Lokayukta calls for legal awareness among women

Justice B Subhashan Reddy, Lokayukta exhorted AP Commission for Women to strive for creating awareness on various laws and acts that were enacted for protection of women rights. Women of the country have been deprived of their rights although Article 14 states that all persons are equal, he added. He was speaking at a oneday interactive workshop on 'women-challenges to overcome' organised at Jubilee Hall on Saturday.

Women and Child Welfare Minister Sunitha Lakshma Reddy, newly appointed chairperson of AP Commission for Women Dr Tripurana Venkataratnam and its members besides members of several women organisations and NGOs took part. The workshop was held to collect inputs that would later be incorporated by the commission, in the vision plan for the next five years.

Dr Tripurana Venkataratnam pointed out that the present commission would focus not only on empowerment of women but also on their growth and development. According to her, these measures would help in bringing down atrocities against women. The commission is also determined to bring about attitude change about discriminatory practices, she added.

Recommendations of women activists

Women mainly recommended speedy and fair justice related to domestic violence and sexual harassment. They recommended appointing of rank officers as protection officers at mandal level and establishing mobile vans to record sexual harassment cases, register FIRs and provide medical and counseling assistance under the jurisdiction of every police station. They also recommended protecting the girl child through strengthening anganwadis and watch groups, by exposing doctors who conduct gender determination tests and by providing accommodation for homeless urban deprived children.

Observing the poor conditions of women belonging to backward classes and even the women convicts who finish their sentence, only to become prostitutes as part of a huge trafficking racket, women activists recommended that strict implementation of ITPA act, in addition to prevention, rescue, action and rehabilitation measures needed to be followed. They also recommended that media must behave responsibly by censuring violence against women and by airing ads, serials and campaigns in support of the victims of violence.