Save Indian Family Foundation

Last updated

Save Indian Family Foundation
Formation2005;18 years ago (2005)
TypeIndian men's rights organization
Location
FieldsMen's rights, domestic violence
General Secretary
Rukma Chary
Nagpur
Rajesh Vakharia
Founders
Anil Kumar, Pandurang Katti
Website saveindianfamily.org

Save Indian Family Foundation (SIFF) is a men's rights group in India. It is a registered, non-funded, non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) and works with various like-minded NGOs in India. [2]

Contents

History

Founded in 2005, SIFF is an advocacy group against what it calls misuse of Indian laws related to dowry harassment. [3] It is an umbrella organisation of a number of men's and family rights organisations spanned across Indian cities and provinces. [1] SIFF has supported the founding of other like-minded organisations, such as the "All India Mother in Laws Protection Forum" [4] and "All India Men's Welfare Association". [5]

In 2010, the group claimed on its website to have "30,000 members on the ground and over 3,500 on the internet who are fighting this legal terrorism with vigour and passion like commandos". [1]

Activities

SIFF created an app and a helpline for men, which got over 25,000 phone calls in four months. [6]

The group campaigned against domestic violence legislation (such as Section 498a of the Indian Penal Code, (1983) and the Protection of Women Against Domestic Violence Act 2005), stating that these laws have been mis-used, and manipulated by Indian women. They assert that men are abused physically and are subject to legal, mental and social harassment by their wives because of these laws, [7] and that lawyers and women use them to extort money and family property and to deny child custody to fathers. [8] SIF members have sought to have the laws made gender neutral and be amended include protection of men against abuse by women. [9] [10] The media comments that organization is insensitive to high rates of domestic physical abuse committed against women in India [11] In addition, they note the organization's use of 'strong language', including describing as "terrorist activity"  the support given by women groups for the domestic violence legislation, and describing the women politicians who spearhead the legislation as “modern Surpanakhas”. [11] [12] [13]

SIFF asserts that dowry harassment of women and their families is a figment of the feminist imagination, [14] and that the woman is the abuser in almost all cases of family abuse. [15] They campaign for decrimininalisation of anti-dowry offences, with the threat of imprisonment removed. [16] In contrast, police and women's groups have denied the group's claims of widespread misuse of anti-dowry laws, stating that only a small minority abuse the law, [10] and the approximately 7000 deaths of women every year who die due to dowry demands. [17] [11]

SIFF has also advocated for the creation of a Men's Commission in India. [18] SIFF also protested against the 2010 Amendment to the Marriage Act. [19]

SIFF also spoke out against a 2022 court petition which could criminalize marital rape, and sponsored a "marriage strike". [20]

Elections

SIFF ran an independent candidate, Satish Babu SN, in the 2018 Karnataka Legislative Assembly election from B.T.M Layout constituency; he finished 7th, gathering 333 votes (0.24% of the total valid votes). [21]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in India</span> Overview of the status of women in India

The status of women in India has been subject to many changes over the span of recorded Indian history. Their position in society deteriorated early in India's ancient period, especially in the Indo-Aryan speaking regions, and their subordination continued to be reified well into India's early modern period.

Bride burning is a form of domestic violence practiced in countries located on or around the Indian subcontinent. A category of dowry death, bride-burning occurs when a young woman is murdered by her husband or his family for her family's refusal to pay additional dowry. The wife is typically doused with kerosene, gasoline, or other flammable liquid, and set alight, leading to death by fire. Kerosene is often used as the cooking fuel for dangerous small petrol stoves, so it allows the claim that the crime was an accident. It is most common in India and has been a major problem there since at least 1993.

Dowry deaths are deaths of married women who are murdered or driven to suicide over disputes about dowry. Dowry deaths are found predominantly in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Iran.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005</span> Indian Act of Parliament

The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005 is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted to protect women from domestic violence. It was brought into force by the Indian government and Ministry of Women and Child Development on 26 October 2006. The Act provides a definition of "domestic violence" for the first time in Indian law, with this definition being broad and including not only physical violence, but also other forms of violence such as emotional, verbal, sexual and psychological abuse. It is a civil law meant primarily for protection orders, rather than criminal enforcement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feminism in India</span> History of the feminist movement in India

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Men's rights movement in India</span>

The men's rights movement in India is composed of various independent men's rights organisations in India. Proponents of the movement support the introduction of gender-neutral legislation and repeal of laws that they consider are biased against men.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in Bangladesh</span> Status of women in Bangladesh

