The Government must take action to eliminate discriminations against women and to prevent gender-based violence against them, said women rights activists at a workshop held on Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) here on Saturday.
The workshop was organised by the Odisha Shramajeebee Manch and the Mahila Shramajeebee Manch, Odisha, which work towards socioeconomic and political empowerment of people, especially of tribals, Dalits and women.
“Orthodox and brutish male-dominated family systems, and the tradition of patriarchal inheritance have shored up the idea that women are mere ‘possessions’. All forms of violence against women must be stopped and collective actions to abate this are a need of the hour,” said Shanti Bhoi, president, Mahila Shramajeebi Manch.
She said Odisha contributes to about 3.0 per cent of India’s population but, with 94.5 cases of crime against women per lakh people, it contributed to 5.6 per cent of all crimes against women in 2017. It ranks as the second-worst State on this front as per the National Crime Record Bureau report, 2017.
Inequality, in a gender lens, is undoubtedly a daunting challenge.
The National Family Health Survey (NFHS 4) data shows a grim picture. Between 2012 and 2018, the incidence of rape cases in Odisha increased from 7.2 per lakh women to 9.7 per lakh women. In the six years, 2,921 women have been killed for dowry-related issues in the State.
The data further disclosed that the female literacy rate in the State is 67.4 per cent. By the time girls turn 15, their school attendance drops to 63 per cent. Therefore, the State Government must prioritise efforts to ensure an equitable and a rightful place for girls and women, said Bhoi.