Men Cry Too! Discriminatory Statutes and Need of Developing Gender Neutral Laws

Avinash Kumar
Lloyd Law College, Greater Noida, India

Volume III, Issue IV, 2020

The issue of fake sexual violence and dowry cases are increasing. If all the laws will only protect women from their perpetrators, then what about men? Who will shield them? What happens to our justice delivery mechanism and the policy of “fair access to justice” when the lives of hundreds of innocent men are ruined on account of fake accusations. This article talks about how the benevolent provisions of law which were made to shield women are used as a weapon; how  difficult it is for our society and authorities to think about Male rights and their protection, as we have seldom given a thought about it. Why is it so hard to believe that a Man can never be wronged? Why they are only thought to be the wrongdoers and not at the receiving end? And many more such questions are waiting for being answered. The Constitution of India provides Right to Equality as a Fundamental right, but what happens to the rights when a false case is filed against a man? The media trial makes the man guilty until proven innocent. Many lives are destroyed, families are ruined, dreams come crashing down and most importantly a man looses his dignity in society. The trauma one faces when nobody listens to their side of the story is beyond explanation, when men get systematically harassed by the laws of land. It is the need of hour to develop Gender neutral laws as there are more than 40 laws made for the protection of women, but not a single law for safeguarding men. Let’s visualise together a just society where Men and Women are equal partners with  a sensitive heart who listen to each other and work towards the development of society and the country.