Role and Status of women in india Through “Dignity and Equality of the Human Person” and “Rights and Responsibilities” CST Lens

Historic Status of Women Ancient India “golden age” for women Encouraged to receive education Made decisions in marriages, rather than arranged Females goddesses referred in Hinduism Status of women transitioned when Islam became present in India Cultural change

Status of Women Today Numerous violent acts against women Domestic violence is accepted- recent UN study states 6 out of 10 men abuse their wives Rape cases Abductions of young girls Sex slave trade (CRS article) Infanticide and gender-selective abortion https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XQ_xpyCpEsc

Women in the News Aligarh Muslim University: female students are not allowed in the main library. The Vice Presidents states that women in the library will cause 4x more boys to flock there, and it is a space issue. Women's groups both on and off campus are protesting gender discrimination.    National commission on women's proposal for legalization of sex trade lacks support. Arguments: better safety and conditions vs. making a commodity of women's bodies. This seems to be a deeply divided issue in both women's groups and the Supreme Court. 

What’s the Issue? Equality in government Domestic violence Providing a safe education Drastically different environments between the country and the city

Dangers of Sex-Trafficking India’s National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) estimated that 44,000 children go missing in the country . It is estimated that more than 40% of those trafficked into sexual exploitation in the country are children More than 3 in 10 trafficked children in India suffer from HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and other gynecological problems. Stigma- The majority of girls rescued from sex work are never accepted by their families and communities. Often the only option for sex workers is to return to their traffickers. Nearly 8 out of 10 victims are forced back on to the streets and into brothels after being rehabilitated, according to Andhra Pradesh police.

Safety of Women Thomson Reuters Foundation expert poll 2012, India was the fourth most dangerous country for women UNICEF found half of adolescent males in areas of Southwest Asia believe that domestic violence is justified under certain circumstances. more than half of women within a household agree

Action Taking Place The Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child India has a number of progressive laws that support gender equality and ending discrimination and violence against women the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act of 2013 expands the scope of sexual and gender based crimes against women. India is expected to achieve the MDG target on gender parity in education by 2015 Still struggling with female presence in parliament Teaching skills helps women get out of violent circumstances Facilitates independence

Focus While We’re in India Observe differences between males and females in the classroom Observe household interactions with host families Ask females about role models See how the brothers receive a group of 7 women and 1 man