DOMESTIC VIOLENCE

A project Report on Gender Sensitization

Submitted To
CVR College Of Engineering

By

(20B81A05T0 )

In partial fulfillment for the award of the degree of

BACHELOR OF TECHNOLOGY
IN
COMPUTER SCIENCE & ENGINEERING

CVR COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Vastunagar,Mangalpalli(V),Ibrahimpatnam(M),R.R.Dist,Telangana State

1
 CERTIFICATE FROM SUPERVISOR

I hereby declare that this project report entitled “DOMESTIC VIOLENCE”,Submitted

by B.Rithihas Reddy To the department of Computer Science & Engineering Is a
bona fide record of the work carried out under the supervision of Assistant professor
of English department Mr.Lawrence Raj Antony.

This work has now been submitted for the award of any degree ,diploma or
certificate.

DATE:
GUIDE NAME:

2
 ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I would like to express my heartfelt thaks to all those who helped me

with their continuous guidance and constant encouragement at all stages
throughout my work.

I would like to convey my deepest sense of gratitude to Mr.Lawrence Raj

Antony,my teacher for his valuable advice,guidance and constant
encouragement in making this project.

In the end,I would also like to extend my gratefulness to all my friends

who have helped me with this project and my parents for providing me
with the necessary resources.

3
 ABSTRACT
This project deals with "Women Empowerment" a burning issue all over the world.
"Women empowerment" is a universal issue. Women Empowerment refers to the
creation of an environment for women where they can make decisions of their own
for their personal benefits as well as for the society.

Women Empowerment refers to increasing and improving the social, economic,

political and legal strength of the women, to ensure equal-right to women, and to
make them confident enough to claim their rights, such as: freely live their life with a
sense of self-worth, respect and dignity, both within and outside of their home and
workplace, have equal social status in the society, have equal rights for social and
economic justice, determine financial and economic choices, get equal opportunity
for education, get equal employment opportunity without any gender bias, get safe
and comfortable working environment Women have the rights to get their voices
heard.

Women population constitutes around 50% of the world population. A large number
of women around the world are unemployed. The world economy suffers a lot
because of the unequal opportunity for women at workplaces. Women are equally
competent. Nowadays, women are even ahead of men in many socioeconomic
activities. Women Empowerment leads to decrease in domestic violence. Uneducated
women are at higher risk for domestic violence than an educated woman.

The information has been gathered from papers, internet on the topic, essays and
articles on the topic ,forums where women have discussed this issues .This has then
been analysed and conclusions have been drawn based on the research.

4
CONTENTS
ABSTRACT
ACKNOWLEDEGEMWENTS
CONTENTS
1. INTRODUCTION
2. STATUS OF WOMEN IN INDIAN SOCIETY
3. NEED OF WOMAN EMPOWERMENT
4. PRINCIPLES OF WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
5. WAYS TO ACHIEVE WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
6. PROJECTS FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
 Girls not Bride
 Mala Fund
 Women in defence
 She Should Run
 Every mother counts
7. ACTS FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
8. CASE STUDIES
 Case 1
 Case 2
 Case 3
9. CONCLUSION
10.REFERENCES

5
 INTRODUCTION
Definition of empowerment
The act or action of empowering someone or something : the
granting of the power, right, or authority to perform various
acts or duties.
Empowerment refers to the delegation of some authority and
responsibility to employees and involving them in the decision-
making process, not in mere job activities, but rather at all the
levels of management.

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
Women's empowerment may be defined in several ways,
including accepting women's viewpoints or making an effort to
seek them, raising the status of women through education,
awareness, literacy, and training.

6
 Empowering women is essential to the health and social
development of families, communities and countries.
 When women are living safe, fulfilled and productive lives,
they can reach their full potential. contributing their skills
to the workforce and can raise happier and healthier
children. They are also able to help fuel sustainable
economies.
 The need of women empowerment arose because of the
gender discrimination and male domination in the Indian
society since ancient time. Women are being suppressed
by their family members and society for many reasons.
They have been targeted for many types of violence and
discriminatory practices by the male members in the family
and society in India and other countries as well. 
 Classifying the people based on gender is unreasonable
and it is having no worth. Still, women are paid less,
expected to cook and restricted by their family members.
To overcome these situations and to have an
independent role in society, women's empowerment is
needed.
 Unemployment of women and unequal opportunities in
the place of work can be eradicated with the help
of women empowerment.

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
7
 Women’s empowerment can be defined to promoting
women’s sense of self-worth, their ability to determine
their own choices, and their right to influence social
change for themselves and others.
 It is closely aligned with female empowerment – a
fundamental human right that’s also key to achieving a
more peaceful, prosperous world.

 In Western countries,
female empowerment
is often associated with
specific phases of the
women’s rights
movement in history.

 Women’s empowerment and promoting women’s rights

have emerged as a part of a major global movement and is
continuing to break new ground in recent years. Days like
International Women’s Empowerment Day are also gaining
momentum.
 But despite a great deal of progress, women and girls
continue to face discrimination and violence in every part
of the world.

