The Kerala State Women's Policy is wished to be an excellent model, worth being emulated by other states of this country; let the authors/makers of the current draft take further steps in generating unbiased,open and elaborate discussions among sections of concerned human rights, social activists, women's groups and writers already struggling on the front of gender justice ,in a shortest available time span. For a point of view as aforementioned, this is an excellent draft to begin with, though conspicuous lacunae seem to be too obvious for one to to miss, on many vital questions of conventional assumptions on gender,for example,in the context of sexuality vis a vis the patriarchal family. Conceding women any role of active agency in asserting the sexual rights (which may even be constitutionally and legally valid and enforceable)is an obvious challenge before this kind of well intentioned Draft(Policy). One hopes it could go beyond the protectionist attitude, and develop into one which wants to recognize the rights of all women as equal citizens, irrespective of their being categorized into "good" and "bad",according to how they adhere to the norms of patriarchal monogamy. The role of women in sexuality as that implying any active agency is virtually denied; instead, it is invariably taken for granted as that of a passive victim (of atrocity). On the other hand, the atrocious institution of patriarchal family with its extra- legal, extra- constitutional moral canons,which are even overdetermined by the tradition, is exonerated under the cover of this protectionist policy which is designed only for helping the 'victims'.Obviously,this is something short of a panacea for all kinds of sexual atrocities. Many atrocities continue to be institutionalized thanks to the very existence of this patriarchal value system and the attendant double standard and linked to the conspiracy of silence about women's important right to have autonomy over their bodies.
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