SHILLONG, JAN 30: The Meghalaya Peoples Human Rights Council (MPHRC) has called on the political leadership in Meghalaya to ensure the implementation of “ground-breaking” report of the Verma Committee, which recommends amending criminal laws to provide greater punishment for sexual violence, on a priority basis.
MPHRC secretary general Dino D. G. Dympep said the committee’s recommendations are not only a tribute to the brave young woman who was raped and murdered in Delhi five weeks back, but to all victims of sexual violence and assault in the country. “The committee’s recommendations are grounded in a framework of rights, equality and non-discrimination, and represent a paradigm shift towards recognition of women as holders of rights and not just objects of protection,” said Dympep..
The report, the MPHRC said, recommends a number of far-reaching changes, including punishment for marital rape, domestic rape and rape in same-sex relationships; mandatory provision for police officers to register every case of reported rape and punish those who fail to do so; hold police and armed forces personnel involved in sexual violence accountable; punish offences such as stalking and voyeurism with prison terms; change the humiliating protocol for medical examinations experienced by rape victims; crack down on extra-legal village councils, which often issue edicts against women; suggests comprehensive measures to improve sexuality education in schools and the community; and suggest new legal requirements and electoral reforms to ensure that people charged with criminal offences do not hold political office.
The MPHRC also noted that the report does not suggest death penalty to people convicted of sexual violence and also desist from lowering the age of juvenile perpetrators. “Instead, it recommends suitably heavy prison sentences ranging from seven years to life onwards,” said the rights body. (By Our Reporter)
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