8
 STATUS OF WOMEN IN INDIAN SOCIETY
The status of women depicts the social, economic and mental
condition in a nation. Women have been regarded as a symbol of
spirituality in our scriptures. Yet, women were denied rights and
equality in ancient Indian civilization. They have been treated badly
and unequally to men. Social evils such as dowry, sati-system, child
marriage, and female infanticide were widely prevalent in the early
ages.  The spread of education and self-consciousness among women
has led to their progress over the period. Women of today are
empowered. Also, women are gaining advancements and success in
each and every field. True female liberty is only achievable when
people shift their restrictive attitudes and mindsets regarding women.

History of the Status of Women in India

Going back to our origins, we can see how vital women are to
society, not only biologically, but also culturally. Women have been
mentioned in our Vedas and ancient books since ancient times, and
they have been assigned important positions. Because of the
contributions of women, the texts of Ramayana and Mahabharat have
been tremendously influenced and due to women, they may have
become the most sacred of all.

9
 SOCIAL TABOOS ON WOMEN

Social taboos have long been discussed and criticized, but sneakily
continue to linger. Existing more commonly in economically
underdeveloped countries and eastern nations like India, women are
usually the worst victims of taboos. What is heartening is how the
perspective is changing against taboos that have long impeded life for
women.

A walk down the centuries brings to light scores of restrictions we have

placed on life based on the times, gender, caste or some such “category”.
These prohibitions, that were probably relevant in the past, get
suffocating when they fail to change with the growth of civilization.
Social taboos have proved especially damaging to the development of
women, their social status and overall living. There is a pressing need for
society to re-look and reconsider taboos in order for us to enjoy a fresh
lease of life.

Disturbing Social Taboos for Women

Social taboos in India date back to the prehistoric times and the list can
be unimaginably long. Shocking as they are, women have predominantly
been targeted and forced to adhere to them. Some of these taboos now
seem decadent but continue to be real for some women:

10
  During her menstruation cycle, a woman is considered “impure”
and has limited access to the social world. She cannot visit a
temple, touch certain things, associate with people, wash her
hair or touch elder’s feet. She cannot even spell out ‘period’ and
has no option but to wait it out.
 Widows in many parts of India have to go bald. With their
husband’s death – who is often far older than her – her
venturing out of home and socialising come to an abrupt end.
Remarriage is only a dream.
 In the child marriage era, little girls were often married off early
and kept away from school as education would come at the cost
of social interaction. Being a girl meant remaining illiterate for
rest of her life.
Menstrual Taboo in the Modern Scenario
Amid increasing awareness about female physiology, inclusion of sex
education in schools, and transformation of perspectives about the
menstruation cycle, findings of a recent survey are not too encouraging.
Recently conducted research reveals that more than 90% urban women
rule out the idea of washing hair when they are menstruating, close to
70% consider it inappropriate to water plants, and a large section in
Southern India won’t go out of home during this time.Strangely enough,
the menstrual taboo prevails in all major religions albeit in different
forms. The propagators of this taboo, often belonging to conservative
families, bring out remote mythological connections and religious beliefs.
There is no denying that menstrual taboo persists even in so-called
modern India.

Breaking the Shackles

While setting prohibitions and restrictions in some spheres of life is
essential, this is not so for debilitating social taboos that only bring down
quality of life for women. Taboos for women string us to conform to
illogical beliefs and hamper our growth and development. If you
encounter members of your society adamantly sticking to age-old taboos
that serve no purpose but to humiliate a woman, try to communicate to
them the pitfalls of their beliefs. The spread of education and higher
standards of living among women, who are now increasingly getting
financially independent, should help rid India of hogwash.

11
 STATUS OF WOMEN IN
ANCIENT INDIA
In ancient times, the women
were considered with respect
and
dignity. During this period,
there were women rishis, and
they were held in high esteem.
In
royal households, women were
given respect and they even
rendered a significant
contribution in the making of
decisions and administrative
functions. They were made
aware
12
in terms of all areas and played
an important part in politics as
well. Whereas, among the
economically weaker sections
of the society, birth of girl
child was not appreciated and
preference was given to male
children. The main areas that
have been taken into account
in
this research paper include,
women’s position in ancient
India, position of women in
the
Hindu dharma, concept of
female infanticide and female
13
foeticide in ancient India, male
ratio
adverse female ratio, ancient
women and education, and
ancient women and politics.
In ancient times, the women
were considered with respect
and
dignity. During this period,
there were women rishis, and
they were held in high esteem.
In
royal households, women were
given respect and they even
rendered a significant

14
contribution in the making of
decisions and administrative
functions. They were made
aware
in terms of all areas and played
an important part in politics as
well. Whereas, among the
economically weaker sections
of the society, birth of girl
child was not appreciated and
preference was given to male
children. The main areas that
have been taken into account
in
this research paper include,
women’s position in ancient
15
India, position of women in
the
Hindu dharma, concept of
female infanticide and female
foeticide in ancient India, male
ratio
adverse female ratio, ancient
women and education, and
ancient women and politics.
In ancient times, the women
were considered with respect
and
dignity. During this period,
there were women rishis, and
they were held in high esteem.
In
16
royal households, women were
given respect and they even
rendered a significant
contribution in the making of
decisions and administrative
functions. They were made
aware
in terms of all areas and played
an important part in politics as
well. Whereas, among the
economically weaker sections
of the society, birth of girl
child was not appreciated and
preference was given to male
children. The main areas that

