CHANDIGARH: A clutch of harassed husbands, from Madurai to Mumbai and Jammu to Jamshedpur, will be converging in Shimla on August 15 to declare their ''independence from their wives''.
The convention is catching such momentum that there could be far more crying men than expected.
''I am a harassed husband and I will be screaming my lungs out when we meet to discuss how the fairer sex has put the lights out of our lives,'' said Pranab Kumar Singh in Chandigarh wistfully.
The organisers claim there will be about 40,000 participants at the ''first meeting of harassed husbands in the country''. At the end of the three-day convention, they will ask the Centre to set up a forum for hearing their grievances. They say both the Domestic Violence Act and Dowry Act are ''draconian'' and ''heavily tilted against men''.
''Around 1.2 lakh harassed husbands have committed suicide in the country in the last four years,'' claimed Nitin Gupta, the Chandigarh representative of Save Indian Family Foundation, the NGO which is behind the convention along with Bangalore-based Children's Rights Initiative for Shared Parenting, Maharashtra's Purush Suraksha Sanstha and Uttar Pradesh's Pathi Paramesh Kendra.
''These figures haven't come from the top of our heads, they have been extracted from the National Crime Records Bureau.'' ''It was fine in the first few months of our marriage. But from wife she turned into a vampire so rapidly that I didn't even have time to understand what led to the metamorphosis,'' said Pranab Kumar Singh.
The convention is catching such momentum that there could be far more crying men than expected.
''I am a harassed husband and I will be screaming my lungs out when we meet to discuss how the fairer sex has put the lights out of our lives,'' said Pranab Kumar Singh in Chandigarh wistfully.
The organisers claim there will be about 40,000 participants at the ''first meeting of harassed husbands in the country''. At the end of the three-day convention, they will ask the Centre to set up a forum for hearing their grievances. They say both the Domestic Violence Act and Dowry Act are ''draconian'' and ''heavily tilted against men''.
''Around 1.2 lakh harassed husbands have committed suicide in the country in the last four years,'' claimed Nitin Gupta, the Chandigarh representative of Save Indian Family Foundation, the NGO which is behind the convention along with Bangalore-based Children's Rights Initiative for Shared Parenting, Maharashtra's Purush Suraksha Sanstha and Uttar Pradesh's Pathi Paramesh Kendra.
''These figures haven't come from the top of our heads, they have been extracted from the National Crime Records Bureau.'' ''It was fine in the first few months of our marriage. But from wife she turned into a vampire so rapidly that I didn't even have time to understand what led to the metamorphosis,'' said Pranab Kumar Singh.
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'Men to meet in Shimla for equal rights'
CHENNAI: A group of men from Tamil Nadu is setting off for Shimla to participate in a meeting on August 15 for "equal rights and freedom from harassment from women".
Keshava Vishwanathan, an IT professional who is going to attend the meeting organized by Save Indian Family Foundation, said he felt that in many instances Indian law favoured wives. "Be it in the case of custody of children or allegations of domestic violence and dowry harassment, the law generally takes the side of women," he claims. "Some of the laws are very rigid, and we have found cases foisted on us," Vishwanathan said. He added that they were not women haters'.
Another participant, Manoj David said they were trying to "raise the issue of freedom and dignity of harassed husbands". About 19 men from Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore would be part of the day-long meeting in Shimla, in which more than 100 men were participating. "More than 100 men, representatives of 30,000 other harassed husbands from across the country, will meet to come up with strategies to take on their wives," he said.
Virag Dhulia, a senior member of Save Indian Family Foundation, said the latest report on the suicide rate of men across India was an indicator of the harassment of men. Around 1.2 lakh harassed' husbands in India have committed suicide in last four years, he claimed, citing figures from the National Crime Records Bureau. "This is an alarming number. We're meeting at Shimla, not to draw a gender-dividing line. We want to discuss a social issue and find solutions as the country is seeing a large number of divorces," he said.
Some of issues they will discuss include a separate men's welfare ministry on the lines of the women and child welfare ministry, equal taxation for men and women, change in inheritance laws, amendment to the domestic violence prevention law, and mandatory joint custody of children for divorced couples. "We'll also demand pre-litigation counseling before grant of divorce, an end to police brutalities and judicial reforms to help address the social issues," Dhulia said.
According to data available with SIFF, a total of 9,000 divorce cases were filed in Delhi, 7,500 in Mumbai and 5,000 cases in Bangalore and 4,000 cases Chennai in 2008.
