Call to shield men from domestic abuse

Does India need a government body specifically for men, along the lines of its National Commission for Women?

A non-governmental organisation (NGO) working on the issues faced by aggrieved men says it’s about time the country gets one.

The founder of the World’s Rights Initiative for Shared Parenting (CRISP), Kumar Jahgirdar, quoted National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) figures to justify his call for a national body for men to be formed.

NCRB figures show that for every married woman committing suicide, two married men commit suicide due to domestic violence and being tortured by the wife, he said.

Suicides

A lot of fathers are committing suicide because they are not able to meet their children, Jahgirdar said.

“Men are more vulnerable than women,” he says, adding the government should contemplate creating ‘National Commission for Men’, as the country observes the World Suicide Prevention Day today.

“This country is biased against men,” he said, adding “more men commit suicide than women.

He said patriarchy affects men more than women.

“No one talks about suicide by married men,” Jahgirdar said. “Everyone talks only about married women’s suicide. Every year, scores of men end their life due to false dowry disputes.”

Meanwhile, two ruling Bharatiya Janata Party MPs from Uttar Pradesh — Harinarayan Rajbhar and Anshul Verma — also recently demanded that a commission should be set up to look into the complaints of men “suffering at the hands of their wives” due to “misuse” of laws.

Jahgirdar said there was also a need for a dedicated 24/7 helpline for men.