17
have been taken into account
in
this research paper include,
women’s position in ancient
India, position of women in
the
Hindu dharma, concept of
female infanticide and female
foeticide in ancient India, male
ratio
adverse female ratio, ancient
women and education, and
ancient women and politics.
In ancient times, the women
were considered with respect
and
18
dignity. During this period,
there were women rishis, and
they were held in high esteem.
In
royal households, women were
given respect and they even
rendered a significant
contribution in the making of
decisions and administrative
functions. They were made
aware
in terms of all areas and played
an important part in politics as
well. Whereas, among the

19
economically weaker sections
of the society, birth of girl
child was not appreciated and
preference was given to male
children. The main areas that
have been taken into account
in
this research paper include,
women’s position in ancient
India, position of women in
the
Hindu dharma, concept of
female infanticide and female
foeticide in ancient India, male
ratio

20
adverse female ratio, ancient
women and education, and
ancient women and politics
In ancient times, the women
were considered with respect
and
dignity. During this period,
there were women rishis, and
they were held in high esteem.
In
royal households, women were
given respect and they even
rendered a significant
contribution in the making of
decisions and administrative

21
functions. They were made
aware
in terms of all areas and played
an important part in politics as
well. Whereas, among the
economically weaker sections
of the society, birth of girl
child was not appreciated and
preference was given to male
children. The main areas that
have been taken into account
in
this research paper include,
women’s position in ancient
India, position of women in
the
22
Hindu dharma, concept of
female infanticide and female
foeticide in ancient India, male
ratio
adverse female ratio, ancient
women and education, and
ancient women and politics
In ancient times, the women
were considered with respect
and
dignity. During this period,
there were women rishis, and
they were held in high esteem.
In

23
royal households, women were
given respect and they even
rendered a significant
contribution in the making of
decisions and administrative
functions. They were made
aware
in terms of all areas and played
an important part in politics as
well. Whereas, among the
economically weaker sections
of the society, birth of girl
child was not appreciated and
preference was given to male
children. The main areas that

24
have been taken into account
in
this research paper include,
women’s position in ancient
India, position of women in
the
Hindu dharma, concept of
female infanticide and female
foeticide in ancient India, male
ratio
adverse female ratio, ancient
women and education, and
ancient women and politics
In ancient times, the women
were considered with respect
and
25
dignity. During this period,
there were women rishis, and
they were held in high esteem.
In
royal households, women were
given respect and they even
rendered a significant
contribution in the making of
decisions and administrative
functions. They were made
aware
in terms of all areas and played
an important part in politics as
well. Whereas, among the

26
economically weaker sections
of the society, birth of girl
child was not appreciated and
preference was given to male
children. The main areas that
have been taken into account
in
this research paper include,
women’s position in ancient
India, position of women in
the
Hindu dharma, concept of
female infanticide and female
foeticide in ancient India, male
ratio

27
adverse female ratio, ancient
women and education, and
ancient women and politics
In ancient times, the women
were considered with respect
and
dignity. During this period,
there were women rishis, and
they were held in high esteem.
In
royal households, women were
given respect and they even
rendered a significant
contribution in the making of
decisions and administrative

28
functions. They were made
aware
in terms of all areas and played
an important part in politics as
well. Whereas, among the
economically weaker sections
of the society, birth of girl
child was not appreciated and
preference was given to male
children. The main areas that
have been taken into account
in
this research paper include,
women’s position in ancient
India, position of women in
the
29
Hindu dharma, concept of
female infanticide and female
foeticide in ancient India, male
ratio
adverse female ratio, ancient
women and education, and
ancient women and politics
In ancient times, the women
were considered with respect
and
dignity. During this period,
there were women rishis, and
they were held in high esteem.
In

30
royal households, women were
given respect and they even
rendered a significant
contribution in the making of
decisions and administrative
functions. They were made
aware
in terms of all areas and played
an important part in politics as
well. Whereas, among the
economically weaker sections
of the society, birth of girl
child was not appreciated and
preference was given to male
children. The main areas that

31
have been taken into account
in
this research paper include,
women’s position in ancient
India, position of women in
the
Hindu dharma, concept of
female infanticide and female
foeticide in ancient India, male
ratio
adverse female ratio, ancient
women and education, and
ancient women and politics
In ancient times, the women
were considered with respect
and
32
dignity. During this period,
there were women rishis, and
they were held in high esteem.
In
royal households, women were
given respect and they even
rendered a significant
contribution in the making of
decisions and administrative
functions. They were made
aware
in terms of all areas and played
an important part in politics as
well. Whereas, among the

33
economically weaker sections
of the society, birth of girl
child was not appreciated and
preference was given to male
children. The main areas that
have been taken into account
in
this research paper include,
women’s position in ancient
India, position of women in
the
Hindu dharma, concept of
female infanticide and female
foeticide in ancient India, male
ratio

34
adverse female ratio, ancient
women and education, and
ancient women and politics.
In ancient times, the women were considered with respect and dignity.
During this period, there were women rishis, and they were held in high
esteem. In royal households, women were given respect and they even
rendered a significant contribution in the making of decisions and
administrative functions. Whereas, among the economically weaker
sections of the society, birth of girl child was not appreciated and
preference was given to male children. The main areas that have been
taken into account in this research paper include, women’s position in
ancient India, position of women in the Hindu dharma, concept of female
infanticide and female foeticide in ancient India, male ratio adverse
female ratio, ancient women and education, and ancient women and
politics.

