of the Central Delhi were ruthlessly razed to the ground, for the sake of beatifying the city. Since then even after the emergency, such happenings continued in Delhi and other towns and cities.
Victor Franklin was a Psychiatrist arrested by the Nazis during the II World war. Kept in a ghetto he watched many committing suicide. His wife and only daughter died in front of his eyes. He lived on with a hope that one day he will be able to reveal to the world, the findings of his research on human psychology under stress.
People have longings and rights in the following areas- physical well-being, possessions, social relations, mental health, position in the society, freedom, knowledge, creativity, moral well-being, spiritual well-being, and recognition. Factors and conditions that interfere with these longings can be termed as violation of human rights.
Gandhiji’s experience in a railway carriage in S Africa.
The child Ambedkar was asked sit on a piece of sackcloth in his school while the other children sat on wooden benches. 2. Ambedkar took his Brahmin classmate to the sweet shop, and paid for two pieces of sweet. The Brahmin boy prevented Ambedker from taking the sweets from the shopkeeper, and hastily took his sweet directly.
Sweepers, domestic workers, beggars, rickshaw pullers, street children, child laborers, displaced persons, women, female child, dalits, workers in the unorganized sector are some of the sections of the society whose rights are violated.
Making fun of physically handicapped, discriminating against female child, abuse of the daughter in law, dowry, exposing children to pornographic material, lock up torture, indifference towards the needs of the poor, all come under the violation of human rights.
Abolition of the capital punishment. Unborn child also have rights. Anti abortion laws.
Main components of Child Rights. Right to life, right to protection, right to growth and right to participation.
Lenin gave the slogan- Let us give the Children and the old the best this world has to offer. He was invited to judge a children drawing competition. He observed that one boy was merely smearing dark paint on the paper. Lenin asked him what he was drawing. “View outside our window” the boy replied. The boy never saw the blue sky, the greenery, birds flying and so on. All he saw was the atmosphere black with the smoke of the factories in the town.
15th Oct. A woman came to a government hospital for delivery. She was already into the labour when brought in. The staff was occupied otherwise. The baby’s head started appearing and still the staff did not attend to the woman. Having been kept 4 hours in that condition, the baby died.
40% of the population of South Asia is below 18 years. Among them 13.3% are below 5 years of age. One fourth of the total number of the children of the world are in South Asia. And South Asia is the worst breeding ground for the violation of child rights.

Wombs of the mothers are proving to be slaughterhouses of female fetuses, In India about 1,12,00,000 induced abortions take place per year. Out of these 67,00,000 are done under pressure by persons other than the mother. In Tami Nadu, Maduri dt., Usilimpatti taluq alone 6,000 female infants were killed during the last 10years.
Child laborers work in Bidi rolling, glass, cement industries, manufacture of carpets, fireworks, and match boxes, soaps, mica, and other unskilled jobs in hotels, quarrying, pencil making, tanning of skins, slaughterhouses and minor industrial units.
Vaarta 14 Nov 2001. A rich family tonsured Geetha the servant maid for not feeding their baby properly. They cut her skin with a blade, braded her with burning iron,
Hindu 23 Nov 1999. In Timmasani palle of Ranga Reddy dt. Father a boy named Balaraju borrowed 10,000 rupees from the local farmer. Balaraju has been working for the last 17 years as bonded laborer.
Human rights watch reports the case of Kausalya who works in a silk factory as a result of a 4,00 rupee loan taken by her father. She works for 14 hours standing. And she is paid 200 rupees per month. 40,000 children work in Kanchipuram and more than 85,00 children in Varanasi silk saree mills.
Vaarta 19 Sept 2001. An 8-year old girl was belonging to Bashir miya thanda a Lambada tribal clan, was sold to a businessman in Bangalore for 3,500 rupees. The reason is said to be poverty
“We committed many mistakes, walked many wrong paths. But the worst and most unpardonable of them all is the spirit of rejection neglect towards the children of the world” Gabriel Mistirall, Poet and Nobel Laureate.
Rafi’s father is physically handicapped and a habitual drinker. Rafi has 8brothers. Some of them go to school and some go begging. One night Rafi tried to prevent his drunken father from beating his mother. The father mercilessly beat Rafi and turned him out of the house. The police arrested him while he was sleeping in a railway compartment in Hyderabad station. In the juvenile delinquent remand home the security people are subjecting him to rape. Inhuman living conditions, torture and malnutrition. Convention on the Rights of the Child AP.
Srilanka Tamils leaving their homes in the dead of the night taking a boat to India. Children lost their parents, and live as beggars and destitute.

