International Men’s Day 2025: Activists Call For Gender-Neutral Laws As CSMT Lights Up Blue To Highlight Men’s Issues

Mumbai, Nov 19: 'Show men some love; so not fair', a decade-old jingle to sell a deodorant, found an afterlife on November 19, unofficially observed as 'International Men's Day' across the world, summing up what many members of the male species said was the lackadaisical interest in the day.

CSMT Lit in Blue to Mark the Day

The Central Railway was among the institutions that acknowledged the day. The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) was bathed in blue light on Wednesday evening, as the building is traditionally lit in pink on Women's Day, to commemorate the occasion.

Groups advocating gender-neutral laws used social media and small gatherings on Wednesday to call for changes in laws enacted to protect women, but are sometimes misused to harass men.

Activists Seek Gender-Neutral Laws

Jai Vishwakarma from Save Indian Family Foundation said that section 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), created to protect women against dowry harassment and domestic violence (now replaced by sections 85 and 86 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, has been called 'legal terrorism' by the Supreme Court.

"There are multiple laws to protect women from domestic violence, though there are perpetrators from both sides. For instance, the Domestic Violence Act (Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005) covers a range of abuses, including physical, sexual, emotional, verbal, and economic. But complaints under the law can be filed only by women," said Vishwakarma.

Petition Withdrawn After Supreme Court Direction

Vishwakarma stated that the Domestic Violence Act, although a short piece of legislation, grants broad powers to the courts and magistrates. "We filed a petition earlier this year in the Supreme Court for changes in the law, but we were asked to withdraw it and were told that we have to apply to the legislature to make the law. This was despite the power the court has to lay down guidelines in the absence of a law."

NCMIndia Council Seeks Legal Equality for Men

K D Jha, founder-director of NCMIndia Council for Men Affairs, a support group for men in situations of domestic abuse, said that while they are not opposing laws that protect women from domestic abuse and harassment at workplaces, they are campaigning for gender-neutral laws. According to Jha, India replicated laws in the West to create the Domestic Violence Act.

"Other countries have since then moved forward and have replaced the word 'woman' in the law with 'spouse'. However, we still have the old legislation," said Jha, who runs in Delhi what he said is the only shelter in India for men seeking counselling and temporary accommodation in situations of domestic violence and false accusations of violence.

Advocates Say Laws Must Protect All Genders

Jha said that the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act of 2013 (POSH Act) is another law that needs to be made gender-neutral. "Some private companies have made their own guidelines to help men in similar situations. However, the law does not recognise these interventions by private groups," stated Jha.

Another glaring discrimination that men face, added Jha, is the absence of a law to protect men from rape. "Section 377 of the IPC, which protected men from sexual assault, no longer exists. Special laws protect children, but once a man turns 18, he has no protection," said Jha. "The judicial process is too slow to investigate misuse of laws. Divorce is hard to obtain as courts discourage divorce. Men feel neglected."

Women’s Groups Say Women Still Face Majority of Abuse Cases

Groups helping women in situations of domestic abuse said that special laws are needed to protect women who have faced violence historically. According to Zakia Soman of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, for every 100 cases of domestic violence against women, there is less than one incident where men are victims.

Blue Lights at CSMT Symbolise Call for Attention

The blue lights on CSMT are one way to get attention on the issue, said Amit Despande, founder-member of Vaastav Foundation, a men's rights advocacy group. Deshpande spent three years convincing the Central Railway to commemorate International Men's Day in a way similar to International Women's Day. The railways finally agreed in 2017.

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"The world has been observing this day for the last 20 years. Still, men's issues do not get attention," said Desphande, who was among the men who stood at the 'selfie point' opposite CSMT.

There was a demand for the creation of an organisation on the lines of women's commission to look at issues faced by men.

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