Misogyny Based On An Indian Perspective

Misogyny: Is There Light At The End Of This Dark Tunnel? (An Indian Perspective) PRARAMBH - The Very Beginning - As per the Hindu Puranas (sacred Hindu literature) Goddess Durga is believed to be the mother of Brahma (creator), Vishnu (Administrator), and Mahesh/Shiv (Destroyer). The male Gods are always seen with a female consort which is believed to supplement/complete the powers of the male Gods. - Vedic Period (around 500 BCE) more egalitarian than any:  In terms of status & position, women were equal to men  Encouraged education of women to perform Vedic ceremonies  A greater role than being a mother alone  Marriage after the age of 16 and the right to choose their partner THE MEDIEVAL ERA - The Onset Of A Dark Phase For Women - Foreign invasion brought in new cultures, and ideologies. Women were solely the property of their father/brother/husband - no free will - Birth of a female child was not celebrated. Education for girls was discouraged - Practices such as Sati, Child Marriage, widows prohibited to remarry, the Purdah system (veil), Jauhar (mass self-immolation of women), and Dowry. MODERN ERA While cruelty against women and misogyny penetrated deeper into society, the era witnessed: - Pre-independence:  Birth of women Leaders & Freedom Fighters (Rani Lakshmi Bai, Kasturba Gandhi, Sarojini Naidu, etc.)  Laws to prevent oppression Hindu Widow Remarriage Act 1856, The Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929, The Hindu Women Right to Property Act of 1937, Abolition of Sati  Onset of reforms - impetus to teach skills to women (martial arts, handicrafts, etc.) - Post-independence:  Concept of equality introduced in the Indian Constitution  To protect women against violence, National Commission for Women was setup  Women had voting rights from the get-go Impact Of Bollywood On Misogyny  Movies were a by-product of patriarchy women were always shown in a subservient role, dependent on men, circling around their whims and fancies  Movies with hateful comments against women, stalking (in the name of true love/passion), and objectifying them, were  considered normal and popularly accepted by the masses • With the advent of social media/internet, movies with misogynistic comments/narratives, plots, etc. were called out and received immense flak. Example: Kabir Singh (2019 movie)  Actress have utilized social media platforms to talk about lack of equal pay, male counterparts getting better roles, ageism, and body-shamming  In the new era of movies a significant change has been noticed with women protagonists, role of women has been reinvented, the remuneration structure ha changed WEEDING OUT MISOGYNISTS - Landmark Cases/Instances 1. Vishaka Vs State of Rajasthan (1997): Bhanwari Devi, social worker from Rajasthan, was brutally gang raped by 5 men for preventing child marriage. The trial court acquitted all accused. In an appeal before SC by Vishaka (a group for Women's Education & Research), Vishaka guidelines were issued defining sexual harassment with an onus on employers to provide a safe working environment for women. 2. Suhas Katti v. Tamil Nadu (2004): First case to create a benchmark in the cyberharassing issue. The victim was being harassed by the accused as she refused to marry the latter. The accused would send defamatory & obscene messages to her online began to receive messages from unknown people soliciting sex work. A complaint was filed under Section 67 of IT Act, 2000 and the accused was convicted for defaming & outraging the modesty of a woman. 3. Judgment on Abortion Rights (2022): SC issued an order allowing unmarried women to abort a pregnancy up to 24 weeks (as opposed to 20 weeks earlier). The foetus can be aborted within 24 weeks irrespective of the woman's marital status. 4. Bulli Bai App (2022): related to an online mock auction of Muslim women in India. Photos of prominent Muslim journalists, social workers, students, famous personalities and activists were uploaded on the Bulli Bai app (on GitHub) without permission, where they were auctioned virtually. A journalist (Ismat Ara) filed an FIR, pursuant to which the Cyber Cell commenced an investigation and 4 accused were arrested. The matter is sub judice. 5. Social media influencer calls out fashion designer: a plus size influencer shared her experience of shopping for her wedding dress. She called out a bridal store (belonging to a prominent fashion designer) for making her unwelcome and extremely uncomfortable about her size. She also slammed the brand for violating her privacy when they revealed her dress size without her consent (in their apology note). Women Empowerment Schemes In India 1. Mahila Police Volunteers Scheme The Ministries of Women and Child Development and Home Affairs launched the Mahila Police Volunteers scheme across all states and UTS. 2. Working Women Hostel Scheme The main goal of this scheme is to give working women safe homes and environments and, if applicable, daycare services for their kids. 3. Women Helpline Scheme This scheme intends to offer 24×7 emergency assistance to women who have suffered abuse in either public or private settings. 