1. Human Rights- Introduction

Human Rights are generally defined as the rights which every human being is entitled to enjoy and to have protected. All societies and cultures have in the past developed some conception of rights and principles that should be respected and some of these rights and principles have been considered universal in nature. The struggle against political, economic, social and cultural oppression, against injustice and inequalities, have been an integral part of the history of all human societies. The conception of the rights, which every human being is entitled to enjoy by virtue of being a member of the human species, has evolved through history in the course of these struggles.
Revolutionary movements that began to emerge from about the last quarter of the eighteenth century to oust despotic and authoritarian political regimes made rights of man which they considered inalienable and sacred as the fundamental basis of their struggle as well as of the new order that they sought to build. The two most important declarations which inspired revolutionary movements the world over were the American Declaration of Independence and the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen.
The history of the almost entire first half of the twentieth century is characterized by the prevalence of colonial rule in large parts of the world, the rise of authoritarian governments in many countries and the establishment of fascist barbarous and aggressive regimes in some countries on the one hand and the rise of national liberation movements in the colonies and of movements of democracy and social progress in various countries on the other. The twentieth century also saw the two most devastating wars in human history - the twenty years of 'peace' between the two being mainly a period of preparation for the Second World War. Because of this, the period from 1914, when the First World War broke out, to 1945 when the Second World War ended has been described as the Age of catastrophe. It was during the closing years of this Age of Catastrophe, during the war against fascism, that the conceptualization and articulation of human rights in their present meaning took place. The most significant feature of the new conceptualization was its universality. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), which was proclaimed in a little over three years after the UN Charter, an elaborate list of human rights intended as ‘common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations', is the contemporary statement of human rights, which are intended to be universally applicable.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was a statement of intent or principle, and not a treaty or a legal agreement between countries or a binding legal document. However, it influenced the constitutions and legal systems of many countries.
Evolution of the contemporary concept of Human Rights- The first generation rights are those that were concerned mainly with the civil and political rights of the individual or the 'liberty-oriented' rights. These were meant to impose 'negative obligations on governments to desist from interfering with the exercise of individual liberties.
The second generation rights are those, which can be said to be 'security-oriented' and provide for social, economic and cultural security. These rights - social, economic and cultural - are more positive in nature in that they make it the duty of the State to ensure that these rights are realized. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights reflects the consensus on the principles, which form the basis of the first and second generation rights.
The third generation of human rights are of relatively recent origin. They have evolved in response to various recent concerns over which international consensus has emerged in recent years. These include environmental, cultural and developmental rights. They are concerned which rights of groups and peoples rather than of individuals and include such rights as the right of self-determination and the right to development. The developing countries have played a leading role in bringing about international consensus on these rights. The Declaration on the Right to Development adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1986 is the most important example of these rights.
All human rights were recognized to be indivisible. The Vienna Declaration, issued after a conference in which representatives of 171 countries and hundreds of non-governmental organizations participated, unambiguously affirmed that "All human rights are universal, indivisible, Interdependent and interrelated". It has also been affirmed that democracy is the sole guarantor of individual rights - civil, political, economic, social and cultural - and collective rights ‘within States and within the community of States'.
As stated earlier, the Universal Declaration has influenced the constitutions and the legal systems of various countries. Many countries are signatories to the Covenants/Conventions on human rights, which means that they have undertaken to implement them. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the governments to protect and promote all these rights. However, it is necessary to remember the distinction between human rights as articulated in international declarations and covenants / conventions, and rights that are laid down in the law of the country and can be enforced, if necessary, through the intervention of the courts.
The record of the past half a century since to adoption of the UN Charter in the implementation of human rights (and even in regard to preservation of peace) has been dismal - some have called it catastrophic. The necessity of building and understanding and concern for making human rights a reality, has never been greater.

2. Universal Declaration of Human Rights

On 10 December 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed in Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The list of Human Rights elaborated in the Declaration provides a common standard of 'achievement for all peoples and all nations.' This has a worldwide historic significance. The full text of the declaration is reproduced below. 10 December is observed as the World Human Rights Day every year.
Article 1
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2
Everyone is entitled to all rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political of other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional of international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-government or under any other limitation of sovereignty.
Article 3
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.
Article 4
No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.
Article 5
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
Article 6
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.
Article 7
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.
Article 8
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.
Article 9
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.
Article 10
Everyone is entitled in full equality to fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him.
Article 11
1. Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defense.
2. No one shall be held guilty of any penal offence on account of any act of omission which did not constitute a penal offence, under national or international law, it the time when it was committed. Nor shall a heavier penalty be imposed than the one that was applicable at the time the penal offence was committed.
Article 12
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor attacks upon his honor and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of law against such interference or attacks.
Article 13
1. Everyone has the right of freedom of movement and residence within the borders for each State.
2. Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.
Article 14
1. Everyone has the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution.
2. This right may not be invoked in the case of prosecution genuinely arising from non-political crimes or from acts contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 15
1. Everyone the right to a nationality.
2. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his nationality nor denied the right to change his nationality.
Article 16
1. Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution.
2. Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses.
3. The family is the natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society and the State.
Article 17
1. Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.
2. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.
Article 18
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion of belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and the public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.
Article 19
Everyone has the right of freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.
Article 20
1. Everyone has the right of freedom of peaceful assembly and association.
2. No one may be compelled to belong to an association.
Article 21
1. Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.
2. Everyone has the right to equal access to public services in his country.
3. The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine election which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.
Article 22
Everyone, as a member society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international cooperation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.
Article 23
1. Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.
2. Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.
3. Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of a social protection.
4. Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.
Article 24
Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay.
Article 25
1. Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
2. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.
Article 26
1. Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stage. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit.
2. Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among the nations, racial of religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace.
3. Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.
Article 27
1. Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits.
2. Everyone has the right to the protection of the moral and material interests resulting from any scientific, literary or artistic production of which he is the author.
Article 28
Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fully realized.

