“Civil society organisations should work for the enactment of a law pertaining exclusively to domestic violence and its punishments,” said A.S. Kumari, Chairperson, Tamil Nadu State Commission for Women.
Speaking at the event ‘Dalit women speak,’ organised by Evidence, a non-governmental organisation, here on Saturday, she said that in the absence of a law, violence against women, especially in houses, committed by men goes unnoticed.
The law should ensure that the perpetrators be punished based on the severity of the offence they commit, she noted.
She advised young women not to be dependent on men but stand on their own by working hard and earning money, Ms. Kumari said.
“Despite several efforts, violence against women seems to be increasing. I will receive at least four to five calls from women college students every day,” she added.
Though violence against women has increased, the calls for help suggested that the awareness had increased.
The equal participation of women in local administration, granted by the Indian Constitution, should be utilised properly by not letting men, be it husband, son or relative, interfere in the administration, Ms. Kumari stated.
The true empowerment comes when women wielding the power could decide on their own and administer their position, she noted.
In a separate session, Gowsalya of Shankar Social Justice Foundation and a victim of the caste killing said that as a woman survivor of a horrific incident, she struggled to move on from that.
Speaking about the recent caste killing of a youth in Tirunelveli, she said that the girl whose brother was the accused could find it hard to manage the pressure from the surroundings and family.
“The society will try hard to kill the relationship the girl was in and she could be manipulated and it will take a lot to handle it,” she added.
To a question on how she moved on from the loss of her partner and how she managed the situation, Ms. Gowsalya noted that she did not fall for the emotionally overwhelming situation, instead, she was politicised through her surroundings.
“The politicisation helped me keep away from the political pressure that surrounded me. If not for the political knowledge, I might have handled the situation emotionally,” she added.
Arulmozhi, whose Dalit husband was killed by caste Hindu members for promoting inter-caste marriage and voicing out against injustices, said that women, whatever they faced, should be ready to come out and voice out against similar offences against women.
“Until you are vocal about the problems you could not survive in society. I was determined after my husband’s murder that I should live in the same village amidst the offenders who were responsible for the murder of my husband,” she added.
Kathir, founder of Evidence, said that women, though stronger in several aspects, were made victims in the patriarchal society.
Dalit women, by overcoming the hardships, refuse to get succumbed to the violence and the patriarchal mindset, he added.
The trait, observed mostly in Dalit women, makes them outpower men and even the society in fighting their odds and winning over their ambitions, Mr. Kathir stated.
Published – August 09, 2025 09:09 pm IST
