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Her right to know

There is hope for the beleaguered woman as a book educates her on her legal rights, says Subha J Rao

Jayanthi, a middle-aged housewife, was driving down a busy street when she knocked down a pedestrian. Scared at the sight of the bleeding victim, she paid his `preying friends' Rs. 8,000 for treatment and left the scene. She was too afraid to tell her husband or inform the police about the accident.

A day later, the `friends' tracked her down and blackmailed her saying that the victim was on the verge of death and that she would be behind bars if she did not pay up. Jayanthi parted with her gold bangles. The saga continued till she confided in a lawyer.

Advocate N. V. Sreejaya says she needn't have gone through all that trauma. "All she should have done was to inform the police. It would have saved the agony and the money. Her insurance would have taken care of the medical treatment. She got into trouble because she did not know the law."

Providing guidance

Now, a handbook on legal awareness for women authored by Sreejaya hopes to take the law to the common woman. Written in a language that is comprehensible, it talks about the various situations that women have to confront and tells them how the law protects them. "It is like a basic guide that can help women; not detailed enough to put a lawyer out of work," she observes.

The book was born out of the extensive experience of lawyers, judges, prosecutors, police officers and NGOs.

The provisions of law are meant to be used prudently. "Some are meant to improve the quality of life of women. They must not be used to create conflict and settle scores," says Sreejaya.

"When such laws are misused, relationships suffer. Earlier, when a couple faced problems, elders in the family would step in and perhaps salvage the marriage. Now, they keep away as they are afraid of being prosecuted," adds Sreejaya.

The handbook is in the form of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ). That is because Sreejaya and her colleagues have seen a variety of cases where women are victimised. "So, what has put them in that situation? Exploitation or lack of knowledge."

The book also talks about women as road users and entrepreneurs. "Take women becoming `sleeping partners' in a business. It means nothing in the eyes of the law, but if there is a problem, they will have to pay up without having gained anything from the business." As many women don't want to go to court, they opt for the easy way out by settling outside.

Speaking at the launch of the book, Justice P. Sathasivam of the Madras High Court said the first step towards empowering women is to bring about awareness. "Unless there is awareness, the benefit of law will not reach the people," he added.

Talking about women and the law, his colleague Justice Prabha Sridevan said that family courts are crowded these days. "Like a marriage, a divorce also involves a lot of people." About the need to register marriages, she said that though not compulsory under the Hindu Marriage Act, it is very beneficial. "Non-registration can result in so much trouble. A woman who has given herself physically and mentally stands to lose everything if a man denies the marriage. Three things put down women economically — death, divorce and desertion," she added.

The media, on its part, has also perpetrated injustice on women. "There is obnoxious representation in TV serials," Justice Prabha said. Take rape. Making a rapist marry his victim is actually like rewarding him.

The Handbook on Legal Awareness for women promises to educate, inform and guide women on various issues.

The Association of British Scholars, Coimbatore chapter, has helped compile this book under the auspices of the Coimbatore Advocates Association (CAA). There are plans to translate it into Tamil. Copies will be made available to any organisation wanting to reproduce it for distribution. Contact CAA, District Court Buildings, Coimbatore -18

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