Article 29
1. Everyone has duties to the community in which alone the free and full development of his personality is possible.
2. In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
3. These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.
Article 30
Nothing in this Declaration be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person and right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.

3. Rights of Women

“You can tell the condition of a nation by looking at the status of its women”- - Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. The persistence of hunger and abject poverty in India and other parts of the world is due in large measure to the subjugation, marginalization and disempowerment of women. Women suffer from hunger and poverty in greater numbers and to a great degree than men. At the same time, it is women who bear the primary responsibility for actions needed to end hunger: Those actions are- education, nutrition, health and family income. Looking through the lens of hunger and poverty, there are seven major areas of discrimination against women in India:
1. Malnutrition Malnourished women give birth to malnourished children, perpetuating the cycle. India has exceptionally high rates of child malnutrition, because tradition in India requires that women eat last and least throughout their lives, even when pregnant and lactating.
2. Lack of Education Families are far less likely to educate girls than boys. Far more likely to pull them out of school, either to help out at home or from fear of violence
3. Overwork Women work longer hours and their work is harder than men's. Yet their work is unrecognized. Technological progress in agriculture has had a negative impact on women.
4. Unskilled condition In women's primary employment sector – agriculture, - extension services overlook women.
5. Mistreatment In recent years, there has been an alarming rise in atrocities against women in India, in terms of rapes, assaults and dowry-related murders. Fear of violence suppresses the aspirations of all women. Female infanticide and sex-selective abortions are additional forms of violence that reflect the devaluing of females in Indian society
6. Powerlessness While women are guaranteed equality under the constitution, legal protection has little effect in the face of prevailing patriarchal traditions. Women lack power to decide who they will marry, and are often married off as children. Legal loopholes are used to deny women inheritance rights. Women’s suppression is rooted in the very fabric of Indian society — in traditions, in religious doctrine and practices, within the educational and legal systems, and within families.
7. Poor Health Females receive less health care than males. Many women die in childbirth of easily prevented complications. Working conditions and environmental pollution further impairs women's health.
India- an overview
In India out of the population of 100 crore, 12 crore women live in poverty.
India is one of the few countries where males significantly outnumber females, and this imbalance has increased over time.
India’s maternal mortality rates in rural areas are among the world’s highest.
From a global perspective, Indian accounts for 19 percent of all lives births and 27 percent of all maternal deaths.
Higher female mortality between ages one and five and high maternal mortality rates result in a deficit of females in the population.
Chatterjee (1990) estimates that deaths of young girls in India exceed those of young boys by over 300,000 each year.
Every sixth infant death is specifically due to gender discrimination."
Of the 15 million baby girls born in India each year, nearly 25 percent will not live to see their 15th birthday.
The most striking aspect of contraceptive use in India is the predominance of sterilization, with female sterilization (Tubectomy) accounting for 90 percent of all sterilizations.
Indian constitution grants women equal rights with men, but strong patriarchal traditions persist, with women’s lives shaped by customs that are centuries old.
In most Indian families, a daughter is viewed as a liability, and she is conditioned to believe that she is inferior and subordinate to men.
Sons are idolized and celebrated. May you be the mother of a hundred sons is a common Hindu wedding blessing.
The origin of the Indian idea of appropriate female behavior can be traced to the rules laid down by Manu in 200 B.C.: "by a young girl, by a young woman, or even by an aged one, nothing must be done independently, even in her own house". "In childhood a female must be subject to her father, in youth to her husband, when her lord is dead to her sons; a woman must never be independent."

