In reality, India's women are discriminated against, abused and even killed , according to a new poll by the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
"It's a miracle a woman survives in India. Even before she is born, she is at risk of being aborted due to our obsession for sons," "As a child, she faces abuse, rape and early marriage and even when she marries, she is killed for dowry. If she survives all of this, as a widow she is discriminated against and given no rights over inheritance or property."
Many of the crimes against women are in India's heavily populated northern plains, where, in parts, there is a deep-rooted mindset that women are inferior and must be restricted to being homemakers and childbearers. In addition, age-old customs such as payment of hefty dowries at the time of marriage and beliefs linking a female's sexual behaviour to family honour have made girls seem a burden.
The threats in India are manifold - from female foeticide, child marriage, dowry and honour killings to discrimination in health and education and crimes such as rape, domestic violence and human trafficking. resulting in a rise in rapes, human trafficking and, in certain cases, practices such as "wife-sharing" amongst brothers. In fact, the curse of dowry continues even after marriage.
One bride was murdered every hour over dowry demands in 2010, says the National Crime Records Bureau. Some are "stove burnings" where in-laws pour kerosene, the commonly-used cooking fuel of poorer homes, over women and set them alight, making it appear accidental.
"These are not normal crimes. These are social crimes because they disrupt the entire social fabric of the community. When you commit crimes against women, it has a lasting impact."
Indian authorities have also struggled to combat rising crimes against women, including domestic violence, molestation, trafficking and rape.
Newspaper reports are full of stories of trafficking and sexual exploitation. In many cases, violence against women has a level of social acceptability. There is policy silence on the implementation of laws for women's rights.
(For full coverage of the poll visit g20women.trust.org) (TrustLaw is a free legal news site run by Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters. Visit trust.org/trustlaw)
"It's a miracle a woman survives in India. Even before she is born, she is at risk of being aborted due to our obsession for sons," "As a child, she faces abuse, rape and early marriage and even when she marries, she is killed for dowry. If she survives all of this, as a widow she is discriminated against and given no rights over inheritance or property."
Many of the crimes against women are in India's heavily populated northern plains, where, in parts, there is a deep-rooted mindset that women are inferior and must be restricted to being homemakers and childbearers. In addition, age-old customs such as payment of hefty dowries at the time of marriage and beliefs linking a female's sexual behaviour to family honour have made girls seem a burden.
The threats in India are manifold - from female foeticide, child marriage, dowry and honour killings to discrimination in health and education and crimes such as rape, domestic violence and human trafficking. resulting in a rise in rapes, human trafficking and, in certain cases, practices such as "wife-sharing" amongst brothers. In fact, the curse of dowry continues even after marriage.
One bride was murdered every hour over dowry demands in 2010, says the National Crime Records Bureau. Some are "stove burnings" where in-laws pour kerosene, the commonly-used cooking fuel of poorer homes, over women and set them alight, making it appear accidental.
"These are not normal crimes. These are social crimes because they disrupt the entire social fabric of the community. When you commit crimes against women, it has a lasting impact."
Indian authorities have also struggled to combat rising crimes against women, including domestic violence, molestation, trafficking and rape.
Newspaper reports are full of stories of trafficking and sexual exploitation. In many cases, violence against women has a level of social acceptability. There is policy silence on the implementation of laws for women's rights.
(For full coverage of the poll visit g20women.trust.org) (TrustLaw is a free legal news site run by Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters. Visit trust.org/trustlaw)
