Clan Councils Perpetuate Abuses of Women’s Rights in India
While there is pressure to change the abuses of women’s rights and the patriarchal structure in India, in villages across the country there are still egregious abuses of rights. Elected village bodies were instituted by the government in 1992, but there is still a great influence from unelected clan councils. These clan councils often enforce honor codes or break up relationships between members of different castes. There are many stories of women’s rights abuses perpetuated and approved by such councils, including the recent whipping of a girl for admitting to having been raped by her father.