"The word has not come down from the heavens to tell us that every woman should listen to a man" .-MALALA YOUSAFZAI.

Women's property rights are the rights given to a woman for her part of the property. Decades ago, women faced many difficulties due to the lack of property rights. After marriage, a woman had to depend on her husband ultimately. Many of them suffered from physical and mental torture.

Women are shackled.They hardly had any choice to speak in the way they want and keep their point.

WOMEN RIGHTS

1) After marriage rights:-

The number of crimes are increasing day by day after marriage. It can be a case of dowry, domestic violence, etc. The after marriage right gives the married women the right to live in her husband's home while sharing the same or equal respect and rules. She may also reside in her husband's home even after his death. The in-laws cannot force her to leave the house.

2) Right to maintenance by the husband:-

Basic living necessities and the standard has to be provided by the husband. Necessities include goods, clothing, residence, education, and medical treatment.

3) Right to parental home:-

The right says that every daughter has equal rights on her father's property before and after marriage as that of her male sibling.

"If the property is registered in the name of women solely, there is a concession given of about 2%."

Due to this, many males are registering their homes in the name of their wife or mother. As they register the home in the wife's name, the spouse is now independent and free in her way. This new rule by the government of India acts as a security to women. After marriage, at least the women will have secured home and equal access. She can now stand for herself in case of any extremity.

PROBLEMS

The problem is that very few women know about their rights. They bear society and do their home job by not breathing a word.

SOLUTION TO PROBLEM

Women need to be made aware of their rights.The following are the points about how it can be done:-

1. Distribution of articles or books to create awareness about legal rights.
2. Counseling women, especially those belonging to the rural area where there is a lack of education. It will help to build self- confidence among them.
3. Make women understand that she can stand for herself only if she is literate.

The world today is more globalized than it has ever been before, and it's safe to say that this only has a future with the scope of augmentation. In the seemingly Global Village, every person is just a click of a distance away, considering all we need is an internet connection.

Although there's one thing that always acts as a hindrance in our communication - languages. There exists a myriad of languages in the world, and we practically can't master them all. However, one will be amazed to know how learning a single language opens their gate to a sea of possibilities. Let's see how :

1. Like to interact? A language will facilitate you - As a lover of different cultures, the most common dream we carry is traveling. Who doesn't like to gain experiences from all over the world?

Imagine how incredible it would be if we could understand someone's life journey in their mother tongue. Loose translations suck the essence out of a story, but learning a language would make this infinitely more comfortable and fun.

2. Providing an edge in your career - An additional language will never act as an obstacle when you have to apply for jobs. Your skillset plus a language will make you enormously more valued in any market place, given that it sets you apart from your monolingual colleagues.

Furthermore, it adds to the career options one might possess at the current moment, making us elect and filter our choices from a relatively more comprehensive lot.

3. Cognitive advantages - It's safe to say that learning anything will be the food for your thoughts. This is because when we learn a new language, our analytical, listening, performing, and comprehension skills increase vastly.

We compare the original language with the ones we know already, and the comparison facilitates our brain to think with flexibility. It also bestows us with the power to multitask, which's advantageous in all professional work fields.

4. Makes it easier to learn more - Once you have mastered a language, it'll be comparatively more straightforward for you to start learning one more. Considering that many languages tend to have similarities in their semantics and pronunciations, the grammar rules will be more understandable for learning another one.

This is famously called 'metalinguistic awareness', given that our brain cells develop the skills to understand the techniques and approaches to learn a language.

5. Boost in self-confidence - Let's face it, getting into the understanding of a new language is not everyone's teacup. Having said that, once we start to understand something as unique as a foreign tongue, our self-confidence is bound to shoot up to unprecedented levels.

To resume, language learning is much more than just 'fun.' In today's world, multilingualism has turned out to be an appreciable skill that never wastes. This expertise will help you in all walks of life, be it spiritual or professional.

Any language will open up a myriad of new avenues knocking at your doorstep, and who doesn't like to experience something extraordinary? The only additional gain here is - it also facilitates us to be someone unique.

