Awareness prog held

SHILLONG, AUG 10: A One day Legal Awareness programme was organized by the Meghalaya State Commission for Women today at the Dorbar Hall, Khlieh Shnong, Sohra, which was supported by the National Commission for Women, New Delhi. The programme saw the participation of members from different women’s organisations, Anganwadi workers, college and school students as well as people residing in various villages around Sohra Civil Sub Division.

The main objective of the programme was to make women residing in the rural areas more aware of their legal rights and to reach out and educate them on various aspects of the law. It also seeks to empower and equip them with the legal knowledge to carry out basic procedures such as where to find legal aid, how to file a complaint or FIR and how to seek the help of a Protection Officer when needed.

In her keynote address, Padmashree Theilin Phanbuh, Chairperson of the Meghalaya State Commission for Women, expressed her optimism that the programme will help the women residing in rural areas to be more aware of the law and their rights. This in turn will serve as a protection against any violation of their rights or forms of abuse and discrimination against them. “As a Commission,” she reiterated, “we stand for the protection of the rights of all women.” She stated that, these days, more and more women are subject to a lot of exploitation, in particular, the single mothers, who face a lot of hardship with the extra burden of raising and taking care of their children alone. To tackle this issue, the Commission had recently completed a study on Single Mothers and they are looking for various methods and strategies on how to assist them further.

She informed that earlier, the Commission had conducted Training for Women on Entrepreneurship, in particular on the setting up of Home-stays where a number of Women from Sohra had also participated. She said that they would continue to conduct such trainings so as to promote more women in taking up entrepreneurial projects which would empower and uplift the economic condition of women residing in the region. In conclusion, she encouraged the women to approach the Commission for any assistance when faced with any challenges or discrimination, be it in the form of violation of basic rights or exploitation in any form.

Later, the technical session saw presentations and speeches from different experts working in the field of women and gender issues.  Smt. Rebina Subba, Advocate, spoke on the topic of Women and the Indian Constitution focusing on Women and Family Law. Smt. Annie Sohtun, Coordinator, MSCW, highlighted the participants on the PWDV Act 2005. The session on Child Marriage Act was taken by Smt. I. Tariang, Member Secretary, MSCW. Other topics of the technical session included the POCSO Act, Criminal Law and Women and Legal Procedural Guidelines.

By Our Reporter