Women's empowerment through amendment?

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, JUNE 29. Given the continuing atrocities on women and the inefficacy of many laws, the Government is considering a review of all laws concerning women.

Among the laws likely to be amended are the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986, the Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, the Dowry (Prohibition) Act, 1961, and the Commission of Sati (Prevention) Act, 1987.

A new legislation on prevention of domestic violence is also on the anvil.

The Human Resource Development Minister, Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi, announced this here today while inaugurating the first-ever tele- conference between women beneficiaries of different Government schemes in the States and the policy-makers. Observing that several programmes had been launched by the Department of Women and Child Development (DWCD), Dr. Joshi was candid about the ``dissatisfactory implementation of the programmes.'' He particularly mentioned the Rashtriya Mahila Kosh, the Integrated Child Development Scheme, Swashakti and the Balika Samridhi Yojana.

However, the tele-conference would ``help in bridging the gap between policies and programmes and their implementation... It will bring us face to face with the actual beneficiaries and the feedback will enable us to make necessary changes in the programme,'' he said.

The event was jointly organised by the DWCD, the National Commission for Women, the Central Social Welfare Board and the Indira Gandhi National Open University. The participants included beneficiaries from nine States - Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Haryana, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.

Also present were three Members of Parliament - Ms. Selvi Das, Ms. Jayashree Banerjee and Ms. Jayaben Thakker - besides the chairperson of the National Commission for Women, Ms. Vibha Parthasarathi, and the Central Social Welfare Board chairperson, Ms. Mridula Sinha.

The interaction brought to the fore major problems faced by women, as those on line recounted their tale of harassment over dowry and for giving birth to daughters. There were also many questions on the high interest rate charged by various groups on loans.

The conference was organised by using satellite-based interactive communication network (SABICON), based on one-way video and two- way audio system. It was held as part of celebrations of the Women's Empowerment Year. Two more tele- conferences would be organised in Lucknow and Hyderabad or Kolkata shortly, organisers said.

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