CHENNAI: A group of men from Tamil Nadu is setting off for Shimla to participate in a meeting on August 15 for "equal rights and freedom from harassment from women".
Keshava Vishwanathan, an IT professional who is going to attend the meeting organized by Save Indian Family Foundation, said he felt that in many instances Indian law favoured wives. "Be it in the case of custody of children or allegations of domestic violence and dowry harassment, the law generally takes the side of women," he claims. "Some of the laws are very rigid, and we have found cases foisted on us," Vishwanathan said. He added that they were not women haters'.
Another participant, Manoj David said they were trying to "raise the issue of freedom and dignity of harassed husbands". About 19 men from Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore would be part of the day-long meeting in Shimla, in which more than 100 men were participating. "More than 100 men, representatives of 30,000 other harassed husbands from across the country, will meet to come up with strategies to take on their wives," he said.
Virag Dhulia, a senior member of Save Indian Family Foundation, said the latest report on the suicide rate of men across India was an indicator of the harassment of men. Around 1.2 lakh harassed' husbands in India have committed suicide in last four years, he claimed, citing figures from the National Crime Records Bureau. "This is an alarming number. We're meeting at Shimla, not to draw a gender-dividing line. We want to discuss a social issue and find solutions as the country is seeing a large number of divorces," he said.
Some of issues they will discuss include a separate men's welfare ministry on the lines of the women and child welfare ministry, equal taxation for men and women, change in inheritance laws, amendment to the domestic violence prevention law, and mandatory joint custody of children for divorced couples. "We'll also demand pre-litigation counseling before grant of divorce, an end to police brutalities and judicial reforms to help address the social issues," Dhulia said.
According to data available with SIFF, a total of 9,000 divorce cases were filed in Delhi, 7,500 in Mumbai and 5,000 cases in Bangalore and 4,000 cases Chennai in 2008.
Keshava Vishwanathan, an IT professional who is going to attend the meeting organized by Save Indian Family Foundation, said he felt that in many instances Indian law favoured wives. "Be it in the case of custody of children or allegations of domestic violence and dowry harassment, the law generally takes the side of women," he claims. "Some of the laws are very rigid, and we have found cases foisted on us," Vishwanathan said. He added that they were not women haters'.
Another participant, Manoj David said they were trying to "raise the issue of freedom and dignity of harassed husbands". About 19 men from Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore would be part of the day-long meeting in Shimla, in which more than 100 men were participating. "More than 100 men, representatives of 30,000 other harassed husbands from across the country, will meet to come up with strategies to take on their wives," he said.
Virag Dhulia, a senior member of Save Indian Family Foundation, said the latest report on the suicide rate of men across India was an indicator of the harassment of men. Around 1.2 lakh harassed' husbands in India have committed suicide in last four years, he claimed, citing figures from the National Crime Records Bureau. "This is an alarming number. We're meeting at Shimla, not to draw a gender-dividing line. We want to discuss a social issue and find solutions as the country is seeing a large number of divorces," he said.
Some of issues they will discuss include a separate men's welfare ministry on the lines of the women and child welfare ministry, equal taxation for men and women, change in inheritance laws, amendment to the domestic violence prevention law, and mandatory joint custody of children for divorced couples. "We'll also demand pre-litigation counseling before grant of divorce, an end to police brutalities and judicial reforms to help address the social issues," Dhulia said.
According to data available with SIFF, a total of 9,000 divorce cases were filed in Delhi, 7,500 in Mumbai and 5,000 cases in Bangalore and 4,000 cases Chennai in 2008.
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