New Delhi: We are living in the 21st century, an era where men and women are now given equal rights and liberties in the world.
However, even after so much effort by social reformer Raja Ram Mohan Roy in the early 19th century, India is still orthodox when it comes to giving equal rights to women as against men.
Here are 5 social evils that still remain in the roots of the society:
1. No education for girls
If the female literacy rate is low in a country then the growth of the country is sluggish because when a woman is not educated, it impacts every member of the family.
Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar have the lowest female literacy rate.
According to 2011 census, Arunachal Pradesh (66.95 percent) is placed second-lowest in literacy in the country, just above Bihar, which recorded the least literacy of 63.82 percent.
2. Domestic violence
Violence against women is highly prevalent in India; almost 70 percent of women are victims of domestic violence.
According to National Family Health Survey, one in three married adolescent girls has experienced physical violence from their husbands.
The survey of more than 83,000 women aged 15-49 showed that 34% had suffered physical violence—ranging from slapping, punching and twisting of the arm to severe assaults such as burning, choking or attacks with weapons. Besides this, nearly 15% have experienced emotional and 9% sexual violence.
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) says a total of 244,270 incidents of crimes against women were reported in the country in 2012, compared with 228,650 in 2011, an increase of 6.4%.
3. Female infanticide
The deliberate killing of a newborn female child is called female infanticide. The patriarchal nature of our society has caused this evil to continue since centuries.
According to a report published in India Today, nearly 2500 cases of female foeticide or female infanticide take place in the state of Rajasthan everyday.
It is a horrific state for women to live, veil is still a tradition for women there and female infants are buried in graves.
Midwives say girls are being disposed off ruthlessly. Even the doctors are also involved in this horrendous crime.
4. Prostitution
Prostitution is the exchange of sexual services for money. While in some countries like Germany, prostitution is legal, in India owning a brothel is a crime.
Child prostitution is a major problem in India involving around 1.2 million children.
In Rajasthan, the Bedia tribals' stance for girls is different from the rest of India because girls are a lifeline for the community as there is this century's old tradition of forcing daughters into prostitution when they attain adulthood.
The small village houses approximately 59 families in which girls who have attained puberty, are forced into sex trade.
The tradition roots back to the time of Zamindari system, when Bedias were dancers in the courts. They used to perform for feudal landlords.
5. Dowry
The most deep rooted evil of the society, girls are murdered due to their families not being able to give dowry to the bridegroom's family.
Evil practices like the demand and acceptance of dowry is widespread in Rajasthan state. The practice of payment of dowry is more rampant within the middleclass society. Even highly educated women from prestigious institutions are married off to strangers against their will.
Odisha tops the chart in dowry deaths, with latest statistics issued by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) shows that Odisha reported as many as 1,487 cases under Dowry Prevention Act accounting for 16.5 per cent of the total cases recorded in the country during 2012.
