Dream of gender equality remains miles away

BANGALORE: “Women of the world unite. You have nothing to lose but your inequality” said Justice B N Srikrishna slightly altering what Karl Marx once said.Speaking at a national convention on ‘Crimes on Women’ on Tuesday, he said that the constitutional dream of gender equality remains ‘miles away’.Inaugurating the two-day convention organised by the All India Mahila Samskruthika Sanghatane (AIMSS), both Justice M N Venkatachaliah and Justice  BN Srikrishna said that the gender inequality in the country manifests itself in different forms of violence against women.They said that the only way to put an end to this violence against women is to ensure that the guilty are punished without any delay. “The certainty of punishment is more important than the quantum of punishment,” said Justice Venkatachaliah.Speaking to a packed audience at Ravindra Kalakshetra, both speakers quoted the crime rates across the world to draw a comparison with the scenario in India.“Violence against women has deep seated roots in India’s culture,” said Justice Srikrishna. Adding to this opinion, Justice Venkatachaliah said that the difference between the two sexes is actually a matter of celebration.Advocating a change in the mindset of the people as the real solution to the problem of rampant incidents of crimes against women across the country, Justice Srikrishna said that no amount of judicial intervention can help if there is no change in the mindset of the people.“This change can be brought about only with the help of public discussions and debates,” he added.With 30 per cent representation of women in the legislature, Justice Venkatachaliah said that conventions like these would help addressing other issues.The meet will host workshops that attempt to address various issues like politically motivated rapes, female foeticide etc.