Domestic Violence
The use of physical, sexual, economic, and/or emotional abuse by one person in an intimate relationship in order to establish and maintain power and control over the other person is called DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.A pattern of abuse that is used to assume and maintain dominance.
1.5 million women per year in the United States (~25%)835,000 men per year in the United States (~7.6%)
The outside world do not know about violence inside the closed doors because of 1) Lack of knowledge 2) Lack of Confidence in Intervention 3) Lack of time
Profile of the victims Domestic violence happens between people who are dating, married, separated, and divorced. It occurs in heterosexual as well as in gay and lesbian relationships and in adolescent dating relationships. Victims cross all socio-economic, religious, racial, ethnic, age groups
Women represent 95% of adult victims. Between 1 and 4 million women abused per year. Lifetime risk for women is about 20%. Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women ages 15-44 in the United States. Research suggests DV results in more injuries to women requiring medical treatment than rape, auto accidents and muggings. Abused women comprise approximately 11-30% of women presenting with injury to hospital emergency services. Medical expenses from domestic violence total at least $3 to $5 billion annually.
A pattern of assaultive and coercive behavior is clear in situations of domestic violence. Physical Sexual, Psychological, threats, intimidation, emotional abuse, isolation, Economic pressure are the common forms of DV. “It started out slowly. At first he just wanted to know where I was going all the time. Then he wanted to tell me where I was going all the time. By the end, I wasn’t allowed to go anywhere.”
“If I went out with my girlfriends, I knew I would come back to find the house trashed… he would always break something he knew I really cared about.”
Those who indulge in DV cross all socio-economic, religious, racial, ethnic, age groups. The Characteristics of Batterers are Sense of Entitlement, Controlling, Manipulative, Frequently Charming, Uninvolved parent, Show contempt for others. We usually think that Batterers have a behavior, mental, accident, impulse control, or anger problem. Domestic violence is exclusive to a specific socioeconomic class. Abuse only occurs in heterosexual relationships. Abuse is exclusively caused by influence to drugs or alcohol. But all this is not true. It affects people from all socioeconomic levels. Mainly against women in heterosexual relationships, but not always. Majority of cases not influenced by drugs or alcohol use.
DV Is Learned Behavior. DV Is NOT Caused By Illness, Genetics or gender, Alcohol or other drugs, Anger, Stress, Victim’s behavior, or Relationship problems. Isolation of victim, Societal Denial, Use of Religious Issues, Use of Cultural Issues, Threats of Retaliation and effect on Children makes the batterers so powerful.
Forms of Abuse
1. Physical Injuries mostly to areas of the body not usually seen by others. Abuse may worsen during pregnancy and injuries may be around the location of the fetus (i.e. belly)
2. Emotional. Belittling and insults. Threats and intimidation to victim
Social, financial and physical isolation. Use of children to threaten, manipulate or instill guilt.
3. Sexual Against the partner’s will. Intimidation
4. Economic Take away money, savings and property and restrict access
5. Spiritual. Misuse or alteration of scripture to explain abusive behavior as allowed and even required
Effects on Children. In 85% of police calls for domestic violence, children had witnessed the violence. Witnessing parental violence is a risk factor for: Males- to physically abuse, Females- to become victims of abuse
What to do if the woman ACKNOWLEDGE. Use supportive statements: “You don’t deserve this.” and, “Our concern is for your safety and your kids’ safety.” Affirm her autonomy and right to control decision-making.
Be aware, materials and referrals you provide a victim may some times place her in danger. Make a follow-up appointment
Why don’t the victims leave ? Reasons why Victims may be hesitant to Leave Relationships. Fear -- for life and children, if in same-sex relationship for fear of exposure and hate crimes. Excuses (i.e. belief that abuser will “never do it again”). Blame & shame on self. Love. Family – especially children. Economic constraints or Lack of Job skills. Social Isolation – don’t know any resources and/or don’t expect support from family, community, or law and government * Language and Culture obstacles. Alcohol and Drugs. Undocumented status
Leaving is a Process- Safety Issues, Threats of Retaliation, Fear of Talking about Abuse to Others, Breaking Isolation, Access to Resources, Survival Strategies, Batterer Accountability
SURVIVORS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE DO LEAVE! They leave when they are ready. They leave when it is safe to do so. We can support their process by providing an institutional response affirming battered women and their decision-making ability. Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women ages 15-44 in the United States.