4. STEP This scheme intendes to provide women with training in skill development and job securit 5. UJJAWAL Scheme This scheme was launched to combat trafficking and to locate, care for, and reintegrate survivors who have been sexually exploited. 6. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme The Indian Prime Minister inaugurated this scheme in Haryana to ensure the survival, safety, and education of girls 7. Rajiv Gandhi National Creche Scheme The National Creche scheme was established by the Indian government to offer a variety of amenities to kids of working moms, 8. Mahila Shakti Kendras (MSK) This program aims to give women access to resources, including quality healthcare, education, work opportunities, and counselling. 9. One-Stop Centre Scheme One-Stop Center is a government-sponsored scheme for women that is funded by the Nirbhaya fund. 10. SWADHAR Greh This initiative provides housing, food, and clothing as well as social, economic, and health security. Legal Provisions To Combat Online Misogyny - Cybercrime, any act or crime that involves the use of a computer; crimes committed online in which the offender is concealed behind a computer screen. Most common cybercrimes against women:  Cyber blackmail, threats, cyberpornography, posting and publishing of obscene sexual content, stalking, bullying, defamation, morphing, cyber harassment, and the establishment of fake profiles.  National Crime Record Bureau 2019 statistics: cybercrime incidents went up by 18.4% but the number of cybercrime cases against women went up by 28%  Conviction rate for cybercrimes against women: went up from 10.8 percent in 2019 to 35.2 percent in 2021 - Laws in place IT Act 2000  Section 65: tampering with the computer source documents  Section 66 and 67: deals with hacking and computer-related offenses (identity theft, deceitfully receiving stolen computer or communication devices, cyber terrorism) - liable with imprisonment up to 3 years or with fine up to 2 lakhs or both  Section 71: deals with misrepresentation imprisonment for a term which may extend to two years, or with fine which may extend to one lakh rupees, or with both.  - - Section 72: breach of privacy and confidentiality (same penalty as above) Indian Penal Code, 1860  Sec 503- Sending threatening messages through email.  Sec 499- Sending defamatory messages through email.  Sec 463- Forgery of electronic record.  Sec 420- Bogus websites, cyber frauds.  Sec 463- Email spoofing.  Sec 383- Web-jacking.  Sec 500- Email abuse.  Sec 292-Pornographic  Sec 354(D) introduced in 2013 made stalking by men a punishable offense. Cybercrime Reporting Portal: an initiative of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India under the National Mission for the safety of women to enable victims/complainants ants to report cybercrime complaints online (particularly relating to child sex abuse materials, child pornography, online content related to rapes). - Advisory on function functioning of Matrimonial website: Ministry of Electronics & IT (MEITY) issued an advisory in 2016 directing matrimonial websites to adopt safeguards to ensure that people using these websites are not deceived through the means of fake profiles or misuse information posted on the website. - Cyber Forensics Training Labs: MEITY set up such labs to train State police officials and judiciary in cybercrime detection and collection, preservation and seizing of electronic evidence and dealing with cybercrime Challenges Faced 1. Lack of training to investigate cybercrimes 2. Not appropriately equipped for cyber & technical investigations 3. Lack of awareness/fear of reporting amongst women 4. Transcendental nature of the Internet 5. Lack of targeted and specific laws to keep up with the change in technology 6. Punishments are not harsh enough to act as a deterren 7. Deeper assistance from intermediaries/ social media platforms required. Currently, critical information is often not shared (such as IP addresses, etc.) which derails the investigations My Two Cents  Awareness is key - realizing that online misogyny is a problem that affects women, their reputation, their life, and their mental health, both online and offline  Mindful Conditioning (linked with social media content algorithms)  Training for law enforcement and development of cyber forensic technologies  Working with a diverse group of women and women-led/oriented organizations to collect information on their experiences with online crimes and collaborate to find resolutions that cater to the needs of the masses  Stricter penalties, fast-tracked processes and specific laws  Social media platforms must have a comprehensive process for swift and expedited escalation & redressal of complaints in local languages based on local cultural context. Perhaps, more information about the account holder should be obtained (to avoid a situation of a John Doe) but redacted for privacy  Censor boards must have a stricter protocol to follow while screening/certifying movies - the quality of the content must be viewed rather than only considering age appropriateness