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| Dose for violent husbands: A year in jail | | |
NEW DELHI: Men who beat, threaten or yell at their wives or live-in girlfriends could be jailed and fined under the country’s first law aimed at curbing domestic violence.
The new law, which came into effect Thursday, also applies to men or their families who harass wives for larger dowries.
The measure aims to prevent cases in which a husband or his family kills a wife because her family did not give dowry.
The Domestic Violence Act defines abuse broadly, including verbal, physical, sexual, emotional and economic mistreatment. Violators face up to a year in prison, a fine of Rs 20,000 or both.
``We have been trying for long to protect women from domestic violence. In India, around 70 per cent of women are victims of these violent acts in one or another form,'' Renuka Choudhury, the Minister of State for women and child development, said.
The new law has provisions for abused women to complain directly to judges instead of police, who have been found to be biased.
Now, when a woman files a complaint the onus is on the man to prove that he did not abuse his wife. The law also ensures the woman's right to stay in the family home.
Women's rights activists and civic groups welcomed the new law. ``It's a victory for the women's movement in this country which has been fighting for years for laws that protect the basic rights of women,'' Ranjana Kumari, of the New Delhi-based Center for Social Research, said.
However, the law needs to be backed by adequate implementation funds to allow federal and state governments to pay for protection officers and provide legal aid and counseling, she noted.
``While this is a giant step forward, it will only be meaningful if government sets aside funds to provide shelter and protection to a woman against further abuse if she files a complaint,'' Kumari, said.
Describing the legislation as a ``tool in the hands of millions of women in India,'' she said women's rights groups would soon launch a campaign to educate women about the law.
According to a report published by the UN Population Fund, up to 70 per cent of married women aged 15-49 are victims of beating or coerced sex in the country. |
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