New Delhi, March 07, 2018: For countless women in India, equal rights in parental property remains a promise far removed from the harsh realities of a patriarchal society. Men grow up believing that parental property is their right, not their sister’s; women are conditioned to believe that they are not entitled to any share in their father’s property. Despite the law being in place, its implementation is scarce. In cases where the woman is a widow, or a divorcee, or is unmarried- limited awareness, financial and legal resources often ensure that she is in no position to claim her rights and is reduced to financial dependence and indignity. It is toughest for her to fight against her own family to claim her rights because they tend to be her support system.
Such dependence causes significant psychological stress that stops women from asserting their rights, leading to an unending spiral of struggle, depriving the family of growth for generations to come. Now a student driven platform, People Power Partnership (PPP),promises to bridge the gap between the law and its implementation and has joined the fight to tip the scales in favor of justice for women.
PPP is a website that links women in need of legal advice or support for matters related to parental property rights with NGOs and practitioners of law. The platform has been envisioned and developed by a team of students – Shreyvardhan Sharma, Zoya Achanta and Priyanshi Sharma.
On the PPP website, the founders state their belief in no uncertain terms “that all women have a fundamental right to economic and emotional stability.” HAVING THE LAW IS NOT ENOUGH- there is need to create effective avenues for its implementation by creating channels that ensure justice – agencies which raise a voice on her behalf, advise and support her, alongside efforts to encourage a social environment that accepts financial equality of women.
A PPP associate, Sangat, a feminist network dedicated to promoting justice, equality, and peace through trainings, collaborative campaigns, and outreach initiatives, explains that “Women’s property rights is an issue that requires urgent attention, with research from Kerala, India, even suggesting that women who own immovable property face a significantly lower risk of marital violence. This project is a much-needed effort to make the legal road to equal property rights an easier and more accessible one for women. It does the important task of connecting women who require legal support to secure their property rights with lawyers equipped to handle such cases.”
Advocate Savita Sinha who is also presently associated with PPP had these appreciative words to offer on the vision guiding this project – “In an era where despite prevailing laws, women getting an equal share in property is a distant reality- PPP project can play the twin roles of generating awareness as well as facilitating them with the redressal of their grievances a stage prior to being forced to knock the doors of justice. This initiative also has the potential to be a win-win for all the stakeholders as it looks at guiding, counseling and informal mediation between the family members, rather than resorting to litigation which has its foundation in disharmony. We look forward to PPP bringing a renaissance of equality, justice, hope, gratitude, right to property and actual share in property- all at the same time in lives of many many people.”
PPP has already made significant headway in establishing a network of conscientious, passionate individuals and organizations. Presently, some of the associates include Sangat, Girls Count, Sofia, Justice P.C. Agarwal, Adv. Savita Sinha, Adv Soumya Bhaumik, Adv Mohd Amanullah, Adv Sabina and Video Volunteers. ‘Student Crusaders for the year 2018, Abhishri Nath and Archit Varun have joined the project to carry the work forward. Shreyvardhan, Zoya and Priyanshi inform us that work is continuously underway to expand the associate network and create a platform worthy of making meaningful impact. They hope that youth involvement will work as a catalyst in changing the social mindset, in creating powerful social media campaigns and in bringing new insight into possible solutions.
The portal allows for cases to be uploaded by NGOs and individuals for review and guidance by our panel of experts. There is provision to receive emails which would be directed to concerned experts for opinion and suggestions. People Power Partnership is a most creditable citizen effort to enable solutions for complex societal issues- much needed in our country.
Corporate Comm India(CCI Newswire)
