Violence and Protective Measures for Women Development and Empowerment

Contents: Foreword/Arun Nigavekar. Abhinandan/V.N. Rajasekharan. Preface. 1. Introduction: women status and women movements. 2. Women rights. 3. Violence against women. 4. Domestic violence. 5. Sexual harassment at workplace. 6. Rape and indecent representation. 7. Immoral trafficking. 8. Women in detention. 9. Dowry. 10. Acts enacted for women development and empowerment. 11. Violence against women: a case study of Haryana. Appendices. Bibliography. Index.

"Society at national or international levels is becoming violent especially against women leading to restlessness, lawlessness and chaos. In such an atmosphere, there can be no peace and stability. Violence against women is more serious and a heinous crime as they are the real architects of humanity. Violence against women is not a myth but a reality. We have considered them as things, statistics and mere bodies and treated them shabbily in all nations, communities and agencies. Why is it is like this? What makes us attack women? What impels us to do violence against them? The answer is lust and loss of consciousness. Everyday the front page of newspapers is full of incidences of violence in general and violence against women in particular. We have enacted laws to protect women against exploitation, created administrative structures to provide forum for fair deals, allocated resources in Five Year Plans etc. but with no improvement.

"We are sure that the new millennium would usher an era where women can enjoy the life in full and in all fields to ensure socio-economic justice. To awaken people, it is the women who must be awakened. Once she is on the move, the family moves, the villages moves, the nation moves.

"The present book has been divided into Eleven chapters. All the chapters have been supplemented with charts, statistical tables and case studies.

"This book would be of great use to policy-makers, planners and administrators to put these gender issues in proper perspective and enable them to take realistic decisions about women. The author would consider her efforts well rewarded if the present book can focus the attention of all sections of society to the imperative need for promoting welfare of women."  (jacket)