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{{short description|Indian women's rights activist and lawyer}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{Advert|date=June 2021}}
{{BLP sources|date=September 2014}}}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox writer 
| name = Flavia Agnes
| image =
| imagesize =
| caption =
| birth_date =
| birth_place = [[Mumbai]], India
| occupation = {{csv|Lawyer|activist|author|lecturer}}
| genre =
| website = {{URL|http://www.majlislaw.com/}}
}}

'''Flavia Agnes''' is an Indian women's rights lawyer<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |last=McGuire |first=Kristin |date=2010 |title=Becoming Feminist Activists: Comparing Narratives |journal=Feminist Narratives |volume=36 |pages=99–125}}</ref> with expertise in marital, divorce, and property law.<ref name="Afternoon">{{cite news|url=http://www.afternoondc.in/interview/i-think-i-have-done-pretty-well-as-flavia-agnes/article_49420|title=I think I have done pretty well as Flavia Agnes|date=5 March 2012|access-date=16 September 2014|archive-date=6 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140906172108/http://www.afternoondc.in/interview/i-think-i-have-done-pretty-well-as-flavia-agnes/article_49420|url-status=dead}}</ref> She has published articles in the journals ''Subaltern Studies'', ''[[Economic and Political Weekly]]'', and ''[[Manushi]].'' She writes on themes of minorities and law, gender and law, law in the context of women's movements,<ref>{{cite news|title=Dr. Flavia Agnes to Speak on "Women's Rights and Legal Advocacy in India"|url=http://international.wisc.edu/blog/index.php/2009/11/03/dr-flavia-agnes-to-speak-on-womens-rights-and-legal-advocacy-in-india-event-november-10/|access-date=16 September 2014|publisher=University of Wisconsin-Madison|date=3 November 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150910073151/http://international.wisc.edu/blog/index.php/2009/11/03/dr-flavia-agnes-to-speak-on-womens-rights-and-legal-advocacy-in-india-event-november-10/|archive-date=10 September 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> and on issues of domestic violence, feminist jurisprudence, and minority rights.<ref name=":1" /> She is also a lecturer.

==Early life==
Flavia Agnes was born in [[Mumbai]], India, in 1947. She grew up in [[Mangalore]], [[Karnataka]], where she lived with her maternal aunt. Her parents lived in [[Aden]], [[Aden Colony]] with her four sisters and a brother, who died at an early age. Agnes was the only one among her siblings to stay in Mangalore.<ref name=":1" /> She studied in a Kannada-medium school until the 10th grade. On the eve of her [[Secondary School Certificate|Secondary School Certificate (SSC)]] exams, her aunt died in her sleep and Agnes went to Aden, where she joined her parents. Following her father's death, she took up a job as a typist in a post office to help support her family. She returned to Mangalore <ref name=LMKhan>{{cite news|last1=Khan|first1=Parizaad|title=Freedom from abuse|url=http://www.livemint.com/Leisure/qsv7oc2UcMNGyZYgz4tKLI/Freedom-from-abuse--Flavia-Agnes.html|access-date=16 September 2014|date=14 August 2009}}</ref> with her mother and sisters when she was 20.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=Interview with Flavia Agnes, women's rights lawyer and feminist legal scholar {{!}} IDR |url=https://idronline.org/features/social-justice/interview-with-flavia-agnes-womens-rights-lawyer-and-feminist-legal-scholar/ |access-date=2024-01-02 |website=India Development Review |language=en-US}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Soon after they returned to India, her mother urged her to have an [[arranged marriage]].<ref name=":1" /> Her marriage was a "wreck" and she was mentally and physically abused.<ref name=":2" /> In 1980, Agnes became involved with a women's movement in Mumbai and with the support of the women in the group, she ended her marriage after 13 years. As a Christian, Agnes was not entitled to "divorce on the grounds of cruelty" under the [[Christian Personal Law|Christian Marriage Act]] and had to ask for a [[judicial separation]].<ref name="LMKhan" />

Agnes had three children with her husband, and following her divorce, she took custody of her two daughters and sent them to a boarding school. She sold her jewellery to buy a small house in Borivali, Mumbai.<ref name=":2" /> The church provided an outlet for Agnes to become an activist.<ref name=":1" /> She became inspired by church lecturers and external speakers,<ref name=":1" /> particularly one entitled: "Christ the Radical" that covered the [[anti-rape movement]].<ref name=":1" /> This event in particular led to Agnes joining the [[Forum against Oppression of Women]]<ref name=":1" />

==Education==
Prior to her marriage, Agnes had only completed her SSC exams. Agnes' greater involvement in the women's movement led her to study further to obtain meaningful employment, live independently and secure custody of her children. As a result, Agnes completed the [[Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey Women's University|Shreemati Nathibai Damodar Thackersey Women's University (SNDT)]] entrance exam and completed a [[Bachelor of Arts|Bachelor of Arts (BA)]] in [[Sociology]] with Distinction in 1980.<ref name=LMKhan/>

