This discussion featured Muhammad Khan and was moderated by Professor Shareen Joshi of the School of Foreign Service. It focused on the challenges of developing legislation that would protect female victims in India in light of traditional mindsets, religious diversity, and economic and educational disparity.
According to Khan, drafting comprehensive legislation of this type for a country as vast as India is an exceptionally challenging undertaking. In an attempt to combat existing gender asymmetry, legislation is written with the goal of protecting women by ensuring that accused perpetrators of violence are presumed guilty until proven innocent. He discussed the sensitive and challenging issue of marital rape and explained the obstacles legislators face when addressing the issue due to long-standing power imbalances between men and women in traditional Indian societies. Khan acknowledged the potential threat of laws being misapplied, but he emphasized that the goal of legislation is to maximize benefits for the greatest number of people.Muhammad Khan is the former aide to India's Minister of Environment and Forests, and he was a leading advocate for legislation creating the National Green Tribunal.
Shareen Joshi is an assistant professor in Georgetown's School of Foreign Service and an expert on poverty alleviation, demographic change, and women's issues in the developing world.