Domestic Violence Law
Marriages in India. Over ONE Crore marriages take place in India every year. Divorce rates went up from 5% in 1980 to 14% now (14 out of every 100 marriages end in divorce). 5 Crore women suffer violence at home. Only 50,000 report it. Only 2 out of 100 accused are convicted under the existing dowry laws. 80% of the women suffering violence try to reconcile with their husband/family. More than half of all divorce petitions are filed by people in 25-34 age group. 57.3% of men and 57% of women.
Reasons for breakup of marriages Forced marriage. 1.3%Temperamental gaps 16.7%Sexual discord (by men) 5.7%Sexual discord (by women) 6.7Adultery (by women) 11.7%Adultery (by men) 10%Cruelty (by women) 12%Cruelty (by men) 33.7%
Punjab tops in dowry related violence. The reason for this could be the feudal and patriarchal type of family types. However this could also be because of the creation of more Women’s Cells across the state, and increasing awareness among rural women about their rights. Rahul Mahajan was accused of beating his wife Shweta. Manoj Prabhakar after 16 years of marriage was accused by his wife of dowry harassment. Former film hero Navin Nischal’s wife killed herself. She left a note accusing him of being the cause of her suicide. Normal people. Praveen Kaur (39) married in 1990, within a year; she found that her husband Kamaljeet Singh Grewal was already married. She left, and now she has not seen her two children for 5 years even though they live in the same area. Barkha Sharma (22) was married to Rajesh Kumar in Jind in 2005. She was harassed by her in laws for more dowry. She was forced to return to her parents within 5 months of her marriage. “My husband tried to throttle me to death but I survived to fight the battle for justice”
The new laws
Radical new laws are ready to alter the dynamics of Indian Marriages are have far reaching implications for existing social norms. These laws will address invisible violence at home. Deny property rights of the husband. Make marital rape a punishable offence. Give women their economic rights. 5. Makes it mandatory to register all marriages. Bring equality in division of property among sons and daughters. Denial of company, indifference (ignoring the wife) and deliberate sexual abstinence as grounds for divorce. Recommend no-fault divorce. Allow same sex couples choice and freedom
Domestic Violence Protection Law.
President A.P.J.Abdul Kalaam gave his approval to the PROTECTION FROM DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ACT on October 25, 2006. In
In Vijayawada two cases were registered under this act in Vijayawada on November 22. Later 4 more cases were registered. The cases will be tried in the Women’s Magistrate Court. The date of trial should be fixed within 3 days of the complaint. Two cases were registered under this act in Vijayawada on November 22. Later 4 more cases were registered. Mrs. Nirmala Director of Women and child Welfare Project (protection Officer) takes the cases. Phone numbers- 0866 2493197 and 9440814461. The cases will be tried in the Women’s Magistrate Court. The date of trial should be fixed within 3 days of the complaint. The new law addresses “invisible violence” at home…physical and verbal abuse, withholding of financial rights, and sexual cruelty. For decades, laws in India have displayed unwillingness to enter the privacy of the marital home.
Under the new law the Husband-Can’t abuse his wife or live in partner sexually, verbally, economically or emotionally. Can’t force sex, pornography or any other obscene material on her. Can’t smear her character, insult her for not giving birth to a son etc., Can’t force her leave her job or prevent her from taking up a job. Can’t stop a daughter or sister from leaving home or force her to get married. Can’t use her ‘stridhan’ or jewellery, should return her share in the family business. Can’t sell the house in which she is staying Some opinions. “Twenty years ago, the constitution of India stopped at the door of the house”- Brinda Karat (All India Democratic Women’s Association. AIDWA). What is the institution of marriage? That we ask for dowry, burn women, have forced sex, slap them around, and deny them property rights? Is this why our girls get married? - Renuka Choudary, Union Minister
First case
On Oct 26th, one day after the President signed the law, Benedict Mary, a school teacher in Tirunelveli decide to put a stop to a 15-year torture from her drunken husband. In 2004 they got separated, but the local police officer again brought them together. On Oct 25th her husband beat her up again. This is the first case registered under the new law. Her husband is now in jail. More cases. Supriya Patnaik’s marriage was abusive from day one. Her husband would beat her up on very small pretext. He hit her so hard that she lost her first child. In 2002 she local police refused to arrest him. Finally only when she approached the Advocate General, the husband was arrested. Seema Pathak, a victim of abuse could not get alimony from her husband because he fabricated his income. The house in her name was taken away. He forged the documents. He was having an extramarital affair. He accused her of being immoral and forced her into divorce in 2005. Seema will be benefited from this law . Raj Kushal loved and married in 2000. His wife slapped a false dowry harassment case against him for money in 2005. She does not attend the court. Swaroop Sarkar (married in 2002) says that his wife used the marriage to extort money. She continuously taunted him for not being able to meet her financial needs.
Drawbacks. However the new law faces serious roadblocks. For example who can prove verbal or emotional abuse? “Would a man be guilty of domestic violence if he calls her a “fatso” with a view to motivating her to reduce weight?”- Soli Sorabjee, Former Attorney General of India. he law is putting the men on the firing line. Marital rape, or sex without wife’s consent is now a punishable offence. But who is to certify that sex is denied? This law is open to be misused by women who want to attack the husband for whatever reason” This law will create fear and regulate the way men conduct themselves at home” - K.T.S. Tulsi, Senior Advocate.
Misuse the law
“With the growing liberal attitude toward marriage, it is much easier for people today to break wedlock”- Navkesh Batra.
Baidyanath Hansda (22) son of an affluent farmer in Mushirabad, West Bengal applied for divorce alleging that his wife Amita in not “clean in her habits”
Is it effective? “There are two marriages in every marriage- his and her. Usually his is better than hers. Institution of marriage will survive only if we make it a more attractive option for her. Will the new laws manage to reduce the disparity between his and her marriage, or will they widen the gap? A field study by the Chandigarh based Institute of Development and Communication revealed that every second house in rural Punjab acknowledged wife beating and every 16th house admitted to dowry harassment.
Will it be misused? I DON’T THINK ANY WOMAN WANTS TO BREAK UP A FAMILY. SHE DOES IT WITH A LOT OF PAIN” -Manju Kazoo, author and Teacher Let each new law help the women of India lead a more dignified life with all human rights.