Agnes then completed an [[LLB]] in 1988 and began to practice law at the [[Bombay High Court|Mumbai High Court]]. She later completed her [[Master of Laws|LLM]] from [[Mumbai University]] in 1992.<ref name=LMKhan/> She received an [[MPhil]] from [[National Law School of India University|National Law School of India University, Bangalore (NLSIU)]] in 1997. For her thesis, which was later published by [[Oxford University Press]], she worked on law and gender equality, examining the politics of personal laws in different religious communities, particularly those affecting women.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

== Career ==

=== Law ===
Agnes began working in the field of [[women in law]] in the 1980s, at the beginning of the second phase of the women's movement,<ref name=":0" /> and since 1988, Agnes has been a practicing lawyer at the [[Mumbai High Court]]. Her own experience with domestic violence inspired her to become a women's rights lawyer.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Agnes |first1=Flavia |last2=Douglas |first2=Carol Anne |last3=Henry |first3=Alice |date=May 1988 |title=Interview: Feminism in India: Violence, Trades |journal=Off Our Backs |volume=18 |issue=5 |pages=4–5 |jstor=25796296}}</ref> She also advises the government on law implementation and currently advises the [[Ministry of Women and Child Development]] in [[Maharashtra]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Chowdhary |first1=Seema |title=Indian Lawyer Overcomes Domestic Abuse to Defend Women's Rights |work=Global Press Journal |agency=India News Desk |issue=24 May 2013 |url=http://www.globalpressjournal.com/asia/india/indian-lawyer-overcomes-domestic-abuse-defend-women/page/0/1 |url-status=dead |access-date=16 September 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318234319/http://globalpressjournal.com/asia/india/indian-lawyer-overcomes-domestic-abuse-defend-women/page/0/1 |archive-date=18 March 2015}}</ref>

As a [[lawyer]], she is concerned with [[women's rights]], particularly women's [[Economic inequality|economic]] rights. Her goal is to solve women's [[Social inequality|inequality]] and impoverishment within the Indian economic structure, especially regarding [[Property|property ownership]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Shodhan|first=Amrita|date=2000|editor-last=Agnes|editor-first=Flavia|title=Women, Personal Laws and the Changing Juridical Practice|jstor=4409145|journal=Economic and Political Weekly|volume=35|issue=15|pages=1259–1261}}</ref> She acknowledges that some [[Hindu]] women were not allowed any property, and other women were allowed a small amount in the pre-colonial and civil time in India under the British law.<ref name=":0" /> Women eventually gained more independence before marriage, but not in the sense of property law.<ref name=":0" />

=== Teaching ===
Subsequent to her M.Phil., Agnes became a guest faculty at NLSIU. She is also a member of the visiting faculty at [[National Academy of Legal Studies and Research|National Academy of Legal Studies and Research, Hyderabad (NALSAR)]] and [[Jindal Global Law School]]. She has also taught in medical schools.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

=== MAJLIS ===
Along with [[Madhusree Dutta|Madhushree Dutta]], Agnes is the co-founder of MAJLIS, meaning 'association' in Arabic, "a legal and cultural resource centre."<ref name="Status of Indian Women's Rights">{{cite news |last1=Vincent |first1=Subramaniam |date=1 June 2004 |title=Status of Indian Women's Rights |agency=India Together |url=http://indiatogether.org/movement-women |access-date=16 September 2014}}</ref> that campaigns for and provides legal representation for women on issues such as matrimonial rights and child custody.<ref>{{cite web |title=Flavia Agnes |url=https://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/people/flavia-agnes |website=berkleycenter.georgetown.edu |language=en}}</ref> Since its inception in 1990, MAJLIS has provided legal services for 50,000 women.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Jaisingani |first1=Bella |date=20 June 2011 |title=Once victim overcomes fear, half the battle's won |publisher=Bennet, Coleman & Co. Ltd. |agency=Times News Network |issue=Times of India |url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Once-victim-overcomes-fear-half-the-battles-won/articleshow/8920548.cms |access-date=16 September 2014}}</ref>

== Recognition ==
In August 2018 Power Brands awarded Agnes the Bharatiya Manavata Vikas Puraskar for her work with marginalized and disenfranchised women and children, her contributions to feminist jurisprudence, human rights law and gender studies in India, and for the work of her organisation, Majlis.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.centralchronicle.com/daily-india-media-recognizes-13-indian-stalwarts-with-bharatiya-manavata-vikas-puraskar-2018.html|title=Daily India media recognizes 13 Indian stalwarts with Bharatiya Manavata Vikas Puraskar 2018|date=5 September 2018|access-date=10 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190509093532/https://www.centralchronicle.com/daily-india-media-recognizes-13-indian-stalwarts-with-bharatiya-manavata-vikas-puraskar-2018.html|archive-date=9 May 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On Saturday, February 10th, Agnes was awarded the 'Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer Lifetime Achievement Award' in Udaipur for her exceptional contributions.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-02-13 |title=Adv. Flavia Agnes awarded the prestigious "Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer Lifetime Achievement Award" |url=https://udaipurtimes.com/people/adv-flavia-agnes-awarded-dr-asghar-ali-lifetime-award/cid13568293.htm |access-date=2024-02-20 |website=udaipurtimes.com |language=hi}}</ref>

