The Andhra Pradesh Women’s Commission has requested both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana State governments to ensure enforcement of Compulsory Registration of Marriage Act, 2002 to provide security and protection for women.
Commission’s chairperson Tripuraneni Venkataratnam said that growing number of married women were being driven out of their homes empty handed by their husbands and in-laws in case of any marital discord or domestic violence or dowry harassment cases.
Addressing mediapersons here on Wednesday, Ms. Venkataratnam said that the compulsory registration of Marriage Act would also provide for details of gifts given to the bride by her parents at the time of marriage and signed by the couple and their parents. This would ensure the woman to take back valuables given to her by her parents.
It’s high time State governments appointed officers or designated existing officers at the village , mandal and municipality level for mandatory registration of marriages, she said and added that the Commission had written to both the State Governments. Special cells be set up to protect the rights of women married to NRIs in view of increasing divorces forced on women while they were in India, she said.
Ms. Venkataratnam also said a directorate should be set up in both the States in the lines of Non-resident Keralites to keep a record of recruiting agency, details of unskilled migrant workers, particularly women going overseas to work as domestic help and provide them orientation about their rights and safety.
Most of the skilled and unskilled workers were going through dubious brokers and were exposed to exploitation.
