The Hindu : `Adolescent girls can act as agents of change'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Apr 24, 2003

Southern States

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh

`Adolescent girls can act as agents of change'

By Our Staff Reporter

SRIKAKULAM April 23. Adolescent girls will be trained to work as agents of change to curb trafficking in women, the District Collector, K. Vijayanand, has said.

Speaking at an awareness meeting organised by the Women and Child Welfare Department as a part of the week-long anti-trafficking campaign at the Bapuji Kalamandir this evening, he said adolescent girls from the 10 ICDS projects in the district, members of DWCRA groups and anganwadi workers would be identified and trained to create awareness on the problem at the village-level.

The Collector said a majority of women falling prey to trafficking and flesh trade belonged to the weaker and poorer sections of society. Even the Vision-2020 document envisaged a healthy life free of discrimination for women, self-sufficiency and acquisition of skills in small trades, he said.

The Municipal Chairperson, P. Jayanti, regretted that even after so many decades of independence awareness on laws that provided protection eluded women. The ICDS Project Director, C.V. Ramayya, the DM&HO, S. Kurmi Naidu, the Social Welfare Deputy Director, Prabhakar, and T.J. Paul of Society for Community Development, participated. Earlier a rally was taken out from the ICDS office.

Call for united effort

Our staff reporter from Rajahmundry says, that the district Collector, K.S.Jawahar, has called for a united effort to rescue girls who were forced into prostitution. Launching the anti-trafficking campaign here on Wednesday, he said the problem had reached frightening proportions in the district. He pointed out that East Godavari stood only second after Guntur with regard to the number of AIDS cases.

Mother Committees, DWCRA groups, SHGs and other women organisations and NGOs should take an active part in this campaign, Dr. Reddy said. The Joint Collector, B. Udaya Lakshmi, emphasised the pernicious effect of TV serials and films on adolescent girls.

The Project Director of the AIDS Control Society, Damayanthi, said poverty and illiteracy were mainly responsible for the flesh trade. Earlier a rally was organised by 500 girls from the Collectorate to Ambedkar Bhavan.

Plea for total literacy

Our Correspondent from Vizianagaram writes, the Zilla Parishad Chairperson, B. Jhansi Lakshmi, said strict implementation of Government-sponsored programmes such as total literacy and empowerment of women could check sexual abuse of women.

At a workshop organised by the Women and Child Welfare Department here on Wednesday, Ms. Jhansi Lakshmi, said movies too were contributing to trafficking of women. She asked the department officials to organise similar workshops in villages to create awareness on sexual abuse.

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