Women’s Position in Ancient India

When the Vedic period came to an end, then women were deprived of
social and
religious rights. They were not allowed to participate in social, religious
and cultural
functions. Gradually, with the course of time, the position of women
declined to such an
extent that the birth of the girl child within the family was regarded as a
misfortune. It was
believed that the birth of girls would prove to be a major hindrance
within the course of
bringing about welfare of the family and community. Whereas, the male
children were
regarded as assets. There was prevalence of the viewpoint among the
individuals that males
would be the assets and enhance the status and promote welfare of their
family and the entire
community (Mohapatra, 2015).

35
The role and position of women in ancient India is determined by number
of factors,
these are, social structure, cultural norms, value system and social
expectations. Changes do
not come about in the norms, values, principles and standards of the
society at the same pace,
as the changes that come about within the social structure with the
advent of technology,
modernization and globalization. Within the Indian society, practices such
as, giving away
daughters in marriage and sending them to their marital homes after
marriage is one of the
most common aspects that are related to women. The male members are
also regarded as
significant as, they are the ones, who maintain the heritage and continue
the lineage. The
practice of child birth is also regarded as the one that makes them
inferior to men in status
(Mohapatra, 2015)
Women’s Position in Ancient India. When the Vedic period came to an
end, then women were deprived of social and religious rights. They were
not allowed to participate in social, religious and cultural functions.
Gradually, with the course of time, the position of women declined to
such an extent that the birth of the girl child within the family was
regarded as a misfortune. It was believed that the birth of girls would
prove to be a major hindrance within the course of bringing about
welfare of the family and community. Whereas, the male children were
regarded as assets. The role and position of women in ancient India is
determined by number of factors, these are, social structure, cultural
norms, value system and social expectations. Within the Indian society,
practices such as, giving away daughters in marriage and sending them to
their marital homes after marriage is one of the most common aspects
that are related to women. The male members are also regarded as
significant as, they are the ones, who maintain the heritage and continue
the lineage. The practice of child birth is also regarded as the one that
makes them inferior to men in status.

36
 STATUS OF WOMEN IN
MEDIEVAL INDIA
The Medieval period (500 A.D to 1500 A.D) proved to be highly
disappointing for the Indian women, for their status further
deteriorated during this period.

Medieval India was not women’s age it is supposed to be the ‘dark

age’ for them. When foreign  conquerors like Muslims  invaded 
India  they brought  with them  their  own culture. For them
women was the sole property of her father, brother or husband
and she does not have any will of her own. This type of thinking
also crept into the minds of Indian people and they also began to
treat their own women like this. One more reason for the decline
in women’s status and freedom was that original Indians wanted
to shield their women folk from the barbarous Muslim invaders.
As polygamy was a norm for these invaders they picked up
any women they wanted and kept her in their “harems”.

In order to protect them Indian women started using ‘Purdah’ (a

veil), which covers body. Due to this reason their freedom
also became affected. They were not allowed to move freely and
this lead to the further deterioration of their status. These
problems related with women resulted in changed mindset of
people. Now they began to consider a girl as misery and a burden,
which has to be shielded from the eyes of intruders and needs
extra care. Whereas a boy child will not need such extra care and
instead will be helpful as an earning hand. Thus a vicious circle
started in which women was at the receiving end. All this gave rise
to some new evils such as Child Marriage, Sati, Jauhar and
restriction on girl education.

37
 STATUS OF WOMEN IN MODERN INDIA

The constitution of India has greatly enhanced the status of Indian

women by throwing upon to them all its series on equal terms with men.
All the men and women of India are equity entitled for individual
freedom, fundamental rights including the right to participate in social,
cultural, religious, educational, economic and political activities. The
constitution provides for equality of sex and offers protection to women
against exploitation. It has given the voting right to women and in no way
treats women as second grade citizens.
Women in modern India have largely been influenced by the programs of
reform and upliftment largely influenced by the western democratic and
liberal ideology. Before the advent of the British in India, the life of
women was rather oppressive, and they were subject to a constant
process of subjugation and social oppression. During the British rule, a
number of changes were made in the economic and social structures of
Indian society, and some substantial progress was achieved in elimination
of inequalities between men and women, in education, employment,
social rights, etc.
Women are the epitome of strength, love, sacrifice and courage. The
role of women in today’s world has changed significantly and for
better. Women are now self-sufficient, well aware and financially
independent. They have attained immense success in every field,
whether it is sports, politics or academics. With the encouragement
of co-education, women are now marching side by side with men, in
every walk of life.
Women are more focused and have a unique decision making power
even at senior leadership level, in the most optimal manner, and at
times are in a better position than men. Empowering women can
help the society to grow and develop at a faster pace. We are
definitely redesigning the world!

