Dharna in Pune City on 29th March demanding Men’s Welfare Ministry
Requesting your journalists and anchors to attend the protest for coverage
http://www.saveindianfamily.org
http://www.498a.org
http://www.mynation.net
99230 56460, 99224 01332, 98220 10467, 98505 83751. 99224 20596
Misuse of anti-dowry laws and other woman-protection laws has now become a well recognized problem in India. Increasing number of aged parents, sisters, pregnant women and even little children in the husband’s family are falsely accused and arrested under these inhumane laws, and find themselves defenseless against the systematic harassment unleashed thereafter by the state sponsored institutions.
To protest against this outrageous and horrific legal terrorism sponsored by the state and its institutions Save Indian Family Foundation (SIFF) will conduct a protest On Saturday, 29th March 2008 from 11 AM to 2 PM in front of Shivaji Nagar court, Gate No-1, demanding the establishment of Men’s Welfare ministry and National Commission for Men (NCM). People from all walks of life including Software engineers, doctors, drivers and plumbers will participate in this protest. Azim Premji, CEO of Wipro, who faced a false and frivolous Domestic violence case by wife of an employee of Wipro, has also been invited to the protest. In addition, several reputed lawyers from Pune city have been invited and are expected to attend the event.
Today, men and women in his family are facing a lot of issues due to lack of protection to men according to law from extortion, dowry harassment (of men), domestic violence and economic abuse. According to National Crime Records Bureau, in every 10 minutes a husband is committing suicide in India due to domestic violence and financial abuse by wife and her family. About 90,000 innocent women were arrested in the last four years on false dowry harassment cases alone. The current Domestic Violence act (DV act 2006) was drafted by divorced women lawyers, whose expertise on 1st principle of law making and justice is questionable.The law is used grab the property and wealth created by Elderly People out of their retirement funds and force them out of their own homes to live in temples and gurudwaras. This has removed the peaceful residency rights of elderly people from their own hard earned homes and unleashed “legal violence” on elderly. The Supreme Court of India has termed the DV Act as a badly drafted law, which can lead to “social chaos”.
That the Dowry law and Section 498a of IPC are being heavily misused is no longer in question. As per National Crime Records Bureau (2005) more than 98% of the dowry harassment cases are false. Justice Arijit Pasayat and Justice Seema of Supreme Court have already spoken in anguish about it and termed the misuse of Section 498a as “legal Terrorism”. They also urged the legislature/
The impact of the legal terrorism is enormous:
• In every 6 minutes an innocent is arrested.
• In every 30 minutes an innocent woman is arrested.
• In every 2 hours an innocent elderly is arrested
• In every day an innocent child and a pregnant women are arrested
Source: National Crime Records Bureau 2005
Save Indian Family Foundation also demands a commission for Men Issues. When there can be commissions and ministries for women, children, minorities and even Animals, why there can not be a Men’s Welfare Ministry and National Commission for Men (NCM)? After all, it is the Men who work in most hazardous and difficult environments like working as a Coolie, a rickshaw puller, a fire fighter, a soldier or garbage cleaner. In every 10 minutes a married man commits suicide in India. Life expectancy of men is much lesser than women. The tax money paid by men contributes to 84% of all funds to government and it is appalling that this same money given by them is used to abuse, harass and torture those very people who contribute this money to run the government and society.
Some of the demands by Save Indian Family Foundation:
1. That 498a (Dowry law), DV act 2006 and Dowry act be made gender neutral. All laws must be crime based and not based on religion, caste or gender as it is against the fundamental principles of humanity. A murder committed by woman is no less a crime than a murder committed by man. Slapping husband is as heinous as slapping wife and hence both must invite equal punishment by amending Domestic Violence Act (DV act 2006). Gifts given by husband during or after marriage to wife or any of her family members must be treated as dowry given by husband to wife and must be treated as his property to be returned to his family in the event of his un-natural death.
2. Set up Men’s welfare ministry and National Commission for Men to reduce the alarming number of 73,000 men suicide per year. In comparison, married women suicide rate is just 26,000 per year.
3. Senior citizens in this country have no security or protection in their old age due to the abuse of these gender biased laws and are mercilessly thrown out of their own homes and forced to run around courts. We want senior citizen abuse to stop immediately. We want that young members of family must support elders. In the event of un-natural death of a son, we demand that the duty to care for the old in-laws must be given to his widow by default and strictly implemented.
4. Stop country’s next generation kids from growing without fathers (so called Pappa) and becoming criminals. A shared parenting (Equal custodial rights) must be the default in the event of a divorce, unless there is undeniable evidence to prove the cruelty of either spouse.
5.Punishment to those who file false cases once the above amendments (making laws crime based and gender neutral) are made. This will prevent false and frivolous cases from being filed. As per National Crime Record Bureau (2005 records), 98% of the dowry harassment cases were false. This puts tremendous burden on the state judicial and police machinery preventing them from doing other duties like stopping the bomb blasts in hyderabad recently and has prevented genuine victims from getting justice due to delay.
7. Spread awareness of the abuse of men and misuse of laws amongst authorities.
8. Include help booths to protect abused men suffering from domestic violence or financial abuse by wife to be run by NGOs in the Police Commissioner’
9. Celebrate International Men’s day and recognize the tremendous contributions of men to society in the role of a son, brother, husband and father.
10. All family laws must be drafted by retired judges and preferably include grand mothers and grand fathers who have led successful family lives, understand the nuances of family issues and know how to solve them in an amicable way. Sadistic and failed women from national women commission have no role to play in family affairs as they have proven themselves to be anti-social with their activities of abuse on innocent.
This necessitates that Government appoint a Men’s Welfare Ministry and National Commission for Men (NCM) immediately to look into the issues holistically and provide relief to all citizens irrespective of gender and age.
On 29th March (Saturday), SIFF NGO activists from various cities of India will conduct a protest in front of Shivaji Nagar Court, Gate # 1, Pune City from 11 AM to 2 PM to demand formation of Men’s Welfare Ministry and National Commission for Men (NCM). SIFF is requesting you to cover this protest by sending your journalists and anchors to attend the event, who will be regarded as invited guests.
Contacts for Media (PUNE City):
Amitabh: 9923056460
Mahesh: 9850583751
Mayur: 9822010467
