New Law Gives Rights to Abused Women
Good news for Imrana - the Protection of Women From Domestic Violence Bill, when enacted, will allow women to fight back against backwards fatwa and panchayat decrees that punish abused women. Take for example Imrana, who was raped by her father-in-law recently, and forced by a village panchayat to divorce her husband and marry her rapist. Now, women like Imrana can seek protection under the new law, which would criminalize such an act and also order a convicted man to leave home, easing women’s worries about being thrown out on the street for coming forward. It’s the first civil law protecting all Indian women regardless of their religion, and a great step towards equality across the subcontinent.