A report titled ‘Nari Shakti: Myth and Reality’ brought out by Bahutva Karnataka, in collaboration with Naveddu Nilladiddare Karnataka, has examined how women in India have fared over the past decade during the Narendra Modi-led NDA regime.
Focussing on violence against women, women’s rights, dignity and agency, economic empowerment, social empowerment, and political representation, the report noted with concern that crimes against women and sexual violence have increased in the last decade. The report was released on Saturday, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Drawing upon data, including government sources, the report sought to examine the ground realities faced by women against the backdrop of the prevailing rhetoric. “The objective is to use this information to hold those in power accountable and to inform the public such that they make an informed choice as they move towards choosing the next government in the ongoing general elections. We encourage all parties, in power or otherwise, to take note of these report cards and respond to the same,” said the organisers.
Analysing fund usage under the Nirbhaya Fund, a critical initiative for improving women’s safety, the report highlighted how key schemes have been underfunded, undermining women’s security in India. The report also presented concrete instances of violence against women where, despite its public utterances regarding women’s safety, the government has remained a mute spectator as in the case of Manipur. “In many instances, the government appears to have condoned the violence, especially when the accused have been political leaders from their own party or the victims have been from minority or Dalit communities,” the report stated.
“Various new laws such as the UCC, triple talaq ban, criminal laws, and anti-conversion laws seem to be driven by motives other than that of gender justice and some of them are becoming tools that can be used to legitimise moral policing by vigilante groups and the state while infantilising women and depriving them of any agency,” the report said.
Analysing data related to the Female Labour Force Participation Rate and employment-generating schemes such as MGNREGA and NRLM or schemes for financial inclusion such as Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana and Mudra, it seems clear that none of these have led to any substantial degree of economic empowerment for the rural and urban power women, it stated.
Diana Kh, an activist from Manipur, Nasreen Mithai from the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, Vijayakumari a former ASHA worker, and K.S. Vimala from AIDWA spoke.
