Sexual harassment of queer persons in India

Victims of the violence, especially women, decide to hold the matter and fail to report the incidents. They hide the issues and keep them as family secrets for fear of exposing their families. This results in more violence in society, which endangers women’s lives. It affects their bodies, mental sanity, emotions and overall health, together with reproductive health, and thereafter affects every stage and growth of their life cycle, directly or indirectly both ways. This cruelty against women is one of the critical social mechanisms by which women are demeaned. Their fear limits their choices in all spheres of life. It has long as well as short-term consequences. Some majorly seen are they are not entitled to own property on family land, social exclusion, honour killings, female mutilation, trafficking, restricted mobility, and early marriages, among other factors.Economic factors- like lack of income or unemployment, medical condition and respective treatments, facilities and lack of proper education and its economic implementation etc.

Social factors- like ignorance of violence, neglecting the facts of the root cause of violence, lack of respect or witnessing violence and abuse in the families, society or in the surrounding.

But recognition is not as simple as one may believe. I invite readers to once again review the list of words that this piece begins with. A socio-politically aware and active person might have a niche understanding of most or even all of these terms, but a disappointingly bleak minority of lawmakers in the country would be expected to know even broad definitions and distinctions from the list.

Recognition cannot flow from ignorance. It must arise out of knowledge, awareness and responsiveness. Far more than a parliamentary committee is needed to work on laws that aim to protect people. The general conscience of the society needs to be educated and sensitised, and this long-term transformation must be spearheaded by the people in power.

Judicial trends show a growing awareness and the development of a more responsive conscience, but this process needs to be supported and strengthened with simultaneous legislative initiative and social movements. One of the many benefits of the age we currently find ourselves in is the platform being provided for free speech, radical developments and progressive transformations.Legal recognition of not just these groups, but also the elements of their identities, is required. A progressive law on inclusivity, identifying different sexualities, the relevant difference between gender and sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and what these terms signify in the practical and social sense, is needed. Official recognition and normalisation of the various gender identities, coupled with changing political forces towards inclusivity and a spirit of openness will help us, as a society, put humanity above all else.

To the information, services and support of any kind for all age groups.

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Social media looks at the big picture.

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(With input from news agency language)

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AUTHOR

ASHUTOSH DUBEY Freelance journalist,Public Affair Advisor AND Founding Editor - kanishksocialmedia-BROADCASTING MEDIA PRODUCTION COMPANY,PUBLISHER,NON -PROFIT ORGANISATION