Demands gender-neutral policies and laws and constitution of Commission for Men on lines of Commission for Women
Claims that misuse of gender-specific laws to fabricate fake marital and rape cases has resulted in alarming increase in suicides by men – three times more than women – as per NCRB data
While horrendous cases of atrocities on women, including rapes, dowry deaths and suicides, continue to plague Indian society despite various measures, including stricter laws, a parallel movement is gaining traction demanding protection for men from atrocities which are leading to an alarming increase in marital deaths and suicides by them.
Alleging massive misuse of “lopsided laws’ enacted to protect women, leading to atrocities on men, and resultant alarming increase in marital death and suicides by males, this movement is holding a massive ‘Satyagraha For Men’ at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi on April 19, demanding among other things gender neutral policies and laws and constitution of a Commission for Men on the lines of the Commission for Women at the central and state levels.
Sharing their thoughts regarding this ‘satyagraha’ at a press conference in Chandigarh on Wednesday, members of the Chandigarh Chapter of the ‘Save Indian Family Foundation’ said 40+ NGOs working for the cause of men will participate in the one-day protest sit-in.
Rohit Dogra, President of the Chandigarh Chapter of the foundation, said the need of the hour is to work for creating a society based on equality, transcending gender bias.
Claiming that records of the NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau) show that in recent years suicide by men have increased alarmingly and are now three times those of women. Suicides by married men are also three times those of married women, he added.
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Giving several recent instances of atrocities against men which made headlines across the country, including suicides by Atul Subhash, Puneet Khurana, and Manav Sharma, and the brutal murder by Muskaan Rastogi of her husband and stuffing his body parts in a drum, he said shocking incidents of husbands being murdered, brutally beaten, misuse of laws, and the neglect of men by the government, judiciary, and society are coming to light every day.
The misuse of laws, particularly those related to dowry and rape, has become a major concern. False cases are being filed as a means of revenge or extortion, leaving men feeling helpless and without protection, he asserted.
Dogra stated that it is high time these serious issues are given attention. “We need an equitable society for all citizens, regardless of gender,” Dogra asserted.
He informed that due to the efforts of the Save Indian Family Foundation, the immediate arrest of in-laws under Section 498-A in dowry-related cases was put on hold. This notorious section, under which dowry harassment was considered a non-bailable offense, allowed the police to arrest in-laws without a warrant.
‘SIF One’ helpline
Save Indian Family Foundation is running a self-financed tollfree helpline ‘SIF One’ (08882 498 498), a lifeline for many men in distress, which it claims receives thousands of calls every month. Over the past 20 years, through its free weekly support group meetings, helplines, online groups, blogs, and other volunteer-based programs, SIF asserts that it has directly or indirectly connected and assisted millions of families both in India and abroad.