==Views==
===Death penalty===
While death in the Indian judiciary system is handed out in cases described as "rarest of rare", Agnes and her team of lawyers at MAJLIS have been prominent critics of the [[Capital punishment|death penalty]] and oppose it for all cases.
Sometimes their opposition has been controversial, as they opposed it for the accused in both the [[Nirbhaya|Nirbhaya case]] and the [[Shakti Mills gang rape|Shakti Mills]] case. Agnes talks of a class bias when it comes to convicting those accused of rape, and points out that as per the rules of [https://indianexpress.com/article/what-is/what-is-section-376e-of-the-indian-penal-code-repeat-rape-offender-death-penalty-5762143/#:~:text=Under%20section%20376E%20of%20the,life%20or%20sentenced%20to%20death.&text=11%3A52%20pm-,Under%20section%20376E%20of%20the%20IPC%2C%20a%20repeat%20rape%20offender,life%20or%20sentenced%20to%20death. Section 376E] (which allows death penalty for cases of rape) the accused must be "unrepentant repeat offenders". In both the aforementioned cases, that was not the case and, according to Agnes, this type of judgement serves to "dilute" the 'rarest of rare' premise.
Agnes is also against the concept that rape is worse than death or that a woman who is raped is a "zinda laash" (walking dead)<ref>{{cite news|last1=Tatke|first1=Sukhada|title=Opinions divided on Shakti Mills case|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/opinions-divided-on-shakti-mills-verdict/article5872943.ece|access-date=16 September 2014|work=The Hindu|date=5 April 2014}}</ref> pointing out that not only does this concept demean women but if rape is equated with murder, "more women will be killed after they are raped. Even worse, fewer women will report rape, particularly if it is committed by a near and dear one."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Agnes|first1=Flavia|title=Why I oppose death penalty for rapists|url=http://www.mumbaimirror.com/mumbai/cover-story/Opinion-Why-I-oppose-death-for-rapists/articleshow/33250078.cms|access-date=16 September 2014|work=Mumbai Mirror|publisher=Bennet, Coleman & Co. Ltd.|date=5 April 2014}}</ref>

=== Sexual assault of men ===
Agnes has voiced opposition to making rape laws gender neutral, expounding that criminalizing rape of men "harm women more than men" and also said "we [women's groups] opposed it when they made [[Child sexual abuse|child rape]] laws gender neutral."<ref>{{Cite web|date=July 20, 2012|title=Cabinet nod to make rape gender-neutral riles women's groups|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Activists-oppose-making-rape-gender-neutral/articleshow/15049606.cms|access-date=2020-06-13|website=The Times of India|language=en}}</ref>

== The Global Feminisms Project ==
Flavia Agnes is a part of the [[Global Feminisms Project]], an archive created in 2002 to explore women scholars and activists around the world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://globalfeminisms.umich.edu/|title=Welcome to Global Feminisms at the University of Michigan {{!}} Global Feminisms at the University of Michigan|website=globalfeminisms.umich.edu|language=en|access-date=2018-03-07}}</ref> The initial Project focused on four countries: [[China]], India, [[Poland]], and the [[United States]], and was headed by the [[University of Michigan]]'s Abigail Stewart, Jayati Lal, and Kristin McGuire. Three additional country sites ([[Nicaragua]], [[Brazil]] and [[Russia]]) have been added. The project currently consists of seven countries and 79 [[interviews]]. The interviews are focused on the women's experiences and their feminist activism.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{Wikiquote}}
* [[POCSO]]
* [http://www.asianage.com/flavia-agnes-668 Articles by Flavia Agnes] at ''[[The Asian Age]]''
* [http://indianexpress.com/profile/author/flavia-agnes/ Articles by Flavia Agnes] at ''[[The Indian Express]]''
* [http://www.thehindu.com/profile/author/flavia-agnes/ Articles by Flavia Agnes] at ''[[The Hindu]]''
* [http://www.epw.in/authors/flavia-agnes Articles by Flavia Agnes] at ''[[Economic and Political Weekly]]''

==External links==
* [http://majlislaw.com/en/top/about-us/flavia-agnes-bio-data/ Majlis] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210506230705/http://majlislaw.com/en/top/about-us/flavia-agnes-bio-data/ |date=6 May 2021 }}
* [https://globalfeminisms.umich.edu/ The Global Feminisms Project]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Agnes, Flavia}}
[[Category:1947 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian women's rights activists]]
[[Category:Scholars from Mumbai]]
[[Category:SNDT Women's University alumni]]
[[Category:University of Mumbai alumni]]
[[Category:Women educators from Maharashtra]]
[[Category:Educators from Maharashtra]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian lawyers]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian women lawyers]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian lawyers]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women lawyers]]

Flavia Agnes - Revision history

PGPS at 05:50, 10 October 2025