I have also never heard or read about a woman filing a court case against her father or brother to regain her financial rights.

Likewise, I have never come across an incident of a woman encroaching government or private lands or taking over a family business through force or intimidation. I have never seen or read about a woman issuing a bad check. There is also no example of a woman misusing her husband’s name to secure a commercial license.

I have never heard of a woman taking a bank loan in her husband's, father's or son’s name. There has also not been a single instance in which any of our women have misused newspapers to circulate information that she was denied her financial rights, either because of a dispute or any other matter. This is the summary of some of the financial rights that our women have been denied.

Our harshness toward and exploitation of women is on a large scale. However, I would like to point out that I am in no way generalizing that we are depriving women all of their rights. On the other hand, I can say that we are taking some of these rights without justification. Our women are exploited by their fathers, husbands and brothers. If we examine court files, we can see that many women are denied inheritance, at times on flimsy grounds.

There are many fathers or husbands who exploit women by forcibly and unjustly taking possession of their salaries. Some parents are even unwilling to let their employed daughters marry fearing they would lose access to their salaries. Some men seek employed wives and do not want to marry unemployed women simply because they find the salaries attractive. This is the mentality of many men looking for brides.

I am not asking who is responsible for this. My focus is on the attitude of considering women sources of wealth that can be exploited. Even banks do not easily provide women with loans. Banks have certain conditions for men. However, when it comes to women, then the conditions are rather arbitrary.

These are the salient features of the changing scenario of our day-to-day life. Why have I illustrated this painful picture, as it could sometimes lead to women being harassed, physically assaulted, mentally tortured and deprived of their rights further?

Perhaps it is the case that our women are generally not in a position to approach courts or lodge complaints against their fathers, husbands or other members of their families due to social and bureaucratic reasons. Who will safeguard the financial rights of women and protect them against injustice and people who behave in a partisan fashion when it comes to women's rights?

There are laws as well as courts to protect women. However, those who exercise power at home are the main villains. They use all sorts of tactics to persecute women.

It is therefore essential to encourage a culture of restoring the financial rights of women and making them aware that they need not be exploited. This culture should be of a type that enables women to assert their rights just like men and not be classed as outsiders.

We also treat women violently. A culture of silence, traditions and customs stand in the way of allowing women to enjoy their rights. Who is there to ring the alarm bells?