4, Rights of Children
A child is defined as any person under 18 years of age. In all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies, the best interest of the child shall be a primary consideration…“
Child rights include rights under two broad categories
1) Right to Life, The rights that help the child to live and to grow without any threat to life come under this category. Right to be born live, right to proper nutritious diet, vaccination, protection from life threatening diseases, good environment, medical facilities etc The child should be registered at birth, given a name, nationality and family identity.
2) Right to Protection, Protection from „all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse...“ from economic/sexual exploitation, trafficking, and drug abuse.
3) Right to Development, The right to health, education, social security and an adequate standard of living. Free and compulsory education up to the primary level, is a right of every child. Child should be prevented from dropping out of the school.
4) Right to Participation Explicit recognition of a child‘s right to participate Art. 12(1). The child should have a chance to play a part in the formulation of policies and decisions that affect him. They should be given opportunities to participate is all cultural, sports and arts events.
The Convention on the Rights of the Child(CRC) states a clear prohibition of discrimination among children, formulates the overall guiding principle „the best interest of the child“ This is Ratified by 192 countries (except USA and Somalia). The day of the adoption of the CRC – 20 November 1989 - is the INTERNATIONAL CHILD RIGHTS DAY
Children's rights are human rights. respect for human dignity regardless of age Children's rights shift focus of attention to the individual child and to children as a group in society. Children’s rights are comprehensive and inter-related no free speech without prohibition of violence, no right to education without an adequate standard of living. Protection of children‘s rights sheds light -1) on the status of the child in society, 2) on prevalent concepts of childhood, 3)on role models attributed to children, 4) on living conditions, 5) on the status of the family and of women in that society

Some other more recent trends in the field of children’s rights include:
Structural aspects: child/youth-led initiatives and organizations, establishment of offices for children and youth and child-focused infrastructure, child rights monitoring. Child and youth participation: (locally, nationally, internationally), e.g. including political participation/right to vote. Generational aspects: non-discrimination of children as opposed to adults; distribution of wealth, access to resources; representation of interests of children and youth; demographic shifts. Rights of the girl child: (social role models/media stereotypes/ religious/cultural backgrounds, reproductive health).
Right to information: access to internet/data protection; violent content in media/TV/computer games, etc.; child pornography on the internet. Violence to children and sexual exploitation of children: global ban on corporal punishment; psychosocial support. Rights of the disabled child: (including education, vocational training).
Children and the economy: mainstreaming of child rights issues into poverty reduction programs; child labor/eliminating worst forms; effects of economic globalization and liberalization of public services (health, education - GATS); impact of the entertainment and sports industry, advertising, mass media on youth culture. Basic social services, impact of HIV/AIDS. Children in armed conflict, child combatants’ reintegration; responsibilities of non-state actors/private companies; role of the Security Council; role of the ICC; child rights training and codes of conduct for peacekeeping/field personnel.

History of declarations of Child rights
1923/24: Declaration on the Rights of the Child
1959: UN Declaration on the Rights of the Child
1989: UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
1990: The UN Commission on the Human Rights appoints a Special Reporter on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography.
1990: World Summit for Children in New York. Adoption of a World Declaration and Plan of Action for the Survival, Protection and Development of Children.
1990: African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child
1996: Graca Machal submits her groundbreaking study „Impact of Armed Conflict on Children“ to the UN – General Assembly
1998: Six international NGOs form the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers in order to lobby for a ban on the use of children in war and armed conflict
1999: The Human Security Network develops out of a group of like-minded countries, with a strong emphasis on the situation of children affected by armed conflict
1999: Convention No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labor Organisation adopted by the International Labor Organisations
2000: Adoption of two Optional Protocols to the Convention: on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict and the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography
2002: The UN Commission on Human Rights mandates a major study on violence towards children
2002: Children’s Forum and UN General Assembly Special Session on Children in New York. New Declaration and Plan of Action adopted.

5. Girl Child

Definition of Child: The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) defines a child as a person under the age of 18. A girl child is thus a female younger than 18 years of age
Discrimination: Treatment or consideration based on class or category rather than individual merit; partiality or prejudice.
Female Infanticide: The murder of a female infant. It occurs often as a deliberate murder or abandonment of a young girl or infant.
Selective Abortion: Also called gender-selective abortion, sex-selective abortion, or female feticide-selective abortion. It involves the abortion of a fetus because it is a girl. Many women from communities or cultures with a preference for boys practice selective abortion.
Female Genital Cutting (FGC): The practice that involves the removal or the alteration of the female genitalia. It is a centuries-old practice found in many countries among people from various religions and beliefs, most prevalent in Africa.
Honor Killing: The practice of killing girls and women who are perceived to have dishonored a family’s reputation by allegedly engaging in sexual activity or other improprieties before or outside of marriage. ‘Improper’ behavior justifies grounds for killing. It has expanded to include transgressions, which are not initiated by the girl, including rape and incest.

1. Currently, 60 million girls are reported as “missing” as a result of infanticide, sex selective abortions, and neglect. At least 130 million girls alive today have undergone Female Genital Mutilation, and 2 million more are at risk every year. It is reported that at least 5,000 women and girls are murdered each year for “honor’s sake” by members of their own families. United Nation statistics, national reports and studies initiated by non-governmental organizations repeatedly show that girls, as a group, have lower literacy rates, receive less health care, and more impoverished than boys.

