Zürcher Nachrichten - Tamil Nadu Plans District Safe Houses for Couples Facing Caste Violence

The Tamil Nadu government has decided to create a safe house in each district to protect people and families who are vulnerable to or have survived so-called honour killings, caste killings and related violence.

Social Justice Minister Vanni Arasu announced the decision in the Assembly on Friday. He said it followed the Supreme Court judgment in Shakti Vahini v. Union of India and representations submitted by survivors and activists.

Kausalya Shankar, an activist who survived a caste killing in which her husband Shankar was murdered, welcomed the policy as historic. She thanked the TVK-led government of Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and the Social Justice Minister.

Kausalya said couples who marry against their parents’ wishes frequently have nowhere safe to stay. Based on her own experience, she said such a facility could provide crucial protection and might have saved her husband. She also welcomed the government’s announcement that it would legislate against caste killings.

Anti-caste activist and filmmaker Geeta Ilangovan described the shelter plan as a lifeline, particularly for women who survive attacks in which their husbands are killed. Such survivors can face grief, isolation and difficulty rebuilding their lives while also pursuing a legal case.

Ilangovan said a safe house could provide more than temporary accommodation by offering a secure place from which a survivor could restore her livelihood and continue seeking justice without fear.

Evidence Kathir, another anti-caste activist, said implementation and oversight would determine whether the new system works. Tamil Nadu created special cells and a 24-hour helpline in 2018 for couples in inter-caste marriages facing harassment or threats, but he said those arrangements had not functioned properly.

Kathir urged the government to ensure that safe houses are not used to pressure couples into abandoning their marriages. He said the institutions should focus on protecting lives and should operate under direct court monitoring.

R.Bernasconi--NZN