The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Survey on violence against women

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 29, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Survey on violence against women

By Our Staff Reporter

VISAKHAPATNAM, SEPT. 28. Next time a woman selling fruits on the roadside calls you `anna' or `tammudu', do not take umbrage. This is how the poor and uneducated woman selling fruits on the roadside prevents a man from ogling at her or making vulgar comments.

This method of a woman defending herself is one of the hard facts the district committee of the All-India Democratic Women Association (AIDWA) found during a survey it conducted on violence against women in 10 areas of the 44th Division.

No single cause

The survey covered the middle class, labour and minority sections.

Violence against women or the causes of it had no particular shape or reason.

The husband or the elder man of the family would simply beat up womenfolk under the influence of alcohol, the wife or mother was beaten up if the male ego was hurt. The woman would invite beating if she questioned the man, defied him or was earning more or able to think better.

The findings of the survey were revealed at a press conference addressed by the AIDWA's district committee president, B. Prabhavathi, its secretary, R. Bhagyalakshmi, and their city counterparts, A.V. Padmavathi and B. Padma.

Another increasing menace was eve-teasing. The AIDWA representatives were told that men would tease women of the age of their mothers and sisters. Eve-teasing and ragging had reached alarming proportions in colleges and students were facing severe mental and physical torture.

Working women were facing sexual harassment from male colleagues at places of work. ``The fate of women in the unorganised sector is much worse."

The AIDWA wanted the Government to act immediately. The bill on domestic violence, moved by the then National Democratic Alliance Government, should be enacted without delay, but the measure needed amendments.

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