Female infanticide is The deliberate killing of a girl child. Girl children who are born in societies where poverty, overpopulation, and male biases are prevalent. It predominantly occurs in societies where girl children are not viewed as economically advantageous.
Case study- Lakshmi was 20 years old and already had one daughter. Upon the arrival of a second girl she no option but to kill this second daughter. Lakshmi refused to nurse the newborn and to silence the infant’s cries of hunger she fed her a poisonous combination of sap and castor oil. The baby died soon after.

2. Female Genital Cutting (FGC) The practice that involves the removal or alteration of the female genitalia. Young or adolescent girls from cultures that believe that FGC will prevent girls from being promiscuous and prevent them from engaging in sexual intercourse before marriage. 28 African countries, Muslim populations, Indigenous groups in Central and South America. Cultural beliefs and attitudes on multiple fronts: sexual, sociological, hygienic and aesthetic, religious. Its effects are Physical ~ Pain, damage to organs, hemorrhage, chronic infections, complications with sexual intercourse and childbirth. And Psychological ~ Shock, anxiety
Case study- Hannah was genitally cut when she was eight years old. She knew little about the procedure, but understood it to be a ritual, a ceremony, a process that would allow her to become a woman. Six women held Hannah down to perform the procedure. There was no anesthesia or pain medication at any point during the procedure, and Hannah almost lost consciousness because of the immense pain. The practitioner was then paid the equivalent of one dollar for the procedure.
3. Honor Killing. Killing of women that can be defined as acts of murder in which a woman is killed for her actual or perceived immoral behavior. Women who have failed to keep marriage contracts, refused to agree to arranged marriages, requested divorce, flirted with men other then their husbands, or for ‘allowing’ themselves to be raped. Most prominent in the Middle East, Southwest Asia, and Northwest Africa. For violating sexual norms or being victims of rape or other sexual rumor. This is a custom where women are treated as property and business contracts. Killing of women that can be defined as acts of murder in which a woman is killed for her actual or perceived immoral behavior.
Points for discussion What are three reasons why women face prejudice around the world? Do you think that equal education of girls and boys would provide more equal rights and less discrimination against girls? Who should be in charge of making changes regarding the issues we have discussed today? Why do you think people continue to commit these acts, even though there are laws against them in some places? What do you think you can do to help?

