COIMBATORE: For men in the city who claim to be victims of gender bias, help is round the corner. The Save Indian Family Movement, which launched its Coimbatore chapter recently, aims to protect "hapless men who suffer at the hands of resourceful women". Its members argue that over 90 per cent of men across the country face domestic violence at the hands of their wives and in-laws in the first three years of marriage. They face verbal, physical and financial abuse, cheating, infidelity and mental harassment, they add.

"The gender bias in the laws encourage unscrupulous women to raise false allegations against men, like dowry harassment, sexual harassment or any other form of social abuse," says Suresh Ram, state convenor of Save Indian Family Movement. The movement fights against the Domestic Violence Act, the Dowry Act and other marital laws that seem to discriminate against men in the society. "Certain laws like Domestic Violence Act are meant to safeguard women. But they are being used by women to harass men. A large number of cases have been filed by wives who want to take revenge on their husbands," claims Suresh Ram.

According to him, judicial directives in matters like child custody, maintenance and alimony were totally biased against husbands. "When everyone talks about the rights of wives over husbands, there is no ruling stipulating the duties or responsibilities of wives towards their husbands and in-laws," he points out.

According to Prakash, convenor of the organisation in Coimbatore, "The law requires that a husband provide for his wife even if they are estranged. It is acceptable if the husband is the sole breadwinner of the family. But now the situation is very different. Even women are equally qualified and they too work and earn. Under such circumstances, it is not fair to make the husband bear the burden of maintenance and alimony for his wife who deserted him for whatever reason." The members also claimed that the laws related to adultery were so biased that "women go scot-free even they are the instigators of the offence."

"On the other hand, a husband is charged immediately when he commits an act of indiscretion with another women. Such biased laws need to be made gender-neutral to eradicate the menace of adultery," says Prakash.

According to the movement members, women-centric Indian laws are increasing matrimonial discord. They add that there is a surge in divorce cases pending in various courts. There is also a steady increase in the number of cases of human rights violations, mental harassment and juvenile crimes due to the gender-biased laws that are allegedly destroying the Indian family system.

The Save Indian Family Movement was formed by a group of ‘aggrieved’ men who were harassed by women through gender-biased laws. The members had urged the government to appoint a national commission, similar to the one existing for women, for the welfare of men.

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