Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right but a necessary foundation for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. To achieve overall development, the marginalized genders must engage socially, economically, and politically on a larger level and that is the most effective manner through which they can carve an equal space for themselves on the stage.
Against this backdrop, the Maharashtra National Law University, Nagpur, is organizing a Two Days National Seminar on “Gender Justice- Breaking Stereotypes, Discriminations and Prejudices” from 15th-16th October 2022.
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Thursday 07 Nov. 2024
The theme “Gender Justice- Breaking Stereotypes, Discriminations and Prejudices” includes an array of sub-themes- Rethinking sex and gender, Gender and Legal Systems, Gender and Technology, and Gender and Development.
The Chief Guest of the inaugural session wasProf. (Dr.) Paramjit S Jaswal, Vice-Chancellor, SRM University, NCR of Delhi.The Guest of Honour of the inaugural session was(Dr.) Manoj Kumar Sinha, Director, Indian Law Institute, New Delhiand Ms. Aswathi Dorje, IPS, Joint Commissioner of Police, Nagpur.
Opening remarks and welcome address was given by Prof. (Dr.) Vijender Kumar, Vice-Chancellor, MNLU Nagpur. The seminar began with the speech from one of the Guests of Honour,Aswathi Dorje, who highlighted two basic concepts- firstly,that prejudices give birth to stereotypes which led to discrimination and secondly,the importance of inclusivity and diversity in society. Her speech emphasized on deep discrimination entrenched in society irrespective of women’s success and educational qualifications. The seminar was further carried forward by enlightening speeches from theChief GuestProf. (Dr.) Paramjit S Jaswal and Guest of Honour (Dr.) Manoj Kumar Sinha.
They emphasized that gender justice, breaking stereotypes and prejudices that are deeply engraved in everyone’s mind is the need of the hour. It washighlighted how issues like sexual harassment at the workplace, abortion rights and matrimonial issues etc., have been viewed by the Apex Court through the lens of gender justice. Prof Jaswal cited various cases andinternational and national statistical data to showcase the situation of women in different areas like- education, well-being, economic participation,etc.
Dr. Sinha talked about how gender inclusivity should be incorporated into legislations. He talked about the increased participation of women in the contemporary world and the prevalent discrimination they have to fight to achieve success. Various landmark cases were mentioned to highlight the growing gender awareness in the judiciary.The inaugural ceremony was concluded by avote of thanks by the Seminar co-ordinator, Dr Shilpa Jain, Associate Professor of Law, MNLU, Nagpur.
The inaugural ceremony was followed by the plenary session.Thepanel for the plenary session was Prof. (Dr.) Manoj Kumar Sinha, Director, Indian Law Institute, New Delhi; Ms Geeta Seshu, Sr Journalist Mumbai; Koyel Ghosh, Managing Trustee of Sappho for Equality and Mx. Anchal Verma, Peer Educator, Trans Activist and Trustee in Sarathi Trust. The plenary session was enriching and informative with respect to gender awareness, challenging stereotypes and ways to adopta more inclusive society. The panellist deliberated on the issues regarding the place of women in society, challenges faced by marginalised genders, stereotypical behaviour in media and inclusion of the trans-community. One of the speakers Koyel Ghosh, a non-binary activist described thelife challenges transgender persons face, even after the decriminalisation of Article-377 and the passing of Transgender Persons(Protection of Rights Act), 2019. They highlighted that the term “third gender” is in itself stereotypical and discriminatory in nature. Further on, Ms Geeta Seshu spoke on the stereotypical behaviour of media with respect to women. She emphasized the significant role of language in furthering these stereotypes. She advocated forincreased consciousness for the less privileged and the need to constantly challenge the stereotypes in order to bring about a change.
Lastly, Mx. Anchal Verma, a transgender activist fearlessly talked about the life hurdles to highlight the daily issues faced by trans-community. Anchal further talked about the issues regarding self-determination, matrimonial and adoption laws, medical facilities and lack of inclusivity in society. The session was concluded by highlighting the presence of increased awareness in the younger generations on such issues and how it will help in bridging the gap between the trans community and the rest of society.
