Friday 17 July 2015

Report of High Level Committee on Status of Women

Why in news?
Submitted its final report. (can be used in answers on social issues, essay, etc.)

Background:


  • The High Level Committee on Status of Women was set up by the UPA government in 2013 to do a comprehensive study on the status of women since 1989, and to evolve appropriate policy interventions based on a contemporary assessment of economic, legal, political, education, health and socio-cultural needs of women. 
  • The first such committee was set up 42 years ago in 1971 on the request of the United Nations.
  • The present committee submitted an interim report in 2014 and recently submitted its final report to the Ministry of Women and Child Development.


Details of the report:

  • Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) repealed, 
  • gay sex decriminalised and 
  • at least 50% reservation for women at all levels of legislature, right up to Parliament.
    • Gender parity in governance and political participation is a pre-requisite to the realisation of gender equality. 
      • A 33 per cent reservation for women is ensured through Constitutional amendments. 
      • In some States it is 50 per cent. 
        • However, there is nothing like ‘natural transition’ from the Panchayats to the State Assemblies and the Parliament, where the representation of women continues to be dismal.
  • called for several legislative interventions -  dealing with violence against women
  • need to devise mechanisms for dealing with cases of extra judicial killings and arbitrary detention of women by state officials and security forces.
  • The committee in its report also called “India’s missing girls”, the problem of skewed sex ratio due to cultural preferences for sons, a “national shame”.
  • A gender score card for all those in public life
  • All elected representatives — MPs, MLAs and members of Panchayati Raj Institutions and Urban Local Bodies — should be accountable for the sex ratio in their respective constituency, district and village, inviting rewards and recognition for progress, and prosecution for negligence, inaction, and complicity.
    • It cited the example of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh governments that recently announced incentives for villages with improved sex ratio.
  • In the section on marriage and divorce laws, the report — while calling for amending the Section 497 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 relating to adultery — noted: “Women are not possessions of their husbands".
Analysis:
TBD

[Source: Indian Express]

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