Women of Jharkhand can now look forward to proper implementation of law for protection of their rights since the State Social Welfare, Women and Child development has finalised the much awaited Draft of State Women Policy. To ensure improvements in the physical, mental and emotional quality of women’s lives, the draft copy was somehow not been worked out properly. The matter was being discussed since Jharkhand’s formation as a State in the year 2000.
“Focussing on regularising the role of every State department in safeguarding the women, we have finalised the State Women’s Policy which will be sent to the Cabinet soon,” Mridula Sinha, Principal Secretary of State Social Welfare, Women and Child Development told The Pioneer on Friday.
Chairperson of Jharkhand State Women Commission (JSWC) Hemlata S Mohan who completed her three year tenure on Friday informed that her department had handed over the improvised draft copy of this policy to social welfare department last year. With Mohan’s responsibility ending at JSWC, the commission is left with no official.
Sources at JSWC revealed that according to Women’s Commission Act, the role of State Women Commission is to grab the attention of courts towards women issues but in most of the cases it is dysfunctional since Women’s Policy has not yet been implemented.
“The role of State Women Commission is limited for a serious cases. At its own level, all it can do is to counsel the victim and the culprits and forward the matter to the court,” Vasvi Kido who completed her three year JSWC membership tenure last month said. As per Kiro, this policy would specifically help in setting up short stay and shelter homes for the rescued trafficking girls.
Adding more restrictions on JSWC’s limitations in tackling crime on women, Anuradha Choudhary, who too completed her JSWC tenure last month said, “During our time in this women commission, there were many violence related issues on women where we had no power to take a concrete decision. Else, on my part I have handled eight districts like Chaibasa where rural society shows an evil eye to female gender.”