What is Health?

Health is defined as a state of physical, mental, and social well-being, and an absence of illness and injury. India's population, as of 2018, stands at more than 135 crores, second only to China. A community this large makes it imperative that the health of the country is continuously monitored. Brought into stark focus by the COVID-19 pandemic, India's health and healthcare system became a significant debate and discussion topic. The legal aspects of health were also extensively argued upon.

Laws Related to Health

After Independence in 1947, the parliament witnessed several bills and acts in the health sector. There are requisites for practicing medicine for both medical personnel and hospitals. Medical professionals are liable to go under the court's speculative lenses if a procedure goes wrong and causes harm to someone.

Doctors who agree to perform sex-selective operations are also held criminally responsible under the Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (Prohibition of Sex Selection) Act, 2003, which makes it illegal to determine the sex of a fetus and perform sex-selective operations. Most of the bills and acts in the Indian parliamentary past have been ones that were interpreted under Article 21 of the Indian Constitution.

1) Article 21- Guaranteeing the protection of life and personal liberty to every citizen, Article 21 is probably the most popular and the most quoted legal stipulation related to health in our country. Article 21 applies to every person, regardless of gender, race, caste, class, profession, and religion. "No person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to procedure established by law."

India, to date, has not made healthcare a fundamental right. Additionally, there exists no law that ensures the health of every Indian citizen. It is also shocking that the Indian state has never spent more than 2% of its GDP on health and healthcare.

Health Initiatives

However, the Government of India has taken up several initiatives to assist the health sector of the country. The following are a few such programs.

1) Mission Indradhanush- It is a health mission by the Government of India that aims to attain 90% immunization of the country by providing vaccinations for those diseases that can be prevented through vaccines.

2) Programs for Communicable and Non-Communicable diseases- The Pulse Polio and the National Mental Health Programmes and several other initiatives, fall under this category.

3) Nutritional Programmes- Programmes such as the Integrated Child Development Services(ICDS) and Midday Meal Programme fall under this and aim to eradicate malnutrition and diet-related deficiencies.

4) Ayushman Bharat Yojana- This scheme aims to provide free healthcare access for 40% of the Indian population with Rs 5 lakh insurance to over 500 million Indians.

Privatization of Healthcare

The recent dialogues on the privatization of healthcare have raised questions in the minds of every Indian. Undoubtedly, this privatization would lead to a hike in healthcare expenditures. Drugs, procedures, tests, and hospitalization will be priced higher.

Both a state-sponsored and a privatized healthcare system have their drawbacks, the former was accused of inadequacy, and the latter criticized for being profit-oriented. The difference is that a social welfare-based healthcare system, in a country where one-fourth of its population falls under the poverty spectrum, assures some assistance to the underprivileged. In contrast, a privatized system ensures no assistance at all.

EUTHANASIA

Euthanasia is defined as the practice of intentionally ending one’s life to alleviate suffering and pain. Often referred to as “assisted suicide”, euthanasia has been an actively debated issue as it puts into question several moral, ethical, and legal values.

EUTHANASIA ACROSS THE WORLD

Countries around the world have taken various stands on euthanasia, but the legal status of the practice is unknown in large sections of the world. States allowing euthanasia generally have one or both of the following:

1) Active Euthanasia- Using lethal doses of a substance to induce death. Canada, Belgium, and the Netherlands are one of the only countries that allow active euthanasia

2) Passive Euthanasia- Withholding treatment that is required to sustain life, also known as “pulling the plug”.

UK, USA, India, and South Korea are some states which only allow passive euthanasia. Countries that have accorded euthanasia an illegal status include the Philippines, Peru, and Ireland.

Euthanasia Status in Different Countries

EUTHANASIA STATUS IN COUNTRIES

India
Passive Euthanasia Allowed

South Korea
Passive Euthanasia Allowed

Belgium
Active Euthanasia Allowed

Canada
Active Euthanasia Allowed

USA
Varies

The Philippines
Illegal

Ireland
Illegal

INDIA’S STAND ON EUTHANASIA

Passive euthanasia was legalized in India in 2018. Stipulations included that the patient must consent through a living will, must be suffering from a terminal illness, or was in a vegetative state. The case that led to the same was widely publicized and documented in the country.

