The world is passing through COVID-19 pandemic that has transformed many things in our lives. While NCW has not left any stone unturned to establish that the pandemic has worsened women’s situation in homes and society, it went on to the extent to claim that even children staying at home due to pandemic related lockdown are additional torture for women resulting in increased domestic violence against women; nothing has changed for men in any sphere except the steep increase in responsibilities of men in the role of their traditional role of ‘protector’ and ‘provider’.
Our culture has always been proud of sons like Shravan Kumar, who, to fulfil his old aged, blind and poor parents took them on a pilgrimage carrying them on his shoulder in two baskets tied on either side of the bamboo stick and became the prey of Dashrath’s arrow while trying to get water from a river, to quench his parent’s thirst. It is unfortunate that even in these trying times of COVID-19 when today’s Shravan Kumars are trying to save their old aged parents from any sort of infection they are vulnerable to due to their age and battling at the same time to take care of their family and children, and profession, they along with parents are being targeted and dragged in ever-growing new disputes of gender-biased issues at the behest of uninterrupted gender politics from the feminists.
The fundamental failure of understanding ‘men too are human’ on the part of our gynocentric and misandric society has reduced the status of men to be second to women in terms of rights and chances of opportunity of being heard at any platform including the courts.
Furthermore, the historically enforced, still deliberately ignored and unrecognised characterization of men as the protector and provider in every possible sphere has led to the marginalization of common men even more in COVID times.
The Concerns
We at Save Indian Family Movement know who we are, our mission is clear with an unbreakable will; no virus can touch our souls; no deluge can dampen our strength as long as we are alive!
Daaman and all the brother NGOs working under the umbrella of Save Indian Family Movement have been working for the cause of innocent men with their help on-call service with our men's helpline number 8882-498-498 and weekly meetings in around 50 cities across the country! Weekly meetings have been the backbone of the movement, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that with these weekly meetings across the country we also undertake the minimum level of persistent activism required to bring as much awareness in the society as possible.
But, with numerous men approaching us on helpline not being able to meet in person; with many men not aware enough to share their documents on emails and helplessness of not being able to meet us for help, several men who could not approach us due to lack of awareness and thereby falling prey to the police atrocities and facing coercive court orders, my observations during these times when our weekly meetings are under suspension owing to COVID-19 precautions aren't pleasant for me to say the least. I feel helpless despite my best efforts when I see COVID-19 magnifying suicidal impulses in innocent men!
What Next?
In a scenario where the whole workplace around the world has evolved swiftly, even the most conventional organisations have adapted overnight; where for feminists, there is NCW and a dedicated ministry to paddle their hollow propaganda, irrespective of where the global health scenario stands; for men, I feel that we need to evolve with new ways of activism to reach maximum mass especially considering today's changing global health scenario revolving around numerous precautions.
As the COVID-19 reboots global workplace trends, men's rights leaders and activists need to rethink and gear up our ground presence and activism plans, mass reaching strategies and executions for the year 2021.
It’s time to challenge the limits posed to us in these trying times, not limit ourselves to challenges.