Anthropocene India: Stemming the Tide of Gender-Based Violence

Gender equality signifies a higher level of human development indices and reflects a nation's overall human rights records. The Paris Protocols of Agenda-2030 stipulate Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for all sex and age groups of Hom sapiens. The level and degree of gender inequality during the Anthropocene epoch (1950 onwards) are gradually mounting in India as per the available data. Gender-based violence (GBV) covered under SDG-5 has adversely impacted the social, economic, political, and cultural structure of society resulting in the erosion of liberty, equality, dignity, and freedom especially for weaker sections.

The present work involves the quantitative and qualitative investigation of their condition in patriarchal and feudal society, underlying socio-demographic factors abetting physical violence, frequency of occurrence and their social consequences, and various factors contributing directly and indirectly to that deplorable status of girl child, women, and LGBT community. The article correlates distinct features of the Anthropocene epoch like climate challenges, global warming, mean sea level rise, and environmental degradations contributing to gender inequality and GBV. The complete lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic accompanied by supply chain distortions and loss of livelihood of millions of Indians has aggravated social problems like dowry and rape cases, intimate partner violence, kidnapping, gambling, drinking, and drug trafficking.

The Authors focus on steps towards achieving gender equality and girl-child empowerment (SDG-5) during the Anthropocene epoch through social, economic, and legal means for building equal and equitable societal order.