38
 NEED OF WOMEN
EMPOWERMENT
Empowering women is essential to the health and social
development of families, communities and countries. When
women are living safe, fulfilled and productive lives, they can
reach their full potential. contributing their skills to the
workforce and can raise happier and healthier children. They
are also able to help fuel sustainable economies and benefit
societies and humanity at large.

A key part of this empowerment is through education. Girls

who are educated can pursue meaningful work and
contribute to their country’s economy later in life. They are
also four times less likely to get married young when they
have eight years of education, meaning that they and their
families are healthier.

With higher literacy rates and equal pay for equal work, women
are able to thrive economically and rise out of poverty.
Protecting women and girls from violence and abuse while
challenging the stigmas against reporting crimes would overall
create a much safer society.

39
 PRINCIPLES OF WOMEN
EMPOWERMENT
Women's empowerment can be defined to promoting women's
sense of self-worth, their ability to determine their own choices,
and their right to influence social change for themselves and
others.
Created in a collaboration between the UN Global Compact and
UN Women, the Women’s Empowerment Principles are used to
empower women in the marketplace, workplace and
community.
The seven Principles are:
Principle 1: Create high-level corporate leadership for gender
equality
Principle 2: Treat all people fairly at work, respecting and
supporting non-discrimination and human rights
Principle 3: Ensure the health, wellbeing and safety of all
workers, whether male or female
Principle 4: Promote education, training and professional
development for women
Principle 5: Implement supply chain, marketing practices and
enterprise development that empower women
Principle 6: Champion equality through community initiatives
and advocacy
Principle 7: Measure and report publicly on progress to create
gender equality

40
 SIX ‘S’ FOR WOMEN
EMPOWERMENT
1)Shiksha = Education
2)Swasthya = Health
3)Swavlamban = Self Respect
4)Samajik Nyay = Justice
5)Samvedam = Sensitivity
6)Samta = Equality

Education is regarded as an important milestone of women

empowerment because it enables them to face the challenges, to
confront their traditional role and change their life.
Learning to be self-reliant is important to be taught when a child is
at a young age so it can develop, as they grow older. Being self-
reliant is presented to be the ability to take control over your life,
being motivated from within, and being able to take care of yourself.
Gender equality, also known as sexual equality or equality of the
sexes, is the state of equal ease of access to resources and
opportunities regardless of gender, including economic participation
and decision-making; and the state of valuing different behaviours,
aspirations and needs equally, regardless of gender.
Gender sensitization is important because representation is
important. Representation of a person and community not only
advocates equality but also adds a sense of inclusion to the
previously marginalized community.

41
 WAYS TO ACHIEVE WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
To overcome these situations and to have an independent role in society,
women's empowerment is needed. Empowering women is the
fundamental right of women. They can have equal rights to participate in
education, society, economics, and politics. They are allowed to have
higher education and treated in the way like men.

Get more women in global leadership goals

As both business and political leaders, senior women regularly challenge
conventional wisdom in their approach to leadership.

Research suggests that the most powerful and attractive symbolism of women
leaders is the hope that they will bring significant change. When a woman is
chosen as the first woman to become the most senior leader – the president,
prime minister, or CEO, people begin to believe that other more substantive
and less symbolic changes are also possible.

Create self-help groups in rural areas

Evidence suggests that there is a strong relationship between self-help groups
(SHG) and women’s empowerment.

SHGs are associations of 10-20 members who come together to find solutions
to their common problems with the main objective to help villagers, mainly
women, to develop the habit of small savings. SHGs have been instrumental in
generating livelihoods for women by allowing them to generate income and
contribute to social development.

Empower entrepreneurs in developing countries

Micro and small business enterprises (MSEs) have empowered women in
developing countries through enhancing their decision-making in the
household and the community.

Evidence suggest that MSEs have strengthened women’s bargaining power in

decision -making on family resource access to use and control and income
allocation and expenditure of household resources.

Encourage more women to take apprentice roles

A recent survey has highlighted the need to encourage more young women to
take apprenticeship roles, especially in male dominated industries.

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The survey found that more could be done to support women taking on
apprenticeships and to achieve such changes support structures for women
and girls should include mentors, networks and female-friendly workplaces.

Create a better environment for career development

Research findings indicate that there is a need for better career development
guidance and support for women. Getting women managers to senior
executive and board level can partly be achieved by women taking more
responsibility or ownership for their own career development. However, alone,
that is unlikely to be enough –organizations therefore need to take a decisive,
agentic role in creating a better organizational culture for women.

 More Job Opportunities for Women

Despite being significant contributors to social and financial development,
women don’t have access to equal job opportunities. Equal rights programs
can invest significantly in promoting decent jobs and public policies,
advocating growth and development.

