November 19 is International Men’s Day

•    Men protect and provide for families.
•    Men render many services that make the society comfortable  for everyone.
•    Men make many contributions to science, technology and health of all.
•    Men perform the most dangerous and difficult jobs in the world.
•    Men take risks and die to save other lives during calamities and war.
•    Men bring humor into our lives and make us laugh.

These men are…

…academic achievers, social leaders,  champions of the environment, artists, comedians, soldiers, farmers, fishermen, fire fighters,  and those more humble males who, on a daily basis, clean our streets, build our houses, fix our vehicles, police our streets, deliver newspapers and milk, care for children, and dedicate themselves to others.

These men are…

…our fathers, brothers, partners, sons, male friends, neighbours and colleagues.

On the occasion of International Men’s Day, let us remind ourselves that

-    Men are human;
-    Men experience pain, emotions and tears; and
-    Men deserve our love, care, protection and support.

Let us recognize and honor men
for the numerous services they render
and the innumerable sacrifices they make
for the health and well-being of our families and society!!!

ALL INDIA FORGOTTEN WOMEN
ANDHRA PRADESH MOTHERS-IN-LAW PROTECTION ASSOCIATION
MOTHERS AND SISTERS INITIATIVE
CHILDREN’S RIGHTS INITIATIVE FOR SHARED PARENTING

PRESS RELEASE

Launch of “All India Men’s Welfare Association (AIMWA)”
11 October 2009
Venue: Public Gardens, Opposite Jubilee Hall
Date and Time: 11 October, 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. India is observing this occasion for the first time this year, and four organizations in Hyderabad – Save Indian Family Foundation, All India Forgotten Women, Rishtey and Children’s Rights Initiative for Shared Parenting – launched a month-long campaign on 2 October, the International Day of Non-Violence.

The campaign aims at educating the Indian public about how the problem of domestic violence has, for decades, been misrepresented, how domestic violence has been commercialized, and how Indian laws claiming to prevent domestic violence are actually promoting domestic violence and human rights abuses against men, women and children. We will also urge lawmakers and the Government to make appropriate reforms in laws and policies and push for gender neutral provisions to end domestic violence against men, women and children.

As part of this campaign, we are launching an “All India Men’s Welfare Association (AIMWA)”, a National level organization based in Hyderabad, on 11 October 2009.

Why do we need an “All India Men’s Welfare Association”?

Welfare of boys and men has been seriously neglected in India over the last two decades. While proudly championing the cause of women’s rights and women’s empowerment, the government and society tacitly approved the propagation of anti-male sentiments, condoned the resultant diminution in value of men’s lives and supported blatant violation of men’s rights through discriminatory laws and policies. The growing apathy of the government and society towards the sufferings of men has necessitated the formation of an All India Men’s Welfare Association.

It has to be noted that while men still perform some of the most risky and challenging jobs in the society, and while the Government of India collects 82% of its tax revenue from men, not a single rupee has been allocated in the name of men’s welfare in the country’s budget in the last 60 years.

The National Family Health Survey, conducted by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, does not consider men’s health and welfare important. Enormous focus on women and children, and the mention of men only in relation to how they should contribute to the health and welfare of women and children, clearly indicates the apathy of the Government towards men.

The homepage of the Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI) cites Vardhamana Mahavira, the sage of total non-violence, who said, “All beings are fond of themselves, they like pleasure, they hate pain, they shun destruction, they like life and want to live long. To all, life is dear; hence their life should be protected.”  While Mahavira’s teachings seem to have inspired the Indian Government to assign a separate ministry to look after issues of Animal Welfare through AWBI, the same Government did not see any necessity to establish a Ministry for Men’s Welfare.

Several laws have been passed in the last 60 years in the name of protection of women and their empowerment. However, there are no laws to protect boys and men from any form of abuse or harassment within and outside the home. Men are being subjected to severe discrimination under law, and their basic human rights are being violated every day in the name of more and more legal provisions that claim to empower and protect women.

Thousands of men are becoming victims of “legal terrorism” unleashed through laws like Indian Penal Code Section 498A, Protection of Women Against Domestic Violence Act, adultery laws, laws against rape and sexual harassment, and even divorce, maintenance and child custody laws.

