Get Inspired, Be Empowered › Forums › Sexism & Patriarchy › Has the criminalization of Triple Talaq really helped Muslim women? › Reply To: Has the criminalization of Triple Talaq really helped Muslim women?
Has the criminalization of Triple Talaq really helped Muslim women?
Yes, in my opinion, the criminalization of Triple Talaq has helped Muslim women to a great extent. It is now that they feel a little secure about their status and situation. Also, they no more feel that they are neglected or unseen by the law after the criminalization of Triple Talaq. Triple Talaq has been seen as one of the most anti-women or gender-discriminatory practices in history. Triple Talaq was actually a practice prevalent in the Muslim community by which, men could divorce their wives instantly by saying the word ‘Talaq’ three times consecutively. Once done, the divorced wife would be on her own and live by herself without any help or support from her ex-shauhar or ex-husband. This proved to be a curse for women as firstly, most of them were forbidden to work. Once divorced, their husbands would abandon them in all meanings and they would be left alone to take care of the many children they had. How is it possible for an unemployed single mother to raise her children in the best of circumstances? Also, men had multiple wives and women could neither give divorce to their husbands by ‘triple talaq,’ nor practice polygamy or speak up against these ill-practices.
Now that the Indian law has made ‘Triple Talaq’ a punishable offence, those who commit it, can be sent to prison for a term of three years, along with fine that they will be charged. It is said that those women who were divorced by their husbands by ‘Triple Talaq’ became ‘haram’ or unlawful, forbidden. In my eyes, this is clear discrimination and objectification of Muslim women. And the best part is that now the laws are much in place as compared to earlier and Protection of Rights on Marriage are looked after pretty well. This law was passed in 2017 and ‘Triple Talaq’ was declared a crime. Since then, Muslim women have had a more secure and peaceful status in their community and the society. Now, men and women both have to follow a definite procedure in order to process divorce and they both have an equal say in it. Although, polygamy still continues to be practiced in Muslims in a one-sided way, in which only men can marry multiple partners and not women. Criminalization of ‘Triple Talaq’ was still a big step taken towards equalizing genders and empowering women.
A woman myself,
Shubhangini Shaktawat