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Report on the National Symposium on Re-Defining gender Equality

On the bright and hopeful day of 8th March 2020, Conference Hall, City Civil Court Complex was filled with Judicial officers, Member-Secretaries, Court Officials, advocates and participants from various institutions across India take be a part of the one-day National Symposium on Re-Defining gender Equality. This event was organised on International Women's Day i.e 8th March 2020.

A new wave of intellectual thinking and legal interpretation in lieu of the dynamic issues under grey area was witnessed.

Centre of Excellence for Women, Child and the Law (CEWCL), IFIM Law School in association with Lahari Advocates Forum conducted a National symposium on Re-defining Gender Equality where over 37 participants presented their papers before an invigorating panel. The topics that were dealt by the participants fell under three broad heads:

• The Right to Speedy, Fair Justice
• Procedural Safeguards and
• The Right to Sexual Orientation.

The entire event witnessed galaxy of subject experts in their relevant areas such as Hon'ble Justice BV Nagarathna, Ms. P Anu Chengappa, Shri. V. Shrishananda, Prof. Shagufta Anjum, P. Krishna Bhatt, Mr. Shivnanda Perla, Ms. Sarah Fathima, Dr. Corinne Kumar, Dr. Rizwana Iqbal, Ms. Krithika Balu.

HON'BLE MRS. JUSTICE B.V. NAGARATHNA
Judge, High Court of Karnataka
President, Karnataka Judicial Academy
Administrative Judge, Bengaluru Rural District

SHRI. V. SRISHANANDA
Principal District and Session Judge,
Chairman – District Legal Services Authority, Bengaluru Rural

MS. P. ANU CHENGAPPA
President, Lahari Advocates Forum

SHRI. P KRISHNA BHAT
Presiding Officer
Karnataka State Transport Appellate Tribunal

MS. SARAH FATHIMA
Deputy Commissioner of Police,
Traffic North Division,
Bengaluru City

DR. CORINNE KUMAR
Co-Founder Vimochana Forum for Human Rights
& International Coordinator, World Courts of Women

MR. SHIVANANDA PERLA
Public Prosecutor
CBI, Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB), Bengaluru

DR. RIZWANA IQBAL
Director Embrace Fertility Centre
Prime Care Hospital Bengaluru

MS. KRITHIKA BALU
Human Rights Lawyer

The topics dealt with by the participants were riveting and thought-provoking and the panellists were quite stirred by the issues put forward by the students. Contemporary issues were dealt with keeping in mind the age-old societal practices and stigmas that shroud our community and suggestions regarding how Law can play a lead role in bringing about changes in the Society.

Some of the pertinent issues such as rights of the Transgender community, right to abortion, reproductive organ autonomy, infertility, Surrogacy, Victim Rights, right to speedy justice keeping in mind fair justice, procedural safeguards for victims and practice of female genital mutation (FGM) were discussed. These topics ignited the minds of the audience and there was a spark across the room about the changes that need to be brought in the Judicial system to overcome such grave injustice.

Though being Women's day, there were a good number of men who were present at the event which shows the development and growth we, India as a country are having. It is a great win for the entire community as we head towards a much more equal society, where there is no discrimination based on gender, caste, religion or region.

#EachforEqual – An Equal world is an enabled world