Women in the state remaining at the receiving end of domestic violence and crimes, 1037 complaints were lodged with the State Women Commission in 2016. Stating this, chairperson of the commission Sarojini Kaintyura said on Wednesday that 500 cases are still pending before the commission. The commission has released a toll free number 181 to enable the women, facing problems, to register their complaints, she added.
According to official statistics, 379 complaints were received from the women complainants in Dehradun while 197 were received from Udham Singh Nagar, 169 from Haridwar, 71 from Nainital, 24 from Tehri, five from Rudraprayag, 35 from Pithoragarh, 57 from Pauri, 16 from Chamoli, 17 from Champawat, eight from Bageshwar, 24 from Almora, 10 from Uttarkashi and 61 from other states. Statistics further reveal that most of the complaints were received from the plain districts. In all, 539 cases were resolved through counseling.
“Steps are taken whenever we receive registered complaints from the women. All kinds of assistance, including legal, is being given to the women who come to the commission to have their grievances redressed,” said Kaintyura.
There is a slight fall in the number of registered complaints in 2016 as compared to the figure of 2015. As per statistics, 457 complaints were received in 2005 while 586 were received in 2006, 747 in 2007, 913 in 2008, 737 in 2009, 1155 in 2010, 1131 in 2011, 1068 in 2012, 1132 in 2013, 1252 in 2014 and 1412 in 2015.
She said that apart from creating awareness among the women and children about Domestic Violence Act, short duration courses in self- defence, self- employment courses in handicraft and other facilities are being provided through programmes organised from time to time at the block and the district levels in the state. “The most important point is that the women of the society will have to empower themselves and come forward against prevailing social evils, including domestic violence, female foeticide and dowry besides physical and mental abuse. In order to implement Domestic Violence Act in the true spirit, people and various government functionaries, including police, need to be sensitised about the provisions of the act, she added.