Beliefs and Personal Laws of Dalit Women in India

For a majority of women in India, survival within the socio-legal framework of the Indian society is a challenge in itself.  The Constitution of India guarantees equality of rights but an Indian woman has lots of problems to grapple with such as child marriage, dowry harassment, rape, violence, sexual abuse, widow burning and abandonment after marriage, just to mention a few.

For Dalit women, the situation is believed to be much worse.  Early marriage and child rearing impact a Dalit woman's health and researchers point out that most of them suffer from malnutrition. This brings us to delve a little further into the beliefs and way of life of Dalit women in their own surroundings.

No Concept of Purdah or Ghoonghat Among Dalit Women

While the Dalit women do not wear purdah or ghoonghat, they maintain a very respectful relationship with all elders in their community. Outside their community, they are treated very badly. Men and women from other communities treat them like bonded laborers than as equals. Further, tribal women have been sexually exploited by men from other communities since time immemorial.

Marriage is Most Important in Dalit Community

For Dalit women, marriage is most important to ensure their 'honor' before the elders in their community. All marriages are finalized by the parents and elders in the community. A bride and groom have no say in this. Their consent is not even a pre-requisite to conduct and solemnize the marriage. The Dalit woman is expected to obey her husband and subject herself to his will. Even if she is struck by her husband, a Dalit woman is taught that she cannot question him or  strike back.  When a Dalit woman becomes a mother, she is allowed a little more freedom but not much.

Increasing Incidents of Rape among Dalit Women

The Dalits believe in the purity and beauty of Nature. For the same reason, any act that defies or violates Nature is abhorrent to Dalit women. Unfortunately, these women are mostly the victims of extreme acts of violence by men from non-tribal communities.  In 2001, researchers compiled statistics on the number of Indian women who were subjected to acts of extreme violence such as torture and rape. Their estimate was that 2 million Indian women were subjected to these aforementioned atrocities. Out of this, a majority of the victims are mostly Dalits and tribal women. It was also indicated that the incidents of rape indicate a trend of increase in regions where the Army or the police are stationed.

Personal Laws of Dalits in India

Little is known about the personal laws of Dalits in India.  As the Dalits have branched out into declaring themselves as Hindu Dalits, Christian Dalits and Muslim Dalits, there is lack of uniformity and clarity on the legal implications this would have on their personal laws. The word 'Dalit' means oppressed and suppresed. The term 'Dalitism' pertains to the living and social conditions pertaining to:

• marginalization
• varying degrees of marginalisation in socio-cultural, political and religious domains
• denial of basic human rights and social justice

Clearly. Dr.B.R.Ambedhkar's attempts to bring the Dalits into the mainstream society remains a dream that has far to go before it can be real. Meanwhile, it is up to the judiciary to interpret the personal laws pertaining to the Dalits in a way that ensures social justice and equality.