Insurance scheme rapped

SURAT, March 28: City-based women's rights organisations have expressed strong reservations over General Insurance Corporation's recently...

SURAT, March 28: City-based women8217;s rights organisations have expressed strong reservations over General Insurance Corporation8217;s recently proposed scheme, offering insurance cover to rape victims, saying that the Rajrajeshwari Mahila Kalyan Bima Yojna was 8220;absurd and offensive.8221;

GIC has plans to offer insurance to women in the age group of 10 to 75 against damage from rape under the yojna. Reactions from practically all women8217;s rights activists affiliated to women8217;s organisations here have lambasted the policy saying that it would not only mean further humiliation for the mentally devastated victim, but would also breed false claims in a large number.

8220;The GIC and the prime minister presented it proudly without considering its aftermath,8221; claimed Akhil Hind Mahila Parishad city president Sukhanya Patel, adding that the policy was a steady assault on a woman8217;s status. According to her, the policy would, in the first place, not find any genuine takers. And if anyone did attempt to make use of the policy, then there might be a motive to earn money.

8220;Anti-social elements also will be out to benefit from the scheme and I do not think it is fair to lure women by offering low premium for the policy,8221; she told Express Newsline.

8220;Only a male-dominated establishment would be so insensitive and ignorant about the meaning of rape,8221; said vice-president of the city unit of the All India Womens Committee AIWC, Bharti Dalal, who is also the chairperson of the Legal Aid Centre in the city.

Strongly recommending that women should instead become both physically and mentally strong, Dalal said that getting oneself insured against possible rape was not the most ideal way of ensuring one8217;s safety.

8220;In fact, by making such announcements, the government gives an indirect indication that nowadays rape is as common as an accident or theft which can happen with anybody at anytime. Instead of taking action against the rapist they are compensating women by providing monetary help through this policy, which shows their incompetence to solve this serious issue,8221; she said, lambasting the proposed policy. 8220;Announcing such an absurd scheme is not addressing the problem,8221; she contended.

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The Surat Mahila Club, another organisation involved in women8217;s rights, also echoed the criticism. Club president Prathibha Khan, while expressing anguish over the policy on rape, told Express Newsline, 8220;Though the word rape has been deleted from the policy, the fear among women is not lessened one bit. The policy in a way, concedes that occurrence of rape is very high. The government should realise that rape prevention is what women want and not monetary compensation8221;.

Stating that the policy itself did not solve the problem, Khan said, 8220;it well added to woman8217;s trauma because a rape victim normally does not want to publicise either herself or the incident, leave alone talking to an insurance agent or the police of the gory details of the rape8221;.

She added that an altogether different approach needed to be taken while tackling such cases. 8220;Being the worst form of violent crime against women, the government should instead make rape punishable by capital punishment,8221; said D R Seth, another founding member of the Club.