While society is applauding more and more women getting educated, entering the job market and challenging their traditional roles within the family and society, men are still being shackled to their traditional duties of protecting and providing for women, children and the aged.

The growing disregard and hatred against men in our society is forcing more than 56,000 Indian men to end their lives every year. According to statistics obtained from the National Crime Records Bureau, every year, twice as many married men, compared to women, commit suicides unable to withstand verbal, emotional, economic and physical abuse and legal harassment. Deaths of these men make for the brief stories we often read in newspapers stating that a certain man “killed himself due to family issues or financial problems”. While every death of a young married woman is converted into a case of dowry death leading to immediate arrest of the husband and in-laws, accompanied by media-hype, male-bashing and breast-beating, large-scale suicides of men do not cause any outrage in the society.

Domestic and social harmony will prevail only when women AND men are ensured their rightful, honorable place within and outside the home. In addition, when we ensure true gender equality under law, litigations will be reduced, legal terrorism and extortion through misuse of the law will be eliminated, and our human and financial resources can be employed for betterment of the society and the country.

The aim of AIMWA is to work towards providing protection for men and boys against gender discrimination, domestic violence, sexual harassment and other forms of abuse. The organization will also focus on related issues like physical and mental health of men, and the need for social changes, policy reforms and legal solutions to men’s problems.

In May 2003, the National Commission for Women (NCW) felicitated one Ms. Nisha Sharma for canceling her own wedding, standing up against the evil of dowry and sending out a “loud and clear message to dowry seekers”, and Ms. Sharma became a role model for all women, overnight.  The truth, that her wedding was not cancelled due to additional demands for dowry, but because of Ms. Sharma’s pending issues with a former boyfriend, was quietly pushed under the carpet by the NCW.

In the same vein, in July 2007, a woman called Pooja Chauhan made false accusations of dowry harassment against her husband and mother-in-law, and paraded the streets of Rajkot semi-nude as a symbol of protest. The NCW was very prompt in reacting to the incident, ensured the arrest of the husband, mother-in-law, and neighbors too, for allegedly committing domestic violence against Ms. Chauhan. It did not take too long for the truth to come out and for the NCW spokesperson to put her foot in her mouth, and quickly cover up their faux pas.

In February 2009, NCW showed its characteristic promptness in ordering a probe into the “Mangalore pub incident” when a number of girls were allegedly molested by some goons in the middle of the night. The NCW and other women’s rights champions had a field-day harping about increasing atrocities on women.  When the investigation report filed by Karnataka Women’s Commission Chairperson, Nirmala Venkatesh, revealed certain inconvenient truths, the NCW found itself in the same usual “foot-in-its-mouth-situation”. This time the NCW rejected Ms. Venkatesh’s report, and fired her to save its own face.

On 5 October 2009, an airhostess approached the NCW with allegations of assault and molestation on a pilot and co-pilot of a plane on which she was a crew member. While counter allegations and witness statements quickly revealed that the story of the airhostess may just be another story like those mentioned above, the NCW habitually jumped into action, and instituted a panel for investigation into the issue, in less than 2.5 days after the incident. The two pilots have been fired even before the investigation could begin. Knowing NCW’s track record of rendering justice in such situations, does one have to really guess the outcome of this episode?

Never mind! The NCW is just doing its job of looking after protection and empowerment of women in a male-dominated society. After all, it should be okay to penalize a few innocent men to protect thousands of vulnerable women, right?

Oh! Wait a minute! Don’t jump to conclusions so soon!

Beginning year 2005, several elderly women, falsely accused under IPC Section 498A (for the only crime of mothering sons and getting the sons married) approached the NCW, seeking justice. These women have long heart-rending accounts of how they are being harassed by their daughters-in-law. The NCW’s short, yet prompt and candid response to these mothers was, “Your matter does not fall under the mandate of the Commission”.

Similarly, in June 2009, a 45 year old woman who was arrested on charges of dowry harassment was allegedly gang-raped in police custody, in Bhopal. The news, which was reported in leading newspapers, went completely unnoticed by the NCW. No panel, no probe, even 2.5 months after the incident. Surprised? No need to be. This is simply one more matter that does not fall under the mandate of NCW.

