What are the provisions regarding the women health and safety?
According to the Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution, "Police" and "Public Order" are State matters. Therefore, the protection and security of all residents, including women and girls, falls under the purview of state governments.
However, the Government places the highest focus on the safety and security of women and children in the nation. The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961, the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986, the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, and the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006 are just a few of the special laws pertaining to women that are administered by the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
Additionally, the Juvenile Justice (care and protection of children) Act of 2015, the Commissions for the Protection of Child Rights Act of 2005, and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act of 2012 are all administered by the aforementioned Ministry.
The Criminal Law (Amendments) Act 2013 was passed in order to deter sexual offences effectively through the legal system. Additionally, the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018 was passed to set even stricter punishment guidelines, including the death penalty for rape of a girl under the age of 12. The Act also stipulates, among other issues, that each inquiry and trial must be finished within two months.
Initiatives for women and girls safety
The following are a few other actions the government has done to ensure the safety of women and girls:
The Ministry of Women and Child Development is the focal authority for evaluating and approving the ideas or programmes to be funded under the Nirbhaya Fund, which the government has established for projects for the safety and security of women.
In compliance with the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2018, MHA established an online analytical tool for police on February 19, 2019 named “Investigation Tracking System for Sexual Offenses” to monitor and track time-bound investigations in sexual assault cases.
To help law enforcement agencies more easily investigate and track down sexual offenders across the nation, MHA introduced the “National Database on Sexual Offenders” (NDSO) on September 20, 2018. Over 5 lakh sexual offenders are listed in NDSO data.
In 20 States and UTs in 2018–19, the Emergency Response Support System—which offers a single incident number (112)–based computer-aided dispatch of field resources to the scene of the emergency—became operational.
On September 20, 2018, MHA opened a cybercrime reporting tool for the public to report offensive content. Additionally, numerous States have established Cyber Crime Forensic Labs, and more than 3,664 individuals, including 410 Public Prosecutors and Judicial Officers, have received training in recognizing, detecting, and resolving cyber-crimes against women and children.
Safe City Projects, which use technology to support smart policing and safety management, have been approved for phase I in 8 cities (Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Lucknow and Mumbai).
MHA has taken initiatives to strengthen DNA analysis units in Central and State Forensic Science Laboratories in order to improve investigations. This includes establishing a cutting-edge DNA analysis unit in Chandigarh’s Central Forensic Science Laboratory. Additionally, the MHA has approved the establishment and modernization of DNA Analysis units in State Forensic Science Laboratories in 13 States and UTs.
The MHA has released instructions for gathering forensic evidence in sexual assault cases as well as the typical components of a kit used to gather evidence in such situations. Training and skill-building programs for investigation officers, prosecution officers, and medical officers have started in order to facilitate enough capacity in manpower. The Lok Narayan Jayaprakash Narayan National Institute of Criminology and Forensic Science and the Bureau of Police Research and Development (BPR&D) have already trained 2,575 officers in the gathering, management, and transportation of forensic evidence. As part of training, BPR&D has given 3,120 Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kits to States and UTs as orientation kits.
MHA has established a Women Safety Division to coordinate numerous programs for the safety of women.
In addition, the Ministry of Women and Child Development has introduced a program called One Stop Centers to offer comprehensive support and assistance to women who have been the victims of violence, as well as a program called the Universalization of Women Helpline to offer a 24-hour emergency and non-emergency response to women who have been the victims of violence. In addition to the aforementioned, the Ministry of Women and Child Development, working in tandem with the Ministry of Home Affairs, has planned to assign Mahila Police Volunteers to States and UTs. These volunteers will serve as a conduit between the police and the community and assist women in need.
Additionally, through workshops, cultural programs, seminars, training programs, adverts in print and electronic media, etc., the Indian government runs publicity campaigns and awareness-raising programs on numerous laws pertaining to women’s rights.
All State Governments/UTs have received advisories from MHA directing them to guarantee thorough investigations, prompt medical examinations of rape victims, and more gender sensitivity in the Police. You can find these advisories at www.mha.gov.in
The National Nutrition Policy, 1993
The National Nutrition Policy (1993) promotes a thorough, cross-sectoral approach to addressing all the complex issues associated with nutritional inadequacies in order to reach an ideal state of nutrition for all societal groups, with a focus on women and children. The strategies adopted include screening for Chronic Energy Deficiency (CED) in all pregnant women and lactating mothers; identifying women with weights below 40 kg and providing adequate prenatal, postpartum, and neonatal care under the RCH program; and ensuring that they receive food supplements through the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme.
Reproductive and Child Health (RCH)
The Family Welfare Program was used to house the Mother and Child Health (MCH), nutrition, and immunization programs, which were later renamed the Reproductive Child Health (RCH) program. In order to offer women and children with integrated health and family welfare services, the national RCH program was introduced in 1997. The initiative aims to more efficiently satisfy the health care requirements of children and women in reproductive ages by enhancing the quality, distribution, and accessibility of services.
By reconsidering the placement of sub-centers, PHCs, and CHCs and collaborating with other agencies like ICDS, Water and Sanitation, etc., the second phase of the initiative, RCH II, aimed to address the population’s accessibility issue. By offering obstetric care, MTP, and IUD insertion, it also intends to improve the RCH facilities at the PHC. The program’s components include providing referral transportation services for low-income families and hiring private anesthesiologists when none are available.
Conclusion
The root cause of India’s big population’s low health status is poverty. There are obvious gender-specific effects of the globalization era, which is characterized by unemployment, declining incomes, growing health care expenditures, and hazardous working and living conditions. The globalization and patriarchal forces work together to highlight gender-related subordination. Therefore, it is important to look beyond the biological factors that determine health in order to comprehend how social and economic inequality, which limits women’s access to and control over resources, is intrinsically linked to their poor health status.
By expanding equality and putting more women to work, India’s GDP may rise by $770 billion by 2025, according to the McKinsey Global Institute. This demonstrates how crucial it has become for employers to give women a safe environment to work in order to retain a valuable labor segment. It is crucial for businesses to be aware of state-specific labor laws in India that provide and put into practice guidelines for the safety of working women. It is also crucial for working women to be aware of these laws so they can inquire of their employees about how these guidelines are put into practice in the organisations where they work.
Sources:
https://vikaspedia.in/social-welfare/women-and-child-development/women-development-1/legal-awareness-for-women/laws-relating-to-working-women
https://pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1575574
https://paycheck.in/labour-law-india/health-and-safety/heath-safety-of-workers
http://ncw.nic.in/important-links/List-of-Laws-Related-to-Women
https://labour.gov.in/womenlabour/about-women-labour
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