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Marry Her and Make Her Life Better!

Written By: Shweta Suvarna
March 5, 2021
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When the highest constitutional court indicates that an offense of rape can be compounded or mitigated, contrary to the law, it sends a dangerous signal to all sex offenders that marrying the victim would grant them amnesty. The persistent prevalence of patriarchal prejudices and misogyny appears to have been in full display when the Chief Justice of India asked the serial rapist of a minor girl whether he would marry her.

THE STORY

The man to whom this question was posed was facing charges of penetrative sexual assault under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 and rape, criminal intimidation under Sections 376, 417, 506 of the Indian Penal Code. He had been accused of clandestinely entering the house of the victim-survivor, a distant relative, when she was alone, gagging and tying her hands and feet and raping her. The girl was studying in Class 9 then. He continued to rape her repeatedly, until she was in class 12, by intimidating and threatening to harm her and her family.

The victim has alleged that the accused used to follow her in his motorcycle carrying a petrol can and threatening to set her on fire. It was only when the girl tried to commit suicide that her family came to know about this horrific crime. When the uneducated mother of the victim, tried to register a police complaint, she was dissuaded from doing so by the mother of the accused and made to sign a stamped paper that the sexual relationship between the victim and the accused was consensual. The assaulter’s mother promised the mother of the victim that he would marry the victim when she attained majority. When the accused reneged on his promise of marriage, a complaint was filed under the POCSO Act.

Wait, what?!

The CJI reportedly told the lawyer for the accused, “If you want to marry we can help you. If not, you lose your job and go to jail. You seduced the girl, raped her.” The CJI also said, “You should have thought before seducing and raping the young girl. You knew you are a government servant.”

The accused responded, “Initially I wanted to marry her, but she refused. Now I cannot as I am already married.” Applying minimum standards of sanity, would it not be safe to assume that a victim, if given a choice, would recoil with horror at the thought of an institutionalized relationship with her assaulter? Did the court believe that it was acting in the best interests of the affected woman and were there conflicting interests in the first place?

To put it in crude terms, “Your body has been violated and for your good, I will ensure that he who forcibly and brutally touched your body without your consent will restore your dignity, undo the damage to your reputation through the offender’s gracious act of accepting you as his wife,” is what the court seems to indicate.

When the highest constitutional court indicates that an offense of rape can be compounded or mitigated, contrary to the law, it sends a dangerous signal to all sex offenders that marrying the victim would grant them amnesty. This normalization and trivialization of sexual offenses will only embolden offenders, deter the filing of complaints, cause further victimization of the survivor and lead to loss of confidence in the justice redressal system.

Lawmarriageraperape culturerape threatsupreme court

Shweta Suvarna

A copywriter by profession and a writer otherwise. One who reads books and tarots in free time and has a thing for "chai"

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Infano Care

A Bunch Of Young Minds Are Changing Perception Around Menstruation

Written By: Tasneem Akbari Kutubuddin
May 28, 2021 | 09:00 AM |
412

Highlights

Paddling Foundation is a non-profit organization and a menstrual hygiene initiative based out of Mumbai, India.  They work towards creating awareness about menstruation and menstrual hygiene as it is one of the most incognizant issues India faces today.

The team, along with volunteers, does on-ground campaigning, distribution of menstrual products and spreads awareness about menstrual health and hygiene to women and girls in remote areas. 

Paddling foundation aims to empower menstruators on menstrual hygiene and menstrual health through education and awareness. They have a volunteer setup where one can join their cause by registering on their site through the form.

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Paddling is a non-profit organization and a menstrual hygiene initiative based out of Mumbai, India.  They work towards creating awareness about menstruation and menstrual hygiene as it is one of the most incognizant issues India faces today. Their campaigns include distributing menstrual products in areas with restricted access to menstrual hygiene and awareness. Founded by Dipika Daga in December 2018, who set up her team and departments by February 2019. Paddling Foundation got registered in 2019.

Riddhi Sharma, CEO & Founder says, “Paddling Foundation is led by some very courageous women and men who have the power to speak their mind. Being a woman, I have often been at the receiving end of the ‘taboos’ and ‘stigma’ associated with the period. And hence, when I met these young driven minds, with clarity of thought and passion for the cause, I found myself effortlessly joining the movement.”

Their aim is to eradicate social myths & taboos that have revolved around menstruation for generations and create an environment for a healthy discussion and understanding of it.