Indian women need to be very clear about their expectations from the NCW, when the NCW is so clear about its mandate. You should know by now that the NCW is literally working overtime for the cause of disgruntled, adulterous, parasitic and criminal-minded wives, girlfriends and female workers. How many more matters would you expect the NCW to include in its mandate? Why are so many of you women surprised about NCW’s modi operandi? Beats me!

October is “Domestic Violence Awareness Month”. India is observing “Domestic Violence Awareness Month” for the first time this year to make it an International event for all men’s rights and fathers’ rights groups across the world.

Four organizations in Hyderabad viz. Save Indian Family Foundation, All India Forgotten Women, Rishtey and Children’s Rights Initiative for Shared Parenting, are launching this campaign on 2 October because it is the International Day of Non-Violence, an occasion meant for disseminating the message of non-violence through education and public awareness.

Beginning today, our month-long campaign will focus on educating the Indian public about how the problem of domestic violence has, for decades, been misrepresented, how domestic violence has been commercialized, and how Indian laws claiming to prevent domestic violence are actually promoting domestic violence and human rights abuses against men, women and children. We will also urge lawmakers and the Government to make appropriate reforms in laws and policies and make gender neutral provisions to end domestic violence against men, women and children.

Unbiased research on domestic violence the world over shows that:

1. Domestic Violence is not a gender issue.
2. Men and children are victims too.
3. Women are just as likely as men to commit domestic violence.
4. Women initiate domestic violence just as frequently as men do.
5. Men and children are less likely to report the incident when they are abused by their wives/girlfriends and mothers respectively.
6. Women’s organizations spread myths about domestic violence (e.g. Men are always the aggressors and women are always the victims).
7. Media coverage is often biased (e.g. A young married woman committing suicide is automatically reported as dowry death, and a young married man committing suicide is attributed to financial/family problems or mysterious reasons).
8. Politicians and bureaucrats find no incentive in addressing domestic violence by women against men, children and fellow women.

Indian laws against domestic violence are irrational and discriminatory, and blatantly violate provisions of the Indian Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

• The Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims that “everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law.”

But Indian laws against domestic violence presume that the accused is guilty until proven innocent and violate universal principles of fair trial.

• Article 21 of the Indian Constitution states that “no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law”.

But every year, over 1 lakh innocent persons (one innocent person every 5 minutes) are arrested under IPC Section 498A, including 4,000 innocent senior citizens (one innocent elderly person every 2.5 hours) and 350 children (one child per day) without evidence or investigation.

• The Universal Declaration of Human rights states that “all are equal before the law, and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law”. Article 14 of the Indian Constitution declares that “The State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India.”

But Indian laws against domestic violence blatantly deny protection to men against any form of domestic abuse, and every year, over 56,000 married men commit suicide due to verbal, emotional, economic and physical abuse and legal harassment.

• Indian laws against domestic violence are touted as tools for women’s protection and empowerment.
But in the last four years alone, over 1,23,497 women have been arrested under IPC Section 498A alone, without evidence or investigation, not for committing any crime under law, but only because they were related to a man.

In India, domestic violence against wives is addressed by close to 15 laws (civil and criminal) including the infamous IPC Section 498A and Protection of Women Against Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA). However, there are no laws to protect husbands, children and other family members of the husband from domestic violence by wives. The credit goes to the Domestic Violence Industry and its stakeholders (women’s organizations, law enforcement machinery, legal fraternity, politicians and bureaucrats) whose survival depends on inciting and fueling a gender war, spreading myths and false statistics about domestic violence, encouraging false allegations, breaking families, and siphoning funds in the name of women’s empowerment from National and International funding agencies.

If the problem of domestic violence is solved, would not the booming Domestic Violence Industry, which is immune to all vagaries of the economy, suddenly go bankrupt? It is no wonder that as more and more draconian and inhuman laws are passed under the guise of protection of women, we keep hearing that domestic violence against women is increasing, instead of decreasing.

Consequently, Indian taxpayers have spent lakhs to implement draconian laws and policies in the country. And the verdict is clear – these laws and policies:

 Trample on Constitutional Protections and Human Rights.
 Hurt men, women and children.
 Divert limited funds away from the real victims.

Save Indian Family Foundation, All India Forgotten Women, Rishtey and Children’s Rights Initiative for Shared Parenting are organizing a campaign in Hyderabad (1) to spread awareness on “The Truth About Domestic Violence and Indian Domestic Violence Laws”, and (2) to urge lawmakers and the Government to reform the present discriminatory laws, and make gender-neutral provisions for the benefit of men, women, children, families and the society.

