Andhra Pradesh Mahila Commission Chairperson Vasireddy Padma on Thursday said there was a need to develop a culture to protect and respect women.
Addressing her maiden press meet in city even before formally taking charge, she said it was unfortunate that crimes against women were highest in Andhra Pradesh, and said the efforts of the Mahila Commission would be towards identifying and addressing the key factors contributing to these atrocities.
“The fairer sex is indeed going through a difficult phase as safety of girls and women are a major concern in almost every household today,” she said and added that the Commission, instead of merely ‘reacting’ to incidents, would work zealously to develop a mechanism to prevent crimes against women.
Top priority
Ms. Padma said women welfare was a top priority for Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy and his decision to ban liquor in phased manner reflected his commitment to the cause. Seeking to clarify that the Mahila Commission was not against men, she said their concentration would be on suggesting measures to the government, with the support of all the stakeholders, to improve women’s status in society.
Economic independence, she insisted, would go a long way in helping women overcome many of the existing ills.
DWCRA
Referring to DWCRA women, Ms. Padma said many of them were in debt trap today because of the mistakes committed by the TDP government. Stating that the zero interest scheme had hit the DWCRA system, she said the YSR Congress Party government would try to address the issue.
The Mahila Commission chief took exception to use of derogatory language against women which was commonplace, and said steps would be taken to put an end to this practice. “Even to abuse a man, people do it in women’s name. This calls for efforts to infuse the right culture in children at home by the elders,” she emphasised.
Irrespective of advancements in technology, we still lag behind culturally, she said, adding that in rural sector, the Commission would utilise the services of the Village Secretariat members and volunteers to improve the living standards of women.