The status of women in Bangladesh has been subject to many important changes over the past few centuries. Bangladeshi women have made significant progress since the country's independence in 1971, where women in the region experienced increased political empowerment for women, better job prospects, increased opportunities of education and the adoption of new laws to protect their rights through Bangladesh's policies in the last four decades. Still, women in Bangladesh continue to struggle to achieve equal status to men due to societal norms that enforce restrictive gender roles as well as poor implementation of laws that were set to protect women.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in Seychelles</span> Overview of the status of women in Seychelles

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Violence against women in Peru is defined as harassment or violence propagated against those who are born women. Intimate partner violence (IPV) is the most common form of gender-based violence that occurs though it can occur concurrently with sexual and emotional violence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domestic violence</span> Abuse of members of the same household

Domestic violence is violence or other abuse that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. Domestic violence is often used as a synonym for intimate partner violence, which is committed by one of the people in an intimate relationship against the other person, and can take place in relationships or between former spouses or partners. In its broadest sense, domestic violence also involves violence against children, parents, or the elderly. It can assume multiple forms, including physical, verbal, emotional, economic, religious, reproductive, or sexual abuse. It can range from subtle, coercive forms to marital rape and other violent physical abuse, such as choking, beating, female genital mutilation, and acid throwing that may result in disfigurement or death, and includes the use of technology to harass, control, monitor, stalk or hack. Domestic murder includes stoning, bride burning, honor killing, and dowry death, which sometimes involves non-cohabitating family members. In 2015, the United Kingdom's Home Office widened the definition of domestic violence to include coercive control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women in Malaysia</span> Overview of the status of women in Malaysia

Women in Malaysia receive support from the Malaysian government concerning their rights to advance, to make decisions, to health, education and social welfare, and to the removal of legal obstacles. The Malaysian government has ensured these factors through the establishment of Ministry of National Unity and Social Development in 1997. This was followed by the formation of the Women's Affairs Ministry in 2001 to recognise the roles and contributions of Malaysian women.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to domestic violence:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domestic violence in India</span>

Domestic violence in India includes any form of violence suffered by a person from a biological relative but typically is the violence suffered by a woman by male members of her family or relatives. Although Men also suffer Domestic violence, the law under IPC 498A specifically protects only women. Specifically only a woman can file a case of domestic violence. According to a National Family and Health Survey in 2005, total lifetime prevalence of domestic violence was 33.5% and 8.5% for sexual violence among women aged 15–49. A 2014 study in The Lancet reports that although the reported sexual violence rate in India is among the lowest in the world, the large population of India means that the violence affects 27.5 million women over their lifetimes. However, an opinion survey among experts carried out by the Thomson Reuters Foundation ranked India as the most dangerous country in the world for women.

Domestic violence in Pakistan is an endemic social and public health problem. According to a study carried out in 2009 by Human Rights Watch, it is estimated that between 10 and 20 percent of women in Pakistan have suffered some form of abuse. An estimated 5000 women are killed per year from domestic violence, with thousands of others maimed or disabled. Women have reported attacks ranging from physical to psychological and sexual abuse from intimate partners. In 1998, of the 1974 reported murders, the majority of victims were killed by family members. A survey carried out by the Thomson Reuters Foundation ranked Pakistan as the third most dangerous country in the world for women, after Afghanistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The majority of victims of violence have no legal recourse. Law enforcement authorities do not view domestic violence as a crime and usually refuse to register any cases brought to them. Given the very few women's shelters in the country, victims have limited ability to escape from violent situations.

Violence against women in Tamil Nadu includes molestation, abduction, dowry-related violence, and domestic violence. The police recorded 1,130 cases during the first seven months in 2013, compared to 860 for the corresponding period in 2012. In Usilampatti Taluk, around 6,000 female children were killed in a span of 2 years during 1987–88, accounting to the single largest instance of recorded female infanticide.

Violence against women, particularly intimate partner violence and sexual violence, is a major public health problem and a violation of women's human rights in Pakistan. Violence against women in Pakistan is part of an issue that faces the entire region the country is situated in. Pakistan is a highly patriarchal society, and took a long time to enact laws for the protection of women. In the 2019 Women, Peace and Security Index, Pakistan ranked 164 out of 167 countries. Pakistan is worst among nine South Asian countries on access to mobile phones, financial inclusion, and discriminatory norms for women. Around 12.2 million girls, compared with 10.6 million boys, remain out of school in Pakistan, poverty compounding challenges to girls' educational opportunities. The only positive to take from the Index was Pakistan's achievement of 20 per cent representation for women in parliament and a slightly better indicator than India on bias towards sons. In 2017 there were an estimated 746 honour crimes, 24 stove burnings, 18 cases of settlement marriages. Many cases go unreported, and many of these reported cases go unprosecuted. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) system in 2017 has been hailed as a success in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Legal experts are critical of the system, noting that ADR can delay action. Many remain concerned with patriarchal influence in a decision-making process that has traditionally disadvantaged women. In 2019, the Ombudsman for Sindh province informed the Supreme Court that out of 350 cases, action was taken in just eight cases. The largest province, Punjab, has received 116 complaints since the establishment of the office in 2013, resulted in 42 convictions, 15 acquittals, 27 withdrawals, and 24 still ongoing cases. It also reviewed 13 appeals. Four decisions were set aside, five decisions upheld, two cases were declared time-barred, while two remain ongoing. Women in Pakistan mainly encounter violence by being forced into marriage, through workplace sexual harassment, domestic violence and by honour killings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violence against women in India</span> Public health issue of violent acts against women

