APNA Webinar on Beyond Exclusion: Access to Inclusive and Sustainable Gender Justice Systems
On 9 Apr 2020, APNA hosted an online session on Inclusive Gender Justice with 120+ participants. Jhalak Jain urged reimagining justice beyond punishment, critiqued protectionist laws, and stressed intersectionality for Dalit, queer, disabled & rural women, advancing community-based justice.
Access to Inclusive and Sustainable Gender Justice Systems
On 9th April 2020, the Association for Parivartan of Nation organised a live online session on the theme of Inclusive and Sustainable Gender Justice Systems. The event, hosted on Cisco Webex, brought together more than 120 participants from diverse backgrounds, including students, grassroots workers, educators, and community leaders.
The session featured Jhalak Jain, a feminist commentator and poet, who spoke powerfully on the need to reimagine justice systems through a feminist lens. Jhalak argued that a truly inclusive justice system must move beyond punishment alone, embracing rehabilitation and reformation as guiding principles. The discussion shed light on the protectionist approaches that dominate justice systems around the world. While these frameworks claim to safeguard women, they often end up reinforcing marginalisation and dependency, limiting women’s agency. As Jhalak explained,
“A justice system that seeks only to protect, without empowering, risks keeping women in the shadows. True gender justice demands liberation- not charity.”
She emphasised that justice cannot be “one-size-fits-all” and must consider the intersectional realities of women from marginalised communities- Dalit women, queer women, women with disabilities, and those living in rural poverty whose voices are often overlooked.
The interactive session saw lively engagement, with participants posing questions about restorative justice models, the role of community-based dispute resolution, and strategies to dismantle structural barriers. The session underscored the urgent need to reimagine justice frameworks in India and beyond. By moving away from protectionist and punitive models and embracing feminist principles of liberation, rehabilitation, and intersectionality, society can begin to address violence against women in more meaningful and sustainable ways. Through such initiatives, APNA reaffirms its commitment to building inclusive, intersectional, and sustainable systems of justice, where women are not merely subjects of protection but active agents of change.
