COMMISSIONS FOR WOMEN IN INDIA

COMMISSIONS FOR WOMEN IN INDIA

21/06/24

GS II (Polity and Social justice)

UPSC/PSC

Source – THE HINDU

Context : Soon after the independence of India, the need for giving women a relatively equal share in all aspects of the society started rising. In India, commissions for women were established with great vision and expectations.

They were established with high motives like an institution dedicated to safeguard the interests, rights and choices of women at national as well as regional levels.

But soon after a long road, numbers of challenges have now started knocking at the door of the women's commission in India. The recent case of Manipur where numbers of molestations and rapes have been committed makes it very important to critically review the functioning and responses of women's commissions towards the women's issues.

Not only towards the status of women but such incidents are a threat to both society and human dignity and rights.

Objectives of Women's Commissions in India :

  • Ensuring Constitutional provisions – The responsibility for investigation and examination of all matters related to the safeguards provided by the constitution in order to safeguard the rights and liberty of women in India is the key role played by women commissions.
  • SuoMotu – In order to address effectively the emerging issues affecting women in India, the women commissions have power to take suomotu actions on issues related to the violation of women's rights and false implementation of laws aiming protection of women.
  • Policy advice – Women's commissions can provide suggestions and recommendations to design policies and laws in order to promote gender equality and equal rights for women.

They can also advise the government on policy matters affecting women condition in India.

  • Representations of Women – The main aim of such commissions dedicated to women are to represent the rights and choices of women in the Indian society. They play an important role in the form of a voice for women in India.
  • Lodging Complaints – These commissions are tasked with addressing complaints against the violation of rights of women, investigation and resolving of issues such as discrimination, harassment, violence etc. faced by women.
  • Promoting women empowerment – Economic growth, education and health acceleration of women contribute in empowerment of women which is a crucial role played by the women's commission in India.

Main functions of Women's Commissions in India :

  • Analysis and Study – The commissions conduct a detailed analysis of the conditions of women prevailing in the society. They also focus on issues related to women's rights and gender equality. They collect data and figures to inculcate evidence based policy suggestions.
  • Legal Aid and Advise – The lack of means to access justice and initiate legal processes is a very big challenge faced by most of the women in the society. The women commissions are tasked with providing legal support to such women facing discrimination, violence and other rights violations.
  • Awareness campaigning – Weekly or monthly campaigns are organized to spread awareness among the women explaining them about their rights, equal status and other related issues.
  • Collaborative efforts – Various NGOs, stakeholders, civil organizations and other government bodies collaborate with women's commissions to promote women's rights and their confidence in the Indian society.

Women's Commissions in India :

  1. NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR WOMEN (NCW) – It is a statutory body of GOI concerned with advising and suggesting the government on policy matters affecting women.
  • Established in January 1992 under the Indian Constitution provision – National Commission for Women Act, 1990
  • Represents the rights of women and acts as a voice for them in the society.
  • The wide range of subjects included in the awareness campaigning of this commission are – Dowry, Politics, Religion, Equal status in job opportunities, Exploitation for labor etc.
  • It helps women facing threats of violence, discrimination, harassment, deprivation of rights etc. by investigating through complaints.
  1. STATE COMMISSION FOR WOMEN (SCW) - In addition to the NCWs, various states and Union Territories have their own commissions established for the similar purpose to serve in the society.
  • Some states and Union Territories having their own commissions are – Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal

 

Challenges faced by the Women Commissions in India :

  • Financial constraints  - Such commissions often face lack of sufficient funds to carry on their respective tasks as they heavily depend upon government funding which impacts their independence and ability to function effectively.
  • Political intervention – Women commissions may face pressure to avoid cases that can act like a potential threat reflecting negativity on government and its allies.
  • Limited Access – Women in farther remote areas are mostly unaware of the existence of any such commissions and provisions so far. It affects their ability to seek help and support from such commissions at the time of need against various social evils like discrimination, social equality etc.
  • Responses – Various responses of these commissions have been critically opposed by the public raising concerns about its proactiveness to safeguard women's rights like the Manipur Incident response, Mangalore Pub Attack response etc.

 

Mains Question:

Critically examine the effectiveness of functioning of Women’s Commission in India. Discuss the innovative measures that can be taken to avoid the growing challenged of such commissions.