Andhra Pradesh Mahila Commission Chairperson Nannapeni Rajakumari on Wednesday warned of stringent action against perpetrators of atrocities against women.
Speaking at an awareness workshop on the Central government’s slogan of Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao and the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) Act, 1994, brought in to stop female foeticide and arrest the declining sex ratio in India, Ms. Rajakumari said there may be effective laws but awareness on the part of people to make use of them at the right time was the need of the hour.
She said discrimination between boys and girls was ingrained in the Indian family system. Parents had a vital role to play in abolishing this trend by giving equal opportunities to their daughters.
Foeticide
Raising serious concern over growing incidents of foeticide, she said slaughter of girl children in the womb would lead to a world without women.
She said the purpose of such workshops was to raise a collective voice against social ills of foeticide, child marriage and sexual assault, especially on young girls of late.
The meeting was attended by officials of Police, Women and Child Welfare, Health department and NGOs working in the respective areas. She called for social boycott of persons found to be involved in attacks on the fairer sex.
Speaking about the need for an extensive campaign to make people aware of key issues like protection and rights of girl children, she said about 200 such awareness workshops would be organised in the 13 districts of the State to engage people of all levels in a dialogue.
Andhra Pradesh Child Rights Commission Chairperson G. Hymavathi expressed concern over the declining ratio of female child in the 0-6 age group. She said the objective of the roundtable was to engage officials of all the allied departments and launch concerted effort to address the issues in the most effective way.
Commissioner, Women and Child Welfare Department, H. Arun Kumar, urged the Family Health wing officials to ensure proper implementation of the PCPNDT Act.