Throughout recorded history, women the world over have been held to different standards than men. They have been consistently oppressed in nearly all aspects of life, from political to personal, public to private. In the 20th century, great strides have been taken to end this oppression and level the playing field. In India however, a number of deeply rooted traditions have made this effort particularly difficult, and as a result, women's triumphs over oppression in India are all the more intriguing. Women today are the largest oppressed group in the nation.
Many developing countries including India face problems that affect the entire global community: hunger, poverty, HIV/AIDS and population growth. The developing world also has the most severe discrimination of women and girls. Jubilation and celebrations when a son is born, gloom and resignation at the birth of girl even midwives pull a long face as they would get no tip. In India, midwives bang a brass plate with a spoon for the boy and break an earthen pot if it is a girl. Boy is precious as a metal is, a girl- only dust. Little girls watch all this and know that a brother is more important, that boys are gems and girls are mere stones. Jubilation and celebrations when a son is born, gloom and resignation at the birth of girl even midwives pull a long face as they would get no tip. In India, midwives bang a brass plate with a spoon for the boy and break an earthen pot if it is a girl. Boy is precious as a metal is, a girl- only dust. Little girls watch all this and know that a brother is more important, that boys are gems and girls are mere stones. The status of a second class citizen is conferred on a girl a birth, first by the family in which she is born and by the society as she flowers into womanhood. To compound matters, she is ‘taught’ within the family-that she is worthless, a liability, and servitude is her dharma. Thus she is deprived of her childhood, doing domestic chores, and develops a demeanor which is submissive and unquestioning. This psychological browbeating she is subjected to in her childhood stays with her as an adult – a sister, a wife, and a mother. She has to endure the suffering, she is told, since she is born a girl.
A girl child may learn that ‘e’ is for empowerment, equality, education, emancipation, and economic self-sufficiency, but in fact experiences that 'e' is for exploitation. The value of a prostitute drops with her age. Average age at entry in flash trade 10-15 years. 50% of all sexual assaults are committed against girls age 15 or younger. Every hour, four women and girls in India enter prostitution, three of them against their will.
Son preference-a deep rooted social value – combined with poverty, illiteracy and low status of girls are among the few of the factors associated with female mortality before and at birth. ‘Sex preference’ in other terms, also means an ‘unconscious neglect’ of a girl child. Sex role socialization not only tells girls they are different but also that they are unwanted and inferior and have to be grateful for being `allowed' to go to school or to a friend's place or to work. All decisions are made for the girls by others. They are given no choices/options. A girl in her natal home is considered a temporary member, and in her husband's house, an `outsider'. Only 52% of married women take decisions about their own health and a similar number is anemic. Sex role socialization not only tells girls they are different but also that they are unwanted and inferior and have to be grateful for being `allowed' to go to school or to a friend's place or to work. All decisions are made for the girls by others. They are given no choices/options. A girl in her natal home is considered a temporary member, and in her husband's house, an `outsider'. Only 52% of married women take decisions about their own health and a similar number is anemic.
There are seven major areas of discrimination against women in India:
Malnutrition: India has exceptionally high rates of child malnutrition, because tradition in India requires that women eat last and least throughout their lives, even when pregnant and lactating. Malnourished women give birth to malnourished children, perpetuating the cycle.
Poor Health: Females receive less health care than males. Many women die in childbirth of easily prevented complications. Working conditions and environmental pollution further impairs women's health.
Lack of education: Families are far less likely to educate girls than boys, and far more likely to pull them out of school, either to help out at home or from fear of violence.
Overwork: Women work longer hours and their work is more arduous than men's, yet their work is unrecognized. Men report that "women, like children, eat and do nothing." Technological progress in agriculture has had a negative impact on women.
Unskilled: In women's primary employment sector - agriculture - extension services overlook women.
Mistreatment: In recent years, there has been an alarming rise in atrocities against women in India, in terms of rapes, assaults and dowry-related murders. Fear of violence suppresses the aspirations of all women. Female infanticide and sex-selective abortions are additional forms of violence that reflect the devaluing of females in Indian society.
Powerlessness: While women are guaranteed equality under the constitution, legal protection has little effect in the face of prevailing patriarchal traditions. Women lack power to decide who they will marry, and are often married off as children. Legal loopholes are used to deny women inheritance rights.
Declining Female-to-Male Ratio: Between 1991-2001, the sex ratio of the child population (0-6 years) fell sharply from 945 to 927 signaling the persistence of anti-female biases in certain segments of society” This is all pervasive - 79 % of the districts showed a decline in sex ratios during 1991-2002 with 35% being below the national average. Aggressive efforts are required to restrain sex selection and understand the implications for society.
Case Study
Mina, 8, with Sukhram, 22, right, and his family members, after their marriage (Rajasthan, India 1998) Under the Child Marriage (Restraint) Act, 1929, all child marriages are banned and a male adult marrying a female child can be punished with simple imprisonment extending to three months, and shall also be liable to fine or both. The parents or guardian who may be solemnizing a child marriage can also be punished and any marriage solemnized in contravention of the Act is voidable at the option of the parties on attaining majority.
A 1976 amendment to the Child Marriage Restraint Act raised the minimum legal age for marriage from 15 to 18 for young women and from 18 to 21 for young men. However, in many rural communities, illegal child marriages are still common. In some rural areas, nearly half the girls between 10 and 14 are married. Because there is pressure on women to prove their fertility by conceiving as soon as possible after marriage, adolescent marriage is synonymous with adolescent childbearing: roughly 10-15 percent of all births take place to women in their teens.
A dowry is a woman’s share of parental property which instead of passing to her upon her parent’s death is distributed to her at the time of her marriage which does not mean that she controls it but provides a mechanism for forming alliances between families. When the dowry amount is not considered sufficient, the bride is often harassed, abused and her life made miserable. The most severe dowry abuse is “bride burning”, the burning of women whose dowries are not considered sufficient by their husband or in-laws. In India, 6,000 dowry murders are committed each year. This reality exists even though the Dowry Prohibition Act has been in existence for 33 years, and there are virtually no arrests under the Act. Since those giving as well as those accepting dowry are punishable under the existing law, no one is willing to complain. It is only after a "dowry death" that the complaints become public. It is estimated that the average dowry today is equivalent to five times the family’s annual income and that the high cost of weddings and dowries is a major cause of indebtedness among India’s poor. Despite the existence of rigorous laws to prevent dowry-deaths under a 1986 amendment to the Indian Penal Code (IPC), convictions are rare. "Dowry death" that the complaints become public. It is estimated that the average dowry today is equivalent to five times the family’s annual income and that the high cost of weddings and dowries is a major cause of indebtedness among India’s poor. Despite the existence of rigorous laws to prevent dowry-deaths under a 1986 amendment to the Indian Penal Code (IPC), convictions are rare.
Conclusion. If child is the father of man then the girl is the mother of the women. The cycle of neglect, indifference and conscious discrimination against the girl from birth in to early womanhood, dictates her future life and perpetuates her low status from generation to generation.
As former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has stated, "Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and building good governance." Some like health and education are in the hands of governments; but much more than that the responsibility lies with everyone. Until attitudes change, the preference for male over female will prevail-no matter what governments do. As women’s economic power grows, it will be easier to overcome the tradition of "son preference" and thus put an end to the evil of dowry. It is certainly a stupendous task and can only be done if one can ‘feel’ the way a deprived child feels, experience the pangs of pain when a discriminatory treatment is meted out to her, and only if one can make the girl child believe that she too is a human being, and not merely a girl, that she is essential to the society as her brother, that she can hold ‘half the world’ that she ‘is’ an asset and not a burden. This is the story of every girl child, and holds true all over the world.