Invest in Women’s Entrepreneurial Ideas, Emotionally and Financially

The women empowerment programs are investing abundantly in the
welfare and empowerment of women, encouraging women to break free
from their traditional roles and do away with gender stereotypes. To keep
up with the changing global trends and fulfill sustainable development goals,
it’s time to break barriers and explore alternative programs for advocating
equal opportunities for women and promoting financial inclusivity.

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 CONSTRAINTS IN WOMEN
EMPOWERMENT

It has been established that there are diverse issues in tackling women
empowerment in the typical African society, especially in Nigeria,
including cultural stereotypes, religious beliefs and patriarchy.

These issues lead to victimization of women, gender-restrictive

structures, violation of women’s rights as well as repressive justice. These
prevent women from standing for themselves, having a voice, achieving
self-actualization and standing for their rights in decision-making.

For women empowerment to be a reality, structures in the family or

governance must be placed in a way that allows women to take decisions
that affect them and allows them to promote gender equality, parity, and
social justice and enables them to contribute to sustainable national
development.

The two major issues that affect women empowerment are culture and
religion. Women are hampered by these two fundamental issues which
form a basis of the way things are done. The society thrives on ideologies
that has its roots in culture and religion, especially Christianity, which
teaches that the man is the head of the woman and consequently, she
should be subservient to the man.

And while women are said to be participating more in politics, leadership

and governance, what they are allowed to do is an extension of their
gender roles. In an association, women automatically are given welfare
secretary position rather than chairmanship. As state executives, their
roles is usually around women affairs. This hinders development and
creates glass ceilings that keep women on the same position forever.

Men abuse women, earn more salaries, retain top managerial positions in
organizations and gag women because culture and religion say the man is
the head of the woman. This psychology of patriarchy and male
dominance continues to be a major hindrance in women empowerment.

In politics, there are culture-imposed benchmarks and systemic

constraints that reinforce the system of women taking the back seat.

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How then could this be resolved to allow women attain their potentials
and also be financially independent to rid the society of its prevalent
poverty which affects women more than men? The most potent tool is
education; but there is a need to correct the erroneous belief that only
women need education. Men also need enlightenment to know that
giving women a voice does not erode their authority. It can only aid the
growth of the society and eradicate poverty.

Education is an identified tool that is effective for the emancipation and

empowerment of women because it can improve the status of women in
any society by allowing them explore their skills, talents and initiatives to
make a difference and create a balanced society where policies will work.

Education not only allows women to gain more knowledge about the
world but helps them to get status, self-confidence and belief in
individual capabilities as well as courage and inner strength needed to
tackle the issues of living.

Educated women have what it takes to play an equal role as their male
counterparts in governance, development nation building. There is still a
large number of women who have no access to education and are more
vulnerable to abuse, exploitation and poverty. That education empowers
women is an indisputable fact, so government and policy makers need to
make education for women an important issue while women should
consciously develop their skills and assist themselves in the men
dominated society.

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 CHANGES OF AN
EMPOWERED WOMEN
An empowered woman is someone who knows her strengths and
isn’t afraid to embrace them. To be empowered means to be in
control of your life, aware of your capabilities, and ready to take on
even your biggest dreams. In a time like this, saying that you’re
empowered sounds easy – but truly being empowered is a different
story.

Empowered women aren’t perfect; in fact, empowered women mess

up, a lot. But they learn from their mistakes, and they’re not afraid to
get back on the horse after a disappointment. Empowered women
take risks and they work hard to ensure that those risks pay off.
They build their empire brick by brick. Being empowered means
being determined, confident, and fearless.

To be an empowered woman means not only believing in yourself,

but also believing in those around you. Empowered women
empower women. They lift up their peers, and they’re willing to help
you lift that brick that’s a little heavier than the rest. A key to being
empowered is surrounding yourself with hardworking, successful,
empowered women who can encourage you and be an example for
you when times gets tough.

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PROJECTS FOR WOMEN
EMPOWERMENT
 The UN came out with a set of goals called the
Sustainable Development Goals [SDG], to help make
the world a better place.
 There are also some prominent non-profits that
help empower women:
 She Should Run
 Women in Defense
 Girls Not Brides
 Malala Fund
 Every Mother Counts

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 GIRLS NOT BRIDES
The Global Partnership to End Child Marriage is an international
non-governmental organization with the mission to end child
marriage throughout the world. The organization was created by
The Elders to enable small groups from around the world to address
the common issue of early marriage.

As of 2017, more than 700 organizations from over 85 countries are

partnership members of Girls Not Brides. Less than 10 percent of
partnership members are international organizations. Sixty-three
percent of them focus their work in their own communities. Girls
Not Brides worked to include ending child marriage in the United
Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.

Girls Not Brides works alongside governments to develop,

implement, and monitor strategies to end child marriage nationwide.
Sharing information to better combat child marriage and raising
public awareness of child marriage are the main goals of the national
partnerships they have with Bangladesh, Ghana, Mozambique, the
Netherlands, Nepal, Uganda, the United Kingdom and the United
States.