The topic of euthanasia was brought into light when one Ms Pinki Virani pleaded to the Supreme Court to withdraw life support from her friend, Aruna Shanbaug, who had been in a permanent vegetative state for 37 years in 2009. Even though the plea was not sustained, it led to the laying down of the guidelines of the Passive Euthanasia Law.

Active euthanasia is still banned in India.

THE ETHICS AND MORALITY BEHIND THE PRACTICE

What is often debated about euthanasia is the individual right to self-determination and the morality behind the exercise. People who support euthanasia say that an individual has a right to choose their fate and should be allowed to escape from suffering if they so wish.

Additionally, citing examples of the countries that have active euthanasia, the pro-euthanasia activists argue that legalizing euthanasia will not lead to unfavourable consequences.

People who oppose the practice say that it is hard to measure how much suffering is considered adequate before one can apply for euthanasia. They also say that medicine and medical procedures have made enough progress that one may be relieved of pain without having to resort to death.

Apart from this, there also exists the argument that since the intensity of pain and suffering is immeasurable, legal euthanasia may have adverse effects on society.

Euthanasia is also under fire from major religions of the world, most of them believing that – since God makes life, then God alone should have the right to take it. No mortal should be allowed to handle the fate of man.

In a poll conducted in the UK, 82% of the responders supported assisted death. A survey in the USA revealed that almost half of the American population was in support of assisted suicide. Even with the various debates and discussions surrounding the subject, it appears that passive euthanasia has encountered positive responses from the masses.

Protection of Women From Domestic Violence, 2005

The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 is a historic act in the Indian Penal Code. Through the Act, the Indian State for the first time acknowledges the concept and the subsequent need to penalize ‘domestic violence’.

The Act was enacted to curb the rising amounts of domestic violence cases in the country. It was officiated and brought into force from 26 October 2006. Apart from physical violence, the Act recognizes other forms of violence as well including abuse that are psychological, emotional, economical, and sexual in nature that occurs within the boundaries of family or co-habitation.

Features

The Act has some salient features that one needs to take notice of:

• HOLISTIC: The Act is extensive and holistic in the way that it defines exactly what falls under its purview.
• Physical Abuse: Actions which “cause bodily pain, harm, or danger to life, limb or health or impair the health or development of the aggrieved person”.
• Sexual Abuse: Action or behavior of the sexual nature which “abuses, humiliates, degrades, or violates the dignity of a woman”.
• Verbal and Emotional Abuse: Conduct that threatens or insults the existence of a woman.
• Economic Abuse: Continued deprivation of financial resources that are essential for the survival of the victim and her children, or taking over of assets that originally belonged to the woman in a domestic relationship.

• The Domestic Violence Act is extensive and defines what kinds of abuse falls under its purview. Source- orfonline.org

• Adequate Resource Availability: The victims can avail of medical facilities, shelter homes, and legal aid under the act. Both parties are also entitled to counseling if required.
• Protection: Qualified Protection Officers, preferably women, are to be appointed by the government who could respond to a domestic violence report as soon as possible and direct the victims to adequate resources as and when required. There is also the provision of Protection Orders that the victim can use which restricts the abuser from communicating with the victim.
• Miscellaneous
• Monetary Relief: The perpetrator is also liable to compensate or provide relief to the victim of the losses they had incurred in the legal procedures and other harms caused.
• Custodial Rights: The matter of custody of the children rests on the decision of the court. Typically, custodial rights remain with the victim while the perpetrator may be given visitation rights.

Drawbacks & Criticisms

One of the most prominent criticisms of the Act has been about the definition of an “aggrieved person”. Critics say that only women’s rights are recognized in the Act and the rights of an aggrieved man are overlooked. It is, however, important to keep in mind that women do form a much larger proportion of cases of domestic violence victims and have lower access to resources outside of the Act.