Sarojini Kaintura, the newly-appointed chairperson of Uttarakhand State Commission for Women, said that her priority would be to promptly clear the women-related cases pending before the commission for considerably long time. She informed that she would assume charge in two/three days. The crime cases involving the women and children are on a spiral. This is a national trend and Uttarakhand is no exception. As per the statistics, the minors are vulnerable as they turn out to be the soft targets of the miscreants. The cases must be redressed swiftly, she said, adding that she would make it a point to reach the crime sites across the State.
Notably, the commission has remained devoid of the chairperson for around two years and the State Government did not care to provide required funds to the commission for the same period of time. This is despite the fact that cases of atrocities on women and minors keep happening here at regular intervals. Earlier, Sushila Baluni was the State women commission’s chairperson and her tenure ended around two years ago.
“Funds would be no constraint once such cases are reported. The State Government would prove generous on this count, I am sure,” she said. She further said several steps will be taken to adequately empower the women through making them aware of the existing laws meant to protect them and to provide them training in self-defence. If women’s concerns are not rightly addressed through counseling, we would assist them with legal and other means. The process would continue till they get justice, she added.
She said that emphasis will be laid on launching awareness campaign all round the year on crimes against women across the State. For instance, principal focus would be on Domestic Violence Act. Such awareness campaigns will also be launched at the level of schools and colleges in the region. “We would not allow cases of domestic violence against women to get suppressed and the victims coerced. Such women should also come forward to expose atrocities perpetrated on them. Unless they learn to look the criminals in the face and take things in the right spirit there is unlikely to be a fundamental change in their plight. Inculcation of strength in them is required. They should approach police stations in case there is no possibility of such things getting settled amicably. The women commissions would step in whenever its intervention is felt to be an imperative. In case police refuse to act we would act on our own to have things redressed,” she averred.
She further said the women must empower themselves adequately, shedding weakness and fear. This is the best deterrent against the spiralling crimes. Apart from the Government agencies, social and other non-Government organisations should put their full efforts to check violence against women and minors, she added.
After keeping things hang in fire for around two years with the post of the chairperson lying vacant, the State Government finally picked up the president of the ruling Congress’s State women wing as the chairperson of the commission. Kaintura said she had won the election of Pramukh in Pauri district in 1996 and in 2003, she was elected Pauri Zila Panchayat president.
“My tenure ended in 2008. Two years after, I was made the president of State Congress’s women’s cell. That stint ended a couple of months back. However, I was retained on extension,” she said. Kaintura had completed her schooling in Meerut and BA from Kanpur in 1979 while MA from HNB Garhwal University in 1984.