Our month-long campaign in Hyderabad includes the following activities:

October 2 – Press Conference to mark the beginning of Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

October 11 - Launch of All India Men’s Welfare Association (AIMWA) for protection of men and boys against gender discrimination, domestic violence, sexual harassment and other forms of abuse.

October 18 - Cultural program to spread awareness regarding the truth about domestic violence, and launch of Andhra Pradesh Mothers-in-law Protection Association (APMPA) for protection of mothers-in-law against discrimination, domestic violence, legal harassment and other forms of abuse.

October 25 – National Rally in Bangalore marking the third anniversary of the inhuman, ill-conceived Protection of Women Against Domestic Violence Act (PWDVA) as BLACK DAY.

We will also be doing a massive flier campaign across the city throughout the month.

Similar activities will be conducted in other cities across the country like Bangalore, Lucknow, Chattisgarh, Nagpur and Delhi.

We request members of the print and electronic media to attend our events in large numbers and take part in the Domestic Violence Awareness campaign by providing extensive coverage for our events.

October is “Domestic Violence Awareness Month”. India is observing “Domestic Violence Awareness Month” for the first time this year to make it an International event for all men’s rights and fathers’ rights groups across the world.

Please visit our blog!

Domestic Violence Awareness Month- India

Restore Civil Rights to Domestic Violence Laws!

* Have we gone too far with our “get-tough-on-crime” approach to curbing domestic violence?
* Have we become irrational in our approach to women’s empowerment and women’s rights?
* Are fundamental Constitutional rights being set aside?
* Are we now supporting violation of human rights of innocent men, women and children?

Guilty until Proven Innocent?

Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims that “everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law.”

But…

Indian laws against domestic violence presume that the accused is guilty until proven innocent and violate universal principles of fair trial.

Mandatory Arrest?

Article 21 of the Indian Constitution states that “no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law”.

But…

every year, over 1 lakh innocent persons (one innocent person every 5 minutes) are arrested under IPC Section 498A including 4,000 innocent senior citizens (one innocent elderly person every 2.5 hours) and 350 children (one child per day) without evidence or investigation.

Men do not need protection?

Universal Declaration of Human rights states that “all are equal before the law, and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law”.

Article 14 of the Indian Constitution declares that “The State shall not deny to any person equality before the law or the equal protection of the laws within the territory of India.”

But…

Indian laws against domestic violence blatantly deny protection to men against any form of domestic abuse, and every year, over 56,000 married men commit suicide due to verbal, emotional, economic and physical abuse and legal harassment.

Mothers and sisters of husband not women?

Indian laws against domestic violence are touted as tools for women’s protection and empowerment.

But…

in the last four years alone, over 1,23,497 women have been arrested under IPC Section 498A alone, without evidence or investigation, not for committing any crime under law, but only because they were related to a man.

The verdict is in…

Indian taxpayers have spent lakhs to to implement draconian policies around the country. And the verdict is clear – these policies:

* Trample on Constitutional protections and human rights
* Hurt men, women and children
* Divert limited funds away from the real victims

It’s time to restore civil liberties, respect for victims, and common sense to our nation’s domestic violence laws.

Organizations across India observing Domestic Violence Awareness Month:

* Save Indian Family Foundation
* Save Family Foundation
* All India Forgotten Women
* Rishtey
* Gender Human Rights Society
* Protect Indian Family Foundation
* Children’s Rights Initiative for Shared Parenting

http://dadsontheair.net/

Tuesday 16th June 2009 - FORGOTTEN MEN  FORGOTTEN WOMEN

With Special Guests:

Uma Challa and
Marijke Alida.

For the first time Dads On The Air takes a look at the family law and gender situation in India, where less than one per cent of fathers gain custody of their children after separation. Uma Challa is the founder of the group ‘All India Forgotten Women’ and talks movingly about the damage being done to men, women and children across the subcontinent by the adoption of the West’s anti-family anti-father ideologies.

