While policies aimed at ensuring gender justice for women exist, the critical question remains, How effective are they in truly helping women?
Drafting policies and enacting laws is not enough, proper implementation is essential. Currently, the government is revising the women’s policies of 1996, 2009, and 2015. A new reform is underway, guided by the Gender Council under the Women and Child Development Department.
The key recommendations for the new policy include:
- Capping expenses for arranged marriages.
- Creating a local-level data bank of women job seekers and prioritising women’s employment.
- Establish up-to-date registers in local institutions and police stations to track households where older women live alone or together.
- Setting up more shelter homes.
- Strengthen legal protection and make procedures more accessible for addressing gender-based violence at home and in the workplace.
- Ensure equal pay for women and provide more economic empowerment opportunities.
- Guarantee access to comprehensive healthcare, including mental health support.
- Improve workplace policies to support women through maternity benefits and anti-harassment measures.
- Enhance education and skill development programs for girls, especially in STEM fields.
- Increase public safety with better surveillance, safe transport, and distress helplines.
- Launch public campaigns to challenge societal gender biases and promote equality.
The goal is to finalize and submit this policy to the government on Kerala’s state formation day. In today’s society, ensuring gender justice is more critical than ever. Existing laws fall short in addressing the growing crimes against women. To fill this gap, it is crucial to introduce more robust laws that protect women’s privacy, dignity, and rights. While drafting policies and passing legislation are essential steps, actual progress lies in their practical implementation. The recommendations from the Gender Council are a positive move in this direction, but real change will only come when these policies are enforced with efficiency and urgency.