Violence against women in India refers to physical or sexual violence committed against a woman, typically by a man. Common forms of violence against women in India include acts such as domestic abuse, sexual assault, and murder. In order to be considered violence against women, the act must be committed solely because the victim is female. Most typically, these acts are committed by men as a result of the long-standing gender inequalities present in the country.

Gender inequality has been improving a lot in Bangladesh, inequalities in areas such as education and employment remain ongoing problems so women have little political freedom. In 2015, Bangladesh was ranked 139 out of 187 countries on the Human Development Index and 47 out 144 countries surveyed on the Gender Inequality Index in 2017. Many of the inequalities are result of extreme poverty and traditional gender norms centred on a patrilineal and patriarchal kinship system in rural areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dowry system in India</span> Overview of the dowry system in India

The dowry system in India refers to the durable goods, cash, and real or movable property that the bride's family gives to the groom, his parents and his relatives as a condition of the marriage. Dowry is referred to dahez in Hindi and as jahez in Urdu.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Polanki, Pallavi (17 July 2010). "Men Who Cry". OPEN . Archived from the original on 21 July 2010. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
  2. ↑ "SIFF - About Us". Save Indian Family Foundation. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2008.
  3. ↑ ANI (29 November 2006). "Wife harassing you? Call for help". IBNLive . Archived from the original on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 31 December 2008.
  4. ↑ George, Daniel P. (6 September 2009). "Moms-in-law of the world unite." The Times of India . Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
  5. ↑ Sengupta, Sudipta (31 October 2009). "Now, a forum for 'tortured' husbands". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
  6. ↑ "Save India Family Foundation: Men's helpline gets 25,000 calls over four months in Kolkata". The Times of India. 17 September 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  7. ↑ Singh, Jangveer (26 November 2006). "Sour dates in India's Silicon Valley". Tribune News Service. Retrieved 27 January 2007.
  8. ↑ Karnad, Raghu (3 December 2007). "Now, Is That Malevolence?". Outlook magazine. Retrieved 12 December 2007.
  9. ↑ Sandhu, Veena (7 November 2006). "Men new "victims" of domestic violence". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 27 January 2007.
  10. 1 2 Ramesh, Randeep (13 December 2007). "Dowry law making us the victims, says India's men's movement". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 November 2008.
  11. 1 2 3 Gupta, Monobina (27 October 2006). ["Malevolence for women's law - Men go to PM against female 'terrorist activity' "Malevolence for women's law - Men go to PM against female 'terrorist activity'"]. The Telegraph, Calcutta. Retrieved 27 January 2007.{{cite news}}: Check |url= value (help)
  12. ↑ Bhattacharya, Chandrima S. (30 October 2006). "What are men scared of?". The Telegraph, Calcutta. Archived from the original on 29 October 2006. Retrieved 27 January 2007.
  13. ↑ Sengupta, Sudipta (31 October 2009). "Now, a forum for 'tortured' husbands". TOI. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
  14. ↑ Karnad, Raghu (3 December 2007). "Now, Is That Malevolence?". Outlook magazine. Retrieved 12 December 2007.
  15. ↑ Das, Radhika (8 June 2007). "Is the law biased against men?". Times of India. Retrieved 16 November 2008.
  16. ↑ Ramesh, Randeep (13 December 2007). "Dowry law making us the victims, says India's men's movement". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 November 2008.
  17. ↑ Ash, Lucy (16 July 2003). "India's dowry deaths". BBC News. Retrieved 27 January 2007.
  18. ↑ Ovais, Dar (24 February 2019). "Rally seeking national panel for men on March 3 at Delhi's Jantar Mantar". Indian Express. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  19. ↑ "Men's rights groups sore at marriage laws bill". Hindustan Times. 16 February 2014. Retrieved 21 October 2020.
  20. ↑ Frayer, Lauren (8 February 2022). "Marital rape is still legal in India. A court decision could change that". NPR . Retrieved 8 February 2022.
  21. ↑ "Men's rights NGO to field independents in elections". 15 April 2018.
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