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 MALALA FUND
Malala Fund is an international, non-profit organization that
advocates for girls’ education. It was co-founded by Malala
Yousafzai, the Pakistani activist for female education and the
youngest Nobel Prize laureate, and her father, Ziauddin. The stated
goal of the organization is to ensure 12 years of free, safe and
quality education for every girl. As of July 2020, the organization
has 48 staff and supports 58 advocates working across Afghanistan,
Brazil, Ethiopia, India, Lebanon, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey.
• Who we are
Malala and Ziauddin Yousafzai founded Malala Fund in 2013 to champion
every girl’s right to 12 years of free, safe, quality education. Together our
board, leadership council, staff and champions are creating a more equal
world by making sure all girls can go to school.

• How we work
Malala Fund invests in education advocates and activists who are
challenging the policies and practices that prevent girls from going to
school in their communities.

• Where we work
Malala Fund works in regions where the most girls miss out on secondary
education. Malala Fund is working for a world where every girl can learn
and lead.

• GOAL
To ensure 12 years of free, safe and quality education for every girl.

• MOTTO
Working for a world where every girl can learn and lead.

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 WOMEN IN DEFENSE
Indian women have been unique and extremely talented since
the ancient times. The past is studded with their deeds of
glories and feats. The contemporary times are painted with
their success stories. They have achieved new height in all the
fields. They have already proved their mettle all spheres. Space
exploration, defence, research and development, science and
medicine, politics, financing, management, education, and
whatnot, women have set higher standards than man.
Women have carved a niche for themselves in defence forces
recently. Their number in BSF, Army, Air-Force, Navy, Police,
etc. has risen exponentially. Seeing their capabilities, the
Government is mulling over allowing them to take part in active
combat roles.

According to national statistics 2016, 1300 women were

working in Indian armed forces. Punita Arora, Padmavathy
Bandopadhyay, Mitali Madhumita, Divya Ajith Kumar, Nivedita
Choudhary, Anjana Bhaduria, Priya Semwal, Deepika Misra,
etc. are the names of women who have brought laurels to the
departments they were given the responsibilities in.

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 SHE SHOULD RUN
MISSION
She Should Run is a national, nonpartisan non profit dedicated
to building a future of gender equality in elected office. We
mobilize American women from all walks of life to fully
acknowledge the systemic crisis of gender inequality and the
unique role they play in addressing the challenges of the 21st
century. Together, we cultivate this newfound awareness into
political action.
Today She Should Run, the nonpartisan lead-finding
organization for future ballots, doubled down on its commitment
to see 250,000 women run for office by 2030 by further
sharpening its focus on reaching women who aren’t currently
considering political leadership but should be. A new initiative
between She Should Run and Reflect US will provide women in
the She Should Run Community who have self-declared as
“likely to run” with an optional connection point for additional
resources and training. 

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 LIST OF BILLS & ACTS FOR WOMEN EMPOWERMENT

The Parliament not only passed the landmark Bills in favour of

Women and Children but also passed many other Bills and
created a record to pass maximum Bills in the last 67 years.
Here's the list of the Bills passed in Parliament for Women and
Child Empowerment:
Bills and Acts for empowering the Women and Children:
 The surrogacy (Regulation) Bill
 The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Act
 Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment)
Act
 The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill

The Surrogacy(Regulation)Bill
The surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2019 was introduced in Lok Sabha
on July 5, 2019, by Dr. Harsh Vardhan (Minister of Health & Family
Welfare) and was passed in Lok Sabha on August 5, 2019. The
purpose of the Bill was to ban commercial surrogacy in the country. 

 The Muslim Women (Protection of Right on Marriage)Act

The Muslim Women (Protection of Rights on Marriage) Bill, 2019
was introduced in Lok Sabha on June 21, 2019, by Ravi Shankar
Prasad (Minister of Law and Justice) and was passed in Lok Sabha on
July 25, 2019, and passed in the upper house i.e., Rajya Sabha on
July 30, 2019. The purpose of the Bill was to declare triple talaq
illegal.

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Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act
The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Amendment) Bill
or Commonly known as POSCO was introduced in Rajya Sabha on
July 18, 2019, by Smriti Zubin Irani (Minister of Women and Child
Development) and was passed in Rajya Sabha on July 24, 2019, and
on August 1, 2019, in Lower House i.e., Lok Sabha. It was proposed
to protect children from any kind of sexual offenses.  

The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill

The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill was introduced
in Lok Sabha on July 19, 2019, by Thaawarchand Gehlot (Minister
for Social Justice and Empowerment) and was passed in Lok Sabha
on August 5, 2019, and in Upper House i.e., Rajya Sabha on
November 26, 2019. It was passed to protect the rights of
transgender persons. 

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 CASE STUDIES
SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN TVF’S CASE :

 In an anonymous blog posted earlier this month, Arunabh

Kumar, CEO, The Viral Fever (TVF) has been alleged of
sexual harassment by a woman employee who worked at
TVF from 2014 to 2016. This was followed by a series of
similar allegations of sexual harassment against Kumar by
other women posting anonymously which went viral all
over social media.

 On 29th March, a 27-year-old writer-director had lodged

the first FIR with the MIDC police station alleging that
Kumar made inappropriate gestures and even touched her
while shooting a web series production in 2016. Then, on
30th March 2016, another victim joined in to register a
sexual harassment case against Kumar at the Versova
police station.

