| Two years on, stir against DV Act |
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| Written by Times of India |
| Monday, 27 October 2008 11:44 |
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New Delhi: Swarooplata today is a broken woman. Accused of domestic violence by her daughter-in-law, the elderly woman has nowhere to call home. Her son Gaurav too is in deep trouble. Charged with violence by his wife, he is bankrupt after paying compensation running into lakhs of rupees to his spouse. “I don’t know where my son is today. My daughter-in-law filed a case against me and my son under the Domestic Violence Act and I had to leave the house. Today I don’t have a roof over my head,” Swarooplata cried. Swarooplata and Shobhit were among a group of people who demonstrated at Jantar Mantar on Sunday, demanding an amendment to remove “discriminatory” provisions in the Protection of Women From Domestic Violence Act. The protesters claimed the present law had many loopholes and unleashed “legal terrorism” on those on the receiving end.
Assembled under the banner of Gender Human Rights Society (GHRS), Mothers and Sisters Organisation (MASI), Save Family Foundation and other NGOs, the second anniversary of the enactment of the Domestic Violence Act was described as a Black Day by the protesters, who submitted a memorandum to the government, seeking a review of the law.
Said Swarup Sarkar, coordinator, Save Family Foundation: ‘‘The DV Act should be replaced by a more gender-neutral legislation and equal protection should be provided to men and women against physical, emotional, verbal and economic abuse.”
(Names of alleged victims have been changed) |