Laws Every Woman Should Be Aware Of

Women have a different experience when facing the world and its many different threats. Sexual harassment, rape, arrest, and domestic violence are all issues that keep women’s senses heightened, simply because they are women. They cannot defend themselves in the same way men can, which is why there are laws every woman should be aware of.

One of the laws every woman should be aware of is the right to not be called to the police station, as per Section 160. If a woman needs to be questioned regarding any police situation, or the police need to record her statement, the police must go to the woman’s residence with a female police officer accompanying them. During the investigation, relatives of the woman in question must also be present if the woman requires them to be there. This law is in place to protect the woman at all costs.

Women have the right to not be sexually harassed in the workplace or elsewhere. If sexual harassment occurs in the workplace, the case must be heard by a committee of at least five members, where the chairperson is a woman. Sexual harassment has been common in many workplace environments, and this law has been put into place to try and protect women from their male superiors and coworkers. Even though Congress still cannot pass a bill to curb sexual harassment on Capitol Hill, this is an important law for evening the playing field for many in the workplace.

Women have the right to ZERO FIR, which means a woman can register a complaint in any police station or registered post at any time. Even if the woman chooses to lodge an FIR in a police station that is not in their area, the police officers cannot deny it. It will simply be transferred to the correct area. This is a law every woman should be aware of because sometimes a woman has a complaint to file and she may not be aware that she can file it no matter where she is located. It’s important that every woman knows her rights to make things more convenient.

Any rape victim or any woman who has been a victim of sexual assault has the right to free legal aid under the Legal Services Authority Act of 1987. The Legal Authority will arrange a lawyer for the victim if the victim chooses to accept free legal aid for their case. This is a law every woman should be aware of because any woman who has survived rape or sexual assault should not have to pay for legal aid unless they wish to do so. This law allows these women free help, so they can recover without extra expense and hopefully get justice for the crime committed.

One of the laws every woman should be aware of is that it is illegal to arrest and code a woman at night—before sunrise and after sunset. If the case is very serious, then according to criminal procedure, a woman can be arrested in the order of the district magistrate, but otherwise, a woman cannot be arrested except during daylight hours.

If a woman cannot physically get herself to the police station to lodge an FIR, then she has the right to file a virtual complaint through email or by posting a letter to the police station. These virtual complaints are given to the Senior House Officer once received by the police station. Then, the police officers will go to the woman’s residence or the scene of the crime to investigate the subject of the FIR. This is a great law that every woman should be aware of because many women may not have transportation to get to the police station, especially in the cases of domestic disputes.

One of the laws every woman should be aware of is that in any case, whether it is domestic violence, the supreme court, or a small civil case, women have the right to confidentiality. She can keep her identity private if she wishes, and she can give her statement privately to the district magistrate. If she does not wish to have her name read aloud during the case, they can refer to her as “the victim.” This confidentiality law protects women, so that once the case is over, her identity remains private and she can go about her life in peace.

The fight for equal pay might just have gotten a little easier for some of you. The right to equal pay is a very important law today that protects women in the workplace. This law requires that women receive equal pay to men in the same company and same position as her. In many companies today and for decades in the past, women have not received equal pay, and it’s important that women fight for their equal rights in the workplace.

There was an amendment act added in the Hindu Succession Act, which gives women the same rights to ancestral property as her brother. Women can now demand her fair share of property at any time from her male relatives, such as her father or brother. This is an important law for women, specifically for women born in patriarchal societies who may never have received rights to their family land, because their male relatives were always seen as the more superior family members.

The right to untimely, or delayed, registration applies to victims of sexual assault. No woman can be denied the right to register a complaint of sexual assault, even if the complaint is not filed right after the incident. However, the woman would need to explain why she has waited to file the complaint. This is not only one of the laws every woman should be aware of, but one of the many things we need to understand about reporting sex crimes in order to take a more proactive approach to protecting victims.

All of these are laws every woman should be aware of so that she can stay protected out in the world. Always be cautious and stay informed, ladies!