First off we begin the show talking with psychologist Marijke Alida, the organiser of this week’s ‘Fellowship of the Round Table’ forum at NSW Parliament House on the topic Family Law – Is The Man The Loser. We’ll be playing extracts of the forum’s speeches, including those from family lawyer Mark Youssef and outspoken Barbara Biggs, next week.

But this week we concentrate on India, with a fascinating interview with Uma Challa.

Listen Now (MP3)

10 June 2009

To,

Dr. Manmohan Singh,

Prime Minister of India,

South Block, Raisana Hill,

New Delhi – 110001.

Sub:  Demand for (a) CBI Investigation in the case of alleged rape of an elderly woman accused of dowry harassment and (b) immediate notification of The Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2008.

Respected Sir,

This is to bring to your kind attention that an elderly woman accused in a dowry case was allegedly gang raped in police custody in Jamwada village, Betul Dist., Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. This incident came to light through an article entitled “Dowry accused gang raped by Bhopal cops in custody” published in the Times of India on 06 June 2009.

The above mentioned case of rape of an accused in police custody highlights serious failure of law enforcement in the country and also the horrific human rights violations perpetrated in the name of law enforcement.

Members of All India Forgotten Women (Regd.) request you to immediately order a CBI probe into the above mentioned rape case and ensure speedy justice to the victim.

In addition, we request you to please delve into the reasons why such atrocities are happening so that proper measures are taken to prevent their recurrence.

* The third report of the National Police Commission mentions that power of arrest was one of the chief sources of corruption in the police, and that nearly 60% of arrests were either unnecessary or unjustified.
* In the last four years alone, the UPA regime witnessed more than 1,23,497 women being arrested and most of them jailed under Section 498A of IPC, without evidence or investigation.
* On the other hand, statistics published by the National Crime Records Bureau in 2007 show that an overwhelming 94% of the individuals arrested under Section 498A of IPC were found not guilty.

It should be noted that the arrest of such large numbers of innocent citizens was possible only because of the unbridled powers granted to the police in India.

The previous UPA Government has to take responsibility for the arrest of thousands of innocent citizens, in addition to the above case of gang rape of an elderly woman in police custody. It is a shame that despite approval of the CrPC Amendment Bill of 2008 by the President of India, it is the UPA Government’s failure to notify the amendments which has resulted in the continued harassment of ordinary citizens by the police.

As per the amended Section 41 of CrPC, the Investigating Officer would have had to issue a notice of appearance to the accused, and obtain the permission of the concerned Magistrate to arrest her, if necessary. This provision imposes more accountability on the police while arresting the accused, and prevents the police from misusing their powers of arrest. Such a provision would have proved very beneficial in the above mentioned dowry case on an elderly woman.

The amended CrPC Bill of 2008 also requires speedy delivery of justice in rape cases, while providing utmost protection to the victim, and ensuring confidentiality of sensitive information during the case proceedings. Such provisions would be extremely useful in cases of rape, including the present instance of custodial rape of an elderly woman accused in a dowry case.

In light of the above facts, members of All India Forgotten Women (Regd.) request your Government to notify The Code of Criminal Procedure (Amendment) Bill, 2008 in the Gazette of India, and ensure that its provisions are strictly implemented without further delay.

Thanking you.

Sincerely,

Uma Challa

President

All India Forgotten Women (Regd.)

Encl.:

“Dowry accused gang raped by Bhopal cops in custody”. News report from the Times of India. 06 June 2009.

Copy to:

Her Excellency. Smt. Pratibha Patil, President of India

Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister of India

Shri. Veerappa Moily, Ministry of Law & Justice

Shri. P Chidambaram, Ministry of Home Affairs

Member Secretary, Law Commission of India

Smt. Sonia Gandhi, Chairperson of UPA

Smt. Krishna Tirath, Ministry of Women and Child Development

Kum. Girija Vyas, Chairperson of the National Commission for Women

“Listen to whatever your wife says, as otherwise it could land you in trouble. If you do not listen to her, you will suffer the consequences…We are all sufferers…If your wife asks you to put your face that side, put it that side. If she says, put it this side, then put it this side. Otherwise you will face trouble…We are all sufferers.”

Mind you, the above is not a piece of friendly advice given by a harassed husband to a prospective groom or newly married man!

This was the advice given by a pair of hen-pecked Supreme Court judges to a man who spent 17 years fighting false allegations of abuse by his wife, and went from one court to another seeking divorce from his wife.

