SOCIAL EXCLUSION AND INCLUSION OF WOMEN IN INDIA Volume II

Women are the wealth of India and they have contributed in almost every field and made our country feel proud at every occasion. They are in front, leading the country, making milestones and a source of inspiration for many. At present women are contributing and participating in every sphere, politics, business, education, science and technology, media, sports, art and culture, etc. However, this is the one face of coin and on the other side of coin is the hard truth of the Indian society. The focus should be on poverty reduction, gender justice, health, nutrition, sustained awareness of rights and redressal, eradication of social evils, etc. Violence against women in general is defined as a force, whether overt or covert, used to wrest from a woman something that she does not want to give of her own free will and which causes her either physical injury or emotional trauma or both. Thus rape, kidnapping, wife-beating, sexual abuse, eve-teasing, mental harassment, physical torture are all examples of violence against women. Violence against women continues to be one of the most prevalent and least recognised human rights violations in the world. In India, this violence occurs in many forms—domestic violence, sexual assault, public humiliation/abuse, trafficking and honour killing. One in every two women in India experience violence in their daily life. In our society, violence is bursting. It is present almost everywhere and nowhere is this eruption more intense than right behind the doors of our homes. Behind closed doors of homes all across our country, people are being tortured, beaten and killed. It is happening in rural areas, towns, cities and in metropolitans as well. It is crossing all social classes, genders, racial lines and age groups. It is becoming a legacy being passed on from one generation to another.