Surrogacy is a practice which enables a couple or an individual, unable to bear a child to experience parenthood. India is referred to as the hub of surrogacy. It is the most desired destination for those who want to undergo the procedure. There are two primary reasons for it. Each year numerous couples from abroad are attracted to India, firstly because the surro-gacy procedure here is cost effective. Secondly, the surrogates are easily available. The pre-vailing poverty and desire to earn money has made the business of surrogacy run well in the country. The so-called surrogacy agencies too, play an important role in this. They are the prime liaisons between the commissioning parents and the surrogates, throughout the surro-gacy procedure. However, with the recent developments in the Indian legislative front, there appears to be an attempt by the government to make commercial surrogacy illegal in India. A bill was passed in 2019 in Lok Sabha and is, at present, pending in Rajya Sabha, which aims at banning commercial surrogacy. This Paper mainly focuses on whether this legislative step of banning commercial surrogacy would be right for India. With briefly introducing what is surrogacy, the paper moves on to clarifying the meaning and concept of surrogacy. The paper also touches upon the aspect of surrogacy as seen in the ancient times. Thereafter, it discusses how the law relating to surrogacy emerged in India with various bills being proposed and judicial interpretations being done. The paper is concluded by putting forth the various points for criticism of The Surrogacy bill 2019 and some suggestions and recommendations for making the bill more inclusive.
Volume 4, Issue 4 / 2022
Articles · 5
The topic of mental health has become increasingly important, especially in the COVID-19 pandemic. This research work aims to link the topic of mental health with the criminal justice system. At first glance they may look like completely unrelated subjects, but the impact they have on each other is significant. This paper first deals with the topic of Mental Health and the Indian Society’s Attitude towards it, as it is imperative to know about the view of our society on mental health before delving into its link with criminal justice. Mental Health is still stigmatised in India, and anyone who is not mentally well is termed as ‘crazy’ or ‘mad’. Because of this stigma, many do not consult psychiatrists. Added to this is the financial burden as such facilities are quite expensive for many Indians. The paper then deals with the link between the criminal justice system and mental health, which is, at the most basic level, the concept of mens rea or guilty mind element, that is needed to prove a criminal act, and becomes hard to prove it if the person who committed the crime was not aware of their actions in the first place. The paper also discusses the mental health issues faced by prisoners in India, along with the specific problems experienced by female prisoners. The paper also covers the sphere of attempted suicide and its legality, a topic governed by criminal law. Finally, the paper discusses cases relevant to the topic, ‘Mental Health and Criminal Justice System’.
Water has always been essential to life and livelihood in India. There are about 99 million individuals in the nation without access to safe water. Water scarcities in indigenous communities, particularly for women, are made worse by climate change and growing deserts. In India's drought-prone regions, particularly in Bundelkhand, EU financing for empowered hundreds of thousands of women volunteers to work toward securing water security. Due to repeated monsoon failures that resulted in drought, the availability of water in the Bundelkhand region has been progressively worse over time. The populace is seriously at risk from a lack of water for irrigation and drinking. Woman of all ages who have issued a clarion call for water security in their communities are known as "Jal Sahelis" or "women water fighters." These female volunteers have been organised and trained on topics relevant to water resource planning, management, and conservation by Welthungerhilfe and their partner Parmarth Samaj Sevi Sansthan. The volunteers are a part of the Jal Jan Jodo Abhiyan, a countrywide initiative that seeks to implement India's Right to Water. Today, 7 districts in the states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh are home to almost 500 Jal Sahelis who have been trained and put to work. They swiftly respond to water problems in their villages while wearing identical blue saris. To restore traditional ponds in villages, they have repaired handpumps, constructed check dams with government funding, and organised "shramdan," or voluntary contributions by the community. State and national governments, notably the Jal Shakti (Water Resources) Ministry of the Government of India, have praised them for their successful efforts in resolving water concerns. In short, in this paper I have tried to tell about the relationship between water and women empowerment through case study of Jal Sahelis.
Culture and tradition is the bedrock of a country. A country is known by her tradition and rich culture only. India is no exception to it. India is having very rich tradition and culture from time immemorial. These traditional and cultural ethos are reflected in almost all spheres including human rights and trade & business. The concept of human rights is not new in our country. We the people of India learn to respect each and every human being from our childhood. We have learned various lessons from the lives of Gautam Buddha, Guru Nanak, Mahavir Jain, Lord Krishna, Mahtama Gandhi etc. Protection of human rights is not only important for the development of the society but also for the development of trade and business as well. A businessmen or industrialist cannot be apathetic in protecting human rights of its workmen and employees. Each and every business house should equally be interested to protect the human rights of the society. Failure to discharge this responsibility will not only destroy the business but also the society as well. It is on this socio-legal perspective, we have ventured to write this article of immense significance, “Indian Tradition and Culture, Protection of Human Rights and Business in India: A Review from Historical Perspective.”
Gender identity, from a sociological standpoint, encompasses all of the meanings that are assigned to oneself based on one's gender identification. These self-meanings, in turn, serve as a source of incentive for gender-related behaviour. A person with a more male identity should act more masculinely, that is, participate in activities with more masculine connotations, such as being more domineering, competitive, and independent. The meanings suggested by the acts are more significant than the behaviors themselves. Self-meanings about one's gender are established in social contexts beginning at birth, as a result of continual interaction with significant persons such as parents, classmates, and educators. Individuals may grow to regard themselves as breaking from the masculine or feminine cultural model despite drawing on common cultural concepts of what it is to be male or female that are imparted through institutions such as religion or the school system. A person may name herself female, but instead of perceiving herself as stereotypically feminine, such as expressive, warm, and subservient, she may perceive herself as somewhat stereotypically masculine, such as instrumental, logical, and dominant. The premise is that people perceive themselves along a feminine–masculine spectrum, with some considering themselves as more feminine, others as more masculine, and yet others as a combination of the two. Their gender identity is defined by their self perception along the feminine–masculine continuum, and it governs their behaviour.