Relation between Women Security and Women Empowerment in India

Women's Empowerment

There is an inseparable relation between women's security and women empowerment in India. Women's safety is just a part of women's security, however, Women's security accounts for much more than just women's safety. Gender equality and financial freedom are two prominent constituents that contribute to the women security to the large extent. Another major constituents are education and self-dependability. In the Indian context, education seems to be the biggest hurdle in giving women complete security. Most of the Indian states are conservative when it comes to gender equality. The females are getting fewer opportunities to acquire education, knowledge, and jobs. In recent days, the trend kept changing and people letting freedom to women more and more but still, there is a big gap between what is needed and what we have. Secondly, the infrastructure for acquiring knowledge and education is very limited in India. Even in most of the cities, the education and employment conditions are very bad and only those capable of resources can migrate to metropolitan cities. We have been witnessed that youth from all over India migrates to metropolitan cities creating another problem of heavy rush and competition. In a way, we can say that without reviving our infrastructure, we cannot guarantee complete women's security and women empowerment in India.

Since the recent past, India has been also facing women's safety threats to an alarming situation where metropolitan cities identified as most vulnerable to women's safety. Delhi-NCR is a deadliest women violence zone in India. The 2012 National Crime Records Bureau report elaborates a reported crime rate of 46 per 100,000, rape rate of 2 per 100,000, the dowry homicide rate of 0.7 per 100,000 and the rate of domestic cruelty by husband or his relatives as 5.9 per 100,000.

Year on year Women violence

However, this is just a reported figures but the reality is far beyond these numbers. In an exaggerated way, people use to say that out of 3 women 1 women suffers physical and sexual violence.

Anyway, we can understand how women empowerment can help improve women security under the following heads:

1. Education and Women Security:

Education is somewhat empowering everyone on this planet. This becomes of vital interest in the case of women. A learned woman can defend her rights very well. After getting a competitive education, she becomes self-reliant and combats modern crimes effectively. So, education is also important to keep track of technology born violence.

2. Gender equality and Women Security:

Gender equality is a much-hyped term. In developed nations where education is for real, more and less gender equality is present in the society. But, in developing countries like India, still, gender equality is a daydream. Also, in the so-called high and educated society, it is not happening in India. Mass of the Indian population lives in a sarcastic condition that combines the broken social customs and lack of knowledge making gender equality a rare phenomenon. 

3. Social glitches and Women Security:

As far as true Indian values and customs are concerned, they provide a basis for a harmonious and prosperous society. Unfortunately, Indians are forgetting or at least misinterpreting their own art of living and relying on western values and beliefs. Coupled with half Indian and half western philosophy, Indian society is doing no harm to others except its own. And, Women are at the top of this ladder to bear the load of this zig-zag culture.

4. Infrastructure and Women Security:

By infrastructure, I mean a progressive environment for women empowerment. At every place, there are certain points that boost the empowerment scenarios. Having a stadium in the surroundings is an example. Likewise, malls, theatres, global educational hubs, airports are largely contribute to people’s empowerment.

5. Law and order and Women Security:

This is basically, concerned with the safety measures of the womankind. Indian law and order situation is dominated by corruption and politicians and doesn’t work as is required. The result; most of the time we hear about Hyderabad rape, Unnao rape, Nirbhaya and the incidents of child rape and gang rape. In fact, the system is so corrupted and Indians are bound to rely on this in the absence of vibrant and reliable investigation agencies. In the recent past, we have seen the episode on the India’s top investigation agency CBI which compels us to believe that CBI is also not free. At this point of time, the men and women of India must think for a better governance system.

6. Dowry and Women Security:

Dowry is yet another obstacle for women's security. In some form, it is present in most of the Indian societies. On most of the occasions, we see and read about violence with womankind for dowry. However, the law for dowry violence is very strict in India but implementation is weak and absurd.

No. of registered dowry cases

7.Honor Killings and Women Security:

Honor killing is prevailing in India for a very long time. It is the outcome of our disbelief in Indian culture and traditions. In the very beginning of our civilization and culture, honor killing was a rare phenomenon. The girl was given the right to choose its bride as per suitability. But in later days, with the development of social metrics and exposure to the outer world, this tradition has been abolished and as a result honor killing started happening. Nowadays, it becomes a great threat to women security.

8. Female infanticide and Women security:

Selective killings is also a big barrier to Women empowerment. This is also based on fake beliefs and customs. In the north and west India, the ratio to male and female has a gap of 10 on an average.

9.Women trafficking with prostitution and Women Security:

Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh top the immoral trafficking chart.

Trafficking Scene

10.Domestic violence and Women Security:

Domestic violence is a big hurdle in the way of women empowerment. It is an uphill task to segregate and stop domestic violence against women in India. Basically, in most of the cases, it lefts unreported and depends on family interference. Domestic violence in India can be identified in terms of physical, emotional, economic, verbal and sexual abuse. In such a scene, the women are facing a great threshold in India where it is said that 70% of the Indian woman faces some kind of domestic violence.

Domestic Violence Scenario

Indeed, women's empowerment is closely associated with women's security in India. The government of India is getting crazy to clean the path for Women Security and Women Empowerment. 2019 has witnessed the Triple Talaq as unconstitutional and illegal practice which in turn gives enormous relief and empowerment to Muslim Women. Now, their social security is guaranteed against the barbaric act of Triple Talaq. Women's empowerment and women's security still to go a long way here. However, some sincere efforts have been made by the government, the society has to come out of its mental blockage against women. In Indian philosophy, we believe a goddess inside a woman so deeply as our ancestors said it well “यत्र नार्यस्तुपूज्यन्ते रमन्ते तत्रदेवता” means the God lives where the Womankind worshipped. 

Women Empowerment