Senior Advocate Jayna Kothari responds to recent controversy concerning Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, with a review of the present state of justice when it comes to sexual harassment. Opening with an examination of existing legislations, she argues that the problem lies not in their adequacy, but rather with their implementation.
Excerpt from the article:
“While a number of laws and policies against violence are now in place, implementation is still lagging behind. The institutions and authorities implementing these laws have not understood the nature of violence and discrimination faced by women nor have they internalised the true objective of these legislations…”
“Legislation is important as laws convey the message that violence against women will not be tolerated. However, merely enacting legislation is not enough. There have to be measures taken to bring about effective implementation of these legislations. Such measures should include training of officials who handle cases of violence against women, the establishment of mechanisms for monitoring and impact evaluation as well as accountability and better coordination…”