Making out a strong case to formulate a National Policy and Action Plan to end violence against women, a government-appointed panel has recommended 50 per cent reservation for women in all decision-making bodies and an overhaul of the criminal justice system to ensure justice for women.
Suggesting that a separate panel be appointed by the government to study the status of Muslim women in the country, the High Level Committee on the Status of Women in India, in its preliminary report, said upgrading the Minister of Women and Child Development to Cabinet rank would reflect the government’s concern on women’s issues.
Calling for an increase in resources, the panel said a large amount of resources was being directed towards child development in the Ministry.
It said the Parliamentary Committee on the Empowerment of Women must examine the gender implications of all proposed legislation and the National Commission for Women, as an apex body responsible for and answerable to 50 per cent of the population, must go beyond ‘reactive interventions’ to fulfil the proactive mandate of studying, recommending and influencing policies, laws, programmes and budgets to ensure full benefits to the stakeholders.
The government had in February 2012 set up a High Level Committee to undertake a comprehensive study to understand the status of women since 1989 and evolve appropriate policy interventions based on a contemporary assessment of women’s needs.
The 14-member committee, headed by Pam Rajput, submitted a preliminary report to the Ministry here on Monday.
Focussing on the need to bring about major changes in the criminal justice system, the report suggests initiatives ranging from a more gender sensitive enforcement machinery to greater awareness of different legislation and their inter-connectedness, along with accountability for securing women’s rights.
