Sonia calls for social revolution

Venkat Parsa

New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Saturday pitched for implementing on the ground the stringent laws recently enacted, in order to provide real security for women. Sonia Gandhi’s assertion comes at a time of growing crimes against women. Urging the people to launch a social revolution for empowering women, Sonia Gandhi said, “The most fundamental issue that the mindset and old thoughts of our society have to be changed.”

Sonia Gandhi emphasised on the need to change the mindset of the society. Giving up conservative thinking and to accord equal status to women in the society was a big challenge. A societal revolution was necessary to bring about gender equality in the society and it was the responsibility of all women that the first step for this should be started from our very homes, Sonia said.

Addressing a gathering at the launch of the Ahimsa Messenger Scheme under Women and Child Development Ministry, under which volunteers would be created to spread awareness on women's issues, the Congress president said, “We realise that by just making laws and announcing policies would not be enough to empower women. Along with it, policies and laws will have to be implemented properly on the ground. We should end all acts of violence against women and initiate all steps so that women feel safe and become fearless, empowered and they are given respect.”

To deal with various forms of harassment and violence against women, the government had enacted various laws such as the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013, Prevention of Sexual Harassment at Workplace Act, 2013, and Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012. The Food Security Bill would provide nutritional security to the pregnant women, lactating mothers and small children, she said.