by Leela Ramdeen, Chair of the Catholic Commission for Social Justice
“…for the Christian, every man and woman is a true sanctuary of God, and should be treated with the highest respect and affection.” (Pope Benedict XVI, 7 Nov 2010)
I returned recently from London where I participated in two conferences. Lord Dilgit Rana, President of the Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin (GOPIO International), organised the first conference which focussed on: The Indian Diaspora’s role in the new economic world order. Lady Shruti Rana organised the first International GOPIO Women’s conference on the theme: Women of Indian origin – issues and solutions. My full speech entitled: “Legal and marital issues of women of Indian origin”, can be accessed on CCSJ’s website.
Although I focussed on issues relating to Indian women in particular, many of the issues raised relate to women in other ethnic communities.
For the continuing advancement of humanity, we must take heed of the words of Swami Vivekananda who said, “That country and that nation which doesn’t respect women will never become great now, nor will it ever in future…let us work towards giving women their much deserved status.”
While there are millions of marriages in which Indian women are treated with dignity, the list of Indian women who continue to suffer because of legal and marital issues that impact adversely on their lives is long.
These issues are to be found in all strata of society, in most countries and within all religions. We live in challenging times where morals and values, particularly family values, are being eroded. Each of us has a role to play in swimming counter cultural to strengthen marriage and family life.
Indian women, like other women, are guaranteed equality in the Constitutions and/or other laws in countries around the world. But the reality of the daily plight of women falls short of the ideal outlined in these instruments.
The writer, Gagandeep Kaur Malhotra notes, “The life of average Indian women is still governed by customs, habits, prejudices and unwritten codes of conduct…the legal equality which women enjoy under the Constitution and the special privileges are all in papers.”
Some of the issues I addressed include: the lack of respect for Indian women shown in advertisements in the media stating: Light skin Indian woman wanted for marriage (see Dana Seetahal’s recent article on T&T’s Naturally Fair TV competition); poverty and social exclusion – link to the caste system, the lack of access to education for many Indian girl children, illiteracy, unemployment, organ selling, discrimination, poor skills, low incomes, poor housing, poor health, high crime environs, and family breakdown; the many forms of domestic violence e.g. psychological/emotional, verbal, sexual, financial/economic and physical abuse, which occurs across all communities regardless of social class, religion, ethnic background and age; honour related violence e.g. honour killings; bonded/forced labour; dowry abuse/dowry killings; child marriages; forced marriages; problems in arranged marriages and in love marriages; self-harm/depression/suicide among young South Asian women in the UK – related to marital problems; gender selection – pre-natal selection/abortion/female foeticide; land rights; inheritance and marriage laws; discrimination against Indian widows; alcoholism; drug abuse; rape and rape within marriage; HIV/AIDS etc.
Malhotra rightly says that the protection of Indian women’s constitutional and legal rights requires more than laws, policies, procedures and practices that reflect their dignity and worth as human beings. What is also required is a change of mindset on the part of both men and women.
She says: “The condition of women in India cannot be improved by any single method or merely by pronouncing the words ‘Women Empowerment’. There is need to change the traditional mental set-up which is deep rooted in the minds of women only then this concept can turn into reality. I still keep asking myself the same question, and so do many of us: Are women getting their due share in the society?”
In marriage, men and women are supposed to complement each other – not to dominate, humiliate and abuse each other. Marriage is a vocation to holiness. Society has a responsibility to foster in marriage – love, fidelity, mutual respect, trust and compassion. Let us play our part in addressing the ills that beset marriage and family life.
People are our greatest asset. There can be no development without the development of women in marriage and in society in general. Let us work together to create conditions that will enable all our people to realise their potential.
Today, Nov 21 is UN World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims. See Arrive Alive website: www.arrivealivett.org for activities and information on road safety campaign
