Basic Rights Each Women needs to know

1. Right to Education & Work :Your parents or spouse cannot stop you or your daughter from studying further. The Indian constitution recognises the right to primary education for both the boy and girl child.
   Similarly, you also have the right to earn a livelihood and seek equal wages for equal work.
   So if your spouse, parents or in-laws stop you from pursuing a job for no obvious reasons, then it is violation of your personal right. It can amount to mental and economic abuse and is therefore chargeable as a criminal case.



2. Say No to economic Abuse:If you are dependent on your parent, guardian or spouse for money and if any of them refuse to help you monetarily, especially in the case of natural emergencies like treatment, then it amounts to economic abuse.
   It is a punishable offence under the Domestic Violence Act of 2005.
   Infact, your husband cannot dispose off your jewellery or dowry assets without your consent. If he does, he is guilty of economic abuse.



3. Domestic Violence :Are you under the impression that domestic violence refers to wives alone?
   According to the Domestic Violence Act of 2005, any act of violence or abuse against a single woman, sisters, widows, mothers, daughters and even woman in live-in relationship amounts to domestic violence.



4. Beware of Eve teasers:Any indecent act including lewd comments, touching groping, or indecent exposure that degrades the dignity of a woman comes under sexual and mental harassment. The offender is punishable by a maximum jail term of two years.



5. Right to medical termination of pregnancy:The right to your body lies with you and no one else. Any forced act upon your body without your consent is a violation of basic human rights.
   This is a serious problem in India, where the right to reproduction is handled by the spouses and the in-laws rather than the woman.
   If you are married, the decision of having a baby is solely yours, since you are the one who will undergo labour. No one can force or decide that for you.
   Similarly, you also have the legal power to abort the foetus. But isn't abortion illegal?
   There is a difference between abortion and foeticide. Removing the foetus due to complications or other medical problems or as an unwanted pregnancy is known as abortion.
   However, if you were to terminate the pregnancy after determining the gender of the baby, that would amount to foeticide and is illegal and criminal.
   Foeticide is punishable by lifetime imprisonment under section 313 of Indian Penal Code (IPC).
   



6. Taunt and Land in Jail:Insulting or ridiculing you constantly for your inability to conceive a male child is punishable under the Domestic Violence Act of 2005. It amounts to verbal and emotional abuse.
   So the next time your in-laws or relatives decide to taunt you, remember you need not take it.



7. Pregnant and Fired:When you are on a maternity leave, your employer cannot discharge or dismiss you from work. It is also an offence if your employer were to change the terms and conditions of your job in your absence.
   You may be terminated if you were involved in any misconduct such as disclosing confidential company information or stealing documents.
   However, if you are fired while on leave for unjust reasons such as being leave during pregnancy or asking for flexible work timings, then you can take legal action against your employer.
   In any such event, file a case in the Industrial and Labour court. The court will then issue a notice to the employer.
   



8. Dealing with the Law:Firstly, you cannot be summoned to a police station before sunrise or after sunset. Secondly, if you were to be questioned on any matter in the police station, a woman officer be present in the room And if needed only a woman officer can arrest you.
   Also, a police officer must clearly follow certain rules when you file a report. He or she cannot deviate from the routine by refusing to file it or counsel you. In such a scenario, the police officer can be held accountable under the law.



9. Travel Rights:The government has reservations for women in the transport modes like buses and trains. Make use of it.



10. Consumer Rights:As a consumer of various products and services, you have the right to be informed about everything.