The team, along with volunteers, does on-ground campaigning, distribution of menstrual products and spreads awareness about menstrual health and hygiene to women and girls in remote areas. Paddling foundation aims to empower menstruators on menstrual hygiene and menstrual health through education and awareness. Creating a healthy and destigmatized environment where menstruation is no longer taboo.

Spread the love

Paddling Foundation is a non-profit organization and a menstrual hygiene initiative based out of Mumbai. They work towards creating awareness about menstruation and menstrual hygiene as it is one of the most incognizant issues India faces today. Founded by Dipika Daga in December 2018, who set up her team and departments by February 2019. Paddling Foundation got registered in 2019.

deepika daga

“Personally struggling with the menstrual taboos engraved in the society inspired me to gather like-minded individuals to fight against the menstrual taboo, while also making menstrual hygiene and menstrual education a right of every woman and not a luxury”, adds Dipika.

If menstrual hygiene is not taken into consideration and no effective measures are taken, the taboo surrounding menstruation will persist. Periods, a biological function of the body, will continue to be misunderstood causing diseases and infections, as well as psychological impacts on mental health. Paddling is devoted to cultivating a healthy and informative discussion around menstruation.

 “Paddling Foundation is led by some very courageous women and men who have the power to speak their mind”, says Riddhi Sharma, CEO & Founder. “Being a woman, I have often been at the receiving end of the ‘taboos’ and ‘stigma’ associated with the period. And hence, when I met these young driven minds, with clarity of thought and passion for the cause, I found myself effortlessly joining the movement.”

Nandina Ramchandran, CEO has been mentoring the team of ten young women and men. “They wish to change attitudes on menstruation and bring in a revolution in menstrual practices, habits and behaviours in India. This will go a long way in restoring gender parity and empowerment for women – both in urban and rural India”, she feels.

Their plan and work involves looking after school sanitation project in remote areas, imparting workshops and health camp on Menstrual health and education, free distribution of sanitary napkins in areas that lack access, availability, or awareness of menstrual products, setting up Menstrual shops selling menstrual products at a subsidized rate, thus providing them a source of income while also catering to the community at large.

They also encourage use of sustainable menstrual products and eco-friendly ways of disposal of sanitary napkins. 

“Our mission is simple”, says Dipika. “ We want to create a healthy and destigmatized environment and generate awareness about menstrual health and hygiene in communities across India”.

Breaking The Taboo

Paddling Foundation is also working hard to eradicate social myths & taboos that have revolved around menstruation for generations and create an environment for a healthy discussion and understanding of it.

menstruation workshop

The team, along with volunteers, does on-ground campaigning, distribution of menstrual products and spreads awareness about menstrual health and hygiene to women and girls in remote areas.

Their recent campaign was a collaboration with Kathaa India for a donation of 1500 pads to New Delhi. In its collaboration with Youngistaan Army, Paddling distributed 800 pads in the areas around Dombivali to girls and women to whom access to these products is not possible.

Gender Inclusivity in Menstruation

One of their important campaigns involves creating awareness about trans persons who menstruate. Menstruation is not just a woman thing. With half the world menstruating at one time or another, they believe that it is important to build a gender-inclusive platform revolving solely around menstruation and normalize the discussion!

One of the lesser-known facts in our society is that any person with functioning ovaries and a uterus can menstruate. And apart from cisgender women, this includes certain transgender, non-binary and intersex individuals. While the stigma and the challenges around menstruation remain, there are some additional difficulties which are faced by individuals in the queer community.

Drawing from real life instances faced by people, they want to show the relationship between gender dysphoria and menstruation, voicing a need for taking steps towards a more inclusive menstruation; through demanding gender neutral packages, toilets and more.

Paddling Warriors

They have a volunteer set up where one can join their cause by registering on their site through the form. “It is voluntary to be a part of Paddling, for which just fill out the forms from the careers menu above, once they are filled and submitted, the respective department holds interview on call, and volunteers are selected according to the required eligibility”.

change makersmenstrual hygeinementrual awarenesspaddling foundation

Tasneem Akbari Kutubuddin

Tasneem Akbari Kutubuddin has done her masters in Journalism & Communication and has worked as a senior journalist, editor and columnist for leading publications like The Logical Indian, Deccan Chronicle, Worldwide Media Corporation, The Bridge and Provoke.
With Infano, she hopes to create more awareness about women’s health issues. Suffering with Fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition, she has also been advocating for its awareness through media.

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