Workshop Report: Shaping Law. Shaping Gender – Experiences from India, 11th till 13th October 2018, Berlin

The developments in India since the new millennium have shown that gender equality is a topic in constant flux and dynamic change. In recent years, the Indian Parliament has passed key legislations on maternity benefits, surrogacy, HIV/Aids prevention, sexual harassment in the workplace, and amendments to the criminal law with respect to gendered violence. The Indian Supreme Court has of late delivered landmark judgments on the rights of gay and transgender people and Muslim women. In addition to the Supreme Court and the Parliament, other actors have also had a very significant role to play in legal and societal changes in India: For instance, the Law Commission of India, civil society actors such as women's rights organisations or the LGBTIQ movements, interest groups such as the Mumbai bar dancers, non-state dispute resolution systems such as Shariat courts, Khap panchayats or "women's courts" and religious organisations such as the All India Muslim Personal Law Board have all impacted the development of India's legal landscape.