Flavia Agnes Quotes

Flavia Agnes is an Indian women's rights lawyer with expertise in marital, divorce and property law. She has written and published numerous articles, some of which have appeared in the journals Subaltern Studies, Economic and Political Weekly, and Manushi. She writes on themes of minorities and the law, gender and law, law in the context of women's movements, and on issues of domestic violence, feminist jurisprudence, and minority rights.

Flavia Agnes began working in the field of women in law in the 1980s, which was at the beginning of the second phase of the women's movement, and since 1988, Agnes has been a practicing lawyer at the Mumbai High Court. Her own experience with domestic violence inspired her to become a women's rights lawyer. She also advises the government on law implementation and currently advises the Ministry of Women and Child Development in Maharashtra.

Along with Madhushree Dutta, Agnes is the co-founder of MAJLIS, meaning 'association' in Arabic, "a legal and cultural resource centre" that campaigns for and provides legal representation for women on issues of matrimonial rights, child custody etc. Since its inception in 1990, MAJLIS has provided legal services for 50,000 women, many of them destitute, and counseled three times as many. Wikipedia  

✵ 1947
Flavia Agnes: 9   quotes 1   like

Famous Flavia Agnes Quotes

“It's a routine thing women go through with cops. They treat women, particularly from the lower classes or those they think of as "loose", in a very humiliating, lecherous manner.”

On the attitude of Mumbai policemen towards women, as quoted in " The Law's A Beast http://outlookindia.com/story.aspx?sid=4&aid=227327" Outlook India (9 May 2005)

“The fact that our government shouts "death sentence" and the National Commission for Women ex-chairperson follows it up by calling for castration of rapists just shows a warped belief in a weird linkage between increasingly barbaric and sensational punishments and greater liberation for womankind. If only they'd look at mundane nitty-gritties.”

On the low conviction rate in rape cases in India, as quoted in " Rape & Punishment: Will death penalty deter rapists, or make conviction even tougher? http://www.outlookindia.com/article/rape-amp-punishment/206690" Outlook India (14 December 1998)

“Dancing and singing are legitimate professions, not new to women. Banning such bars, would violate the right of these women to earn a livelihood, as laid down under Article 21 of the Constitution, as well as the right to carry on a legitimate profession under Article 19.”

On Maharashtra government's ban on dancing girls in bars, as quoted in " Razing the Bar http://www.tribuneindia.com/2005/20050430/saturday/main1.htm" The Tribune (30 April 2005)

“How are all the details relevant to the case and the actual crime? When it is a case of an upper class woman, there is a titillating curiosity and over interest in her life. Her life becomes a free for all.”

On the media attention on Indrani Mukerjea, as quoted in " The Maria Connection http://www.outlookindia.com/article/the-maria-connection/295258" Outlook India (6 September 2015)

“Sitting in a metropolis like Delhi, it’s easy to pass a judgement that laws are being misused. But we should look at the larger reality where the laws are yet to reach the minimum standards of use.”

On the claim that India's anti-dowry laws are being misused, as quoted " Women mis(using) laws to get even? http://www.tribuneindia.com/1999/99oct19/nation.htm#7" The Tribune (19 October 1999)

“All these new demands, death penalty for rape and long terms in prison for harassing women will only have the offenders roaming free because the burden of proving "beyond reasonable doubt" will become the victim's problem.”

On the proposal for stricter laws for sexual harassment, as quoted in " Sexism And The Workplace Wars http://www.outlookindia.com/article/sexism-and-the-workplace-wars/207315" Outlook India (19 April 1999)

“He does not seem to have understood the gravity of the offence. India's elite lauded the amendments to the IPC, widening the definition of rape, little realizing that they did not apply simply to lower-class men, but could affect them too. While there has been much clamour for the death penalty in cases of rape involving the lower classes, would the elite now like to apply this to themselves?”

On Tarun Tejpal's rape accusation and the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013, as quoted in " Tejpal's email apology strong documentary evidence http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Tejpals-email-apology-strong-documentary-evidence/articleshow/26224417.cms" The Times of India (23 November 2013)

“Section 497 is based on Old Testament values. It doesn't protect the rights of women, only protects the proprietorial rights of men over their wives' bodies.”

On India's adultery law, as quoted in " What The Law Says http://www.outlookindia.com/article/what-the-law-says/220011" Outlook India (5 May 2003)

“Not only is the sentence meted out to the young boys from impoverished background too harsh, but our fear is that it will set a bad precedent and serve to dilute the "rarest of rare" premise upon which a verdict of death penalty must hinge as per our criminal jurisprudence. While most countries are moving towards abolition of death penalty, this is a move in the reverse direction.”

On the verdict in the 2013 Mumbai gang rape, as quoted in " Opinion: Why I oppose death for rapists http://www.mumbaimirror.com/mumbai/cover-story/Opinion-Why-I-oppose-death-for-rapists/articleshow/33250078.cms" Mumbai Mirror (5 April 2014)

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