 Arun Chavan, Assistant Commissioner of Police (DN Nagar

division) confirmed TOI about the FIR lodged by a woman
who was formerly employed with the TVF CEO. Chavan
further added that “The victim used to work with Kumar in
2014 and she claims that it was then he misbehaved with
her. A case against Kumar has been filed under IPC section
354 (A) with the Versova police”.

 In her blog the victim writes about the abuse and

harassment she faced, stating that Kumar asked her if
she’d be interested in role play, a quickie or a “commercial”
transaction at different instances. When she said of
informing the police of such remarks and behaviour, he
told her that the police are “in his pocket.” Adding on the
blog had mentioned details of the reactions she faced on
speaking about it to the fellow TVF employees. Actor
Naveen Kasturia, who has worked in several videos for
TVF shared how she continues to receive breach of

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 contract notices from the company as she quit when she
just couldn’t bear anymore. Complainant blogger also
wrote of wanting to kill herself. Meanwhile, nine other
women like actor-director Reema Sengupta made similar
allegations on a Facebook post supporting the anonymous
blog and said Kumar made overtures when she was
directing a web series for TVF last year.

 TVF spokesperson Aditi Singh told The Indian Express that

they have no records of these employees ever working at
the company. “There are several other points in the blog
which seem factually incorrect. We are preparing an
elaborate response to the accusations made in the blog,”
Singh said. TVF’s response, by saying categorically, that,
the allegations mentioned in the post were ludicrous, false,
defamatory, baseless and unverified. Also TVF shockingly
added that it will leave no stone unturned in locating the
author of the article and get her to severe justice.

AMALA PAUL’S CASE :

 Amala Paul  is one of the well-known actresses in the
Tamil cinema industry, and she shared screen space with
several leading heroes. However back in 2018, the bold
actress had filed a complaint at the T-Nagar Women's
police station against a sex racket team as she was
approached by them during one of her dance rehearsals
at a studio in Chennai. The Madras High court has now
issued the latest statement on the sexual harassment
case which was filed by the actress a few years back.

 The two businessmen Baskaran and Sreedhar, who are

named in Amala Paul's complaint, had filed a petition in
the Chennai High Court seeking the quashing of the
pending case and an injunction. They demanded the case
be dismissed as they have no connection to the case. But
the Judge, who heard the case, had dismissed the

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 petitions of the two businessmen, saying the case shall
not be dismissed.

 Amala Paul was supposed to participate in a special show

in Malaysia  in 2018, and she was rehearsing her dance
steps in a dance studio, owned by Sreedhar. Alagesan
then approached Amala Paul about having dinner with
Ibrahim on her way to Malaysia. Amala Paul then realised
it was a sex racket team, and filed a complaint against
Sreedhar, Alagesan, Baskaran and Ibrahim at the T Nagar
women's police station in January 2018.

RAPE CASE IN CHENNAI :

 A 22-year-old man, who went to steal valuables at a house,
raped a woman, who was sleeping alone in the house in the
wee hours of Friday in the city suburbs. Police nabbed him
with the help of CCTV camera footage.

 The woman is a 22-year-old college student. The accused V

Sathish, from Tambaram is a school dropout. He told police
he managed to scale a wall and climbed a tree to reach the
first floor of the house where he found the woman sleeping.

 Sathish entered the house and held the victim at knife point.
Instead of robbing her, Sathish raped her. Her parents were
sleeping on the ground floor. After the accused left the
building, the girl informed her parents, who lodged a police
complaint.

 Police registered a case under 10 sections including sections

pertaining to rape, assault, attempt to robbery, obscene
words and Women Harassment Act. Police said the man
broke his hands when he tried to escape and slipped over a
compound wall.

 Sathish was admitted in a government hospital and

remanded in judicial custody on Saturday. The woman has
been sent for counselling.

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 CONCLUSION
Women’s Empowerment in the truest sense will be achieved only when
there is an attitudinal change in society with regard to fairness and
equality.

Women Empowerment is empowering the females to take decisions for

their personal dependence. women empowerment refers to the creation
of an environment for personal benefits as well as for society. women
also should be given equal rights like men to actually empower them.

They need to be strong, aware, and alert every time for their growth and
development. The most common challenges are related to the education,
poverty, health, and safety of women. after the independence of the
country, India had to face lots of challenges which had created a big gap
between men and women especially in the field of education.

A woman can be considered with women

empowerment when :
 She lives her life independently consistent with her own lifestyle
whether at home or outside.
 She feels free to make her own decision according to her
preference.
 She gets equal rights within the society sort of a man.
 She feels safe and comfortable at work, on the street, etc., whether
at home or outdoors.

Should now there fundamental and social rights

which women get once they born
 There should be respect and dignity for women.
 There should not be any discrimination, between women and men
while giving jobs and employment.
 They should not be discriminated against while providing any type
of education.

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 REFERENCES

 http://en.m.wikipedia.org/
 http://www.google.com/
 http://www.worldvision.com.au/
 http://www.unwomen.org/
 http://www.unglobalcompact.com/
 http://www.bsr.org/
 http://wcd.nic.in/

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