Keshava Vishwanathan, an IT professional who is going to attend the meeting organized by Save Indian Family Foundation, said he felt that in many instances Indian law favoured wives. "Be it in the case of custody of children or allegations of domestic violence and dowry harassment, the law generally takes the side of women," he claims. "Some of the laws are very rigid, and we have found cases foisted on us," Vishwanathan said. He added that they were not women haters'.
Another participant, Manoj David said they were trying to "raise the issue of freedom and dignity of harassed husbands". About 19 men from Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore would be part of the day-long meeting in Shimla, in which more than 100 men were participating. "More than 100 men, representatives of 30,000 other harassed husbands from across the country, will meet to come up with strategies to take on their wives," he said.
Virag Dhulia, a senior member of Save Indian Family Foundation, said the latest report on the suicide rate of men across India was an indicator of the harassment of men. Around 1.2 lakh harassed' husbands in India have committed suicide in last four years, he claimed, citing figures from the National Crime Records Bureau. "This is an alarming number. We're meeting at Shimla, not to draw a gender-dividing line. We want to discuss a social issue and find solutions as the country is seeing a large number of divorces," he said.
Some of issues they will discuss include a separate men's welfare ministry on the lines of the women and child welfare ministry, equal taxation for men and women, change in inheritance laws, amendment to the domestic violence prevention law, and mandatory joint custody of children for divorced couples. "We'll also demand pre-litigation counseling before grant of divorce, an end to police brutalities and judicial reforms to help address the social issues," Dhulia said.
According to data available with SIFF, a total of 9,000 divorce cases were filed in Delhi, 7,500 in Mumbai and 5,000 cases in Bangalore and 4,000 cases Chennai in 2008.
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Boys fight for freedom!
Times News Network
Rage. That’s what one gets to see in the eyes of harassed husbands and men’s rights activists in the city, who, outraged by laws, which they claim are unfair, are now getting ready to voice their protest on Independence Day this year.“We are abstaining from Independence Day celebrations this year to protest the unfair laws that favour women,” says Suresh, the convenor of the Chennai Chapter of the Save Indian Family Foundation (SIFF), an organisation fighting for men’s rights and family harmony under the aegis of the Save Indian Family movement.
Men’s groups across the country have been protesting gender-biased laws in general and the Domestic Violence Act and the 498A, in particular.
Citing an instance, he says, “At present, Indian law considers adultery as a crime when committed by Indian men, but not so when committed by women. This is blatant discrimination against men. Also, Indian law exempts women from punishment for domestic violence. The laws have been pampering women by not according them any duties, while creating obligations for men. By this decidedly anti-male mindset of the law, men in India have started to feel that it’s perhaps a crime to be born a male in India.”
Kumar Jahgirdar, the president of Children’s Rights Initiative For Shared Parenting (CRISP), which is working to ensure the rights of children, points out another hotly contested issue.
“Women’s rights are different from children’s rights. What’s more, the rights of both these categories are not always compatible. While remarriage might be in the interest of a woman who has divorced her husband, it may not be in the best interest of her child. So, ideally, there should be a separate ministry for children to look into issues concerning their rights. However, in India, that isn’t the case. Children constitute forty percent of the population and there is no separate ministry for them. A child has to have access to both parents because nature has provided some unique qualities to the father which cannot be substituted by the mother, and vice-versa.” Giving out details of what SIFF plans to do on Independence Day, Suresh says, “This Independence Day, our members in Chennai will distribute flyers at the Marina Beach in the morning, elucidating our problems, cause and activities.
We are also planning to present a memorandum to the Governor and the Law Minister of the state.” Also, there is bound to be action at the national level as well as the Save Indian Family Movement’s second national conference, is to be held on August 15 and 16 at Shimla.
Says Virag, an office-bearer of SIFF, “The first one was held in Goa last year. There are 14 non-governmental organisations affiliated to the SIFF across the country and at least 100 active leaders from different parts of the country will be attending this meet to discuss ways to further intensify our agitation and reiterate our demand for a National Commission for Men and Men’s Welfare Ministry.” Informs Suresh,“This time, nine members from Chennai will be participating in the national conference in Shimla.” Volunteers from various other organisations such as the Family Cultural Forum and CRISP will also join SIFF’s members in distributing pamphlets on Independence Day. It seems that men have finally taken the fight for freedom from harassment to the next level!
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Courtesy: Times of India
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