The bench of judges, through this brief advice, condoned domestic violence against men, false allegations and misuse of laws by wives, and lack of protection to men, all at one go.

Through these off-hand remarks, the judges destroyed a common citizen’s faith in the equanimity of the justice system in one blow.

While apathy towards men and unconditional support to women are evident in the ways of the Government, the law enforcement system, and the judiciary, the Supreme Court judges have clearly articulated the prevailing anti-male attitudes and the miserable situation of an average man in the country.

It is not surprising that the best advice the apex court of India could give to harassed husbands is that slavery in marriage is their best option.

It is nothing unusual that the feminists, who claim to be proponents of gender equality, did not utter a whisper.

It is nothing new to see the media unperturbed by the sexist remarks.

It is no wonder that every year, 56,000 married men commit suicide unable to bear domestic abuse and legal harassment.

What is shocking is that few Indian men are outraged by all of the above, and few men have raised their voices in protest.

Abraham Lincoln, who strived for the emancipation of slaves in the United States once said, “To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men.”

It is high time Indian men speak up and stand up for their rights.

All India Forgotten Women (Regd.)

Press Release

Sub: Celebrating the defeat of family-breaker, Renuka Chaudhary.

All India Forgotten Women (Regd.) celebrates the defeat of family-breaker, ex-Minister of Women and Child Development, Smt. Renuka Chaudhary, in the 2009 Lok Sabha Elections.

Smt. Renuka Chaudhary’s term as Minister of Women and Child Development witnessed the arrest and ruthless incarceration of thousands of innocent men, along with women, senior citizens and children. In the last four years alone, 1,23,439 women have been unfairly arrested under IPC section 498A, without evidence or investigation. Smt. Renuka Chaudhary blatantly denied misuse of IPC Section 498A and turned down all requests, recommendations and demands from various quarters to review the law. It was not until the Minister for Human Resources Development, Arjun Singh, was accused of dowry harassment that Smt. Renuka Chaudhary finally acknowledged the misuse of anti-dowry laws in public. Nevertheless, law-abiding citizens continue to be summarily arrested on false charges of dowry harassment every day.

Smt. Renuka Chaudhary got the infamous Domestic Violence Act passed during her tenure without any debate or discussion on its relevance or pros and cons to the Indian society prior to its enactment. She promoted the DV Act as one of the most progressive legislations passed to empower women in India and to protect them from domestic abuse. In reality, the DV Act is a socially harmful legislation that facilitates violence against men, violates basic human rights of men, women and children, and promotes family destruction.

When questioned on National TV about misuse of women-protection laws, Smt. Renuka Chaudhary blatantly said, “it is men’s turn to suffer”. When Karan Thapar asked her in an interview if she thought that men should first suffer before she considers amendments to check misuse of the law she replied, ““It is not such a bad idea, except that I have such pity for men.” In another instance, she publicly urged women to trust condoms and not their husbands. These are just a few instances which betray Smt. Renuka Chaudhary’s hatred of men.

It is not as if Smt. Renuka Chaudhary’s Ministry has done much good for children either. Child abuse, child labour and malnutrition among children are as rampant as ever. Disregarding recommendations of HRD and Finance Ministries, Smt. Renuka Chaudhary pushed for distributing pre-packaged food instead of freshly cooked hot meals to malnourished children under the Integrated Child Development Scheme. When she was requested to take immediate action on the issue of sexual and physical abuse of several little girls at an orphanage in Ghaziabad, she replied, “We can’t react like Hindi movies and just rush. Inquiries are going on.” Passing the buck on the issue of victims of child labour and physical abuse she said, “The law is there but I can’t do anything in that case. Please ask the labour minister.”

It is a shame that a gender extremist like Smt. Renuka Chaudhary, who has no empathy for the plight of children, was appointed as the Minister of Women and Child Development.

All India Forgotten Women (Regd.) considers the defeat of Smt. Renuka Chaudhary as the beginning of the end of anti-male, anti-family gender extremism in India. AIFW demands that the incoming Government makes the following changes:
·    Ministry of Women’s Welfare should be separated from Ministry of Child Welfare.
·    Responsible, balanced and pro-family women should be appointed to head Ministry of Women’s Development and National Commission for Women.