WILLIAMNAGAR, JUNE 4: Social welfare minister Deborah Marak on Saturday asked the ngos in the state to follow operative
guidelines on sensitive issues associated with child trafficking and abuse.
Marak requested the ngos to be humane while dealing with cases related to women and children.
“We have to transform the society and ensure that our children are not abused or forced to work”, Marak asserted, while inaugurating children home for boys and girls at Williamnagar in East Garo Hills and at Resubelpara in North Garo Hills.
The social welfare department has set up home for the homeless to cater to the need of the children, who are victims of child abuse, violence, trafficking or those, who fled their homes due to some circumstances.
Marak said that if statistics of the home indicate that more children are being kept in such home, it would portray that the society is becoming dirty and corrective steps need to be taken.
Director of social welfare Hima Shangpliang said, “The children home will provide shelter, comfort and protection apart from counseling them”. He told that every district headquarter in Garo hills will have such home.
He sought people’s cooperation to come forward and report to the department on cases related to child abuse, violence and harassment. He informed the gathering that officials were inducted under Integrated Child Protection Scheme 2012 in all the districts of the state.
“They are the silent workers in the society, who have been instrumental in looking at the welfare of the children, who need care and protection”, Shangpliang exhorted.
Workshop on empowerment of women:
Addressing a workshop on legislations related to empowerment of women, Marak said, “In matrilineal Meghalaya, women enjoy respect and regard but it is shocking to learn that they are abused, denied rights and not treated equal”.
Terming that the situation has not changed, even as government and ngos are working to empower the women, Marak remarked, “Equality is about giving authority to decide, which is denied to women. Equality must not be confined to headcount”.
Marak spoke at length on various topics including – protection of women from domestic violence, immoral trafficking prevention act, rape section 375, child marriage prohibition act, etc.
“Despite laws to protect women, the society has failed at large either in the implementation or enforcement of the law”, Marak said adding that there are cases, where laws were misused by women especially 498-A.
Stating that problem lies in the patriarchal and male dominated system of the society, Marak said, “Society can’t be changed by laws and legislations alone. Laws and legislations play the role of catalyst only. Mindset can’t be changed overnight but change has to begin”.
Marak urged that efforts should be made to educate the girl child and insulate them from different forms of violence, abuse and harassment. “Women may be physically weak but mentally strong. Education will instill in them the sense of great willpower and enable them to be economically sound. If women are economically strong, the empowerment of women will be in real sense”.
On cases of child marriage, which exist in the state, Marak said, “Family has to impose restriction on their children and guide them. Parents have to play a facilitating role for their children, so that they are not carried away”.
On alarming cases of women trafficking in Northeast, Marak said, “It is a very serious issue and a challenge for the government. There are people, who are luring the girls for education and bringing them out of their villages and pushing them into flesh trade”.
Marak said that last year, when officials of social welfare department had rescued Northeastern girls from somewhere in Assam – Meghalaya border, she had received call from Israel. “I could not understand why they had called me but later I discovered maybe they were keen to know about the situation”.-From Our Correspondent
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