Himachal women commission to run campaign against trafficking

The Himachal Pradesh State Commission for Women will focus on stopping trafficking of women and children in state

The Himachal Pradesh State Commission for Women will focus on stopping trafficking of women and children in state.

Around 400 complaints were disposed of by the Himachal Pradesh State Commission for Women in 2020-21 while 450 complaints are still pending. Most cases pertain to domestic violence. (HT File)

Chairperson Daisy Thakur said the commission will generate awareness on the rights of women with disabilities. She said schoolgirls are voluntarily joining to make women with disabilities aware of their rights.

She said women can lodge complaints on the commission’s WhatsApp number 9459886600, Thakur said, while delivering a lecture on the ‘role of State Human Rights Commission in protection of women’s rights’ in the third episode of the weekly online series on human rights protection started by the Umang Foundation. More than 100 youths participated in the programme.

She said both men and women are being made aware of the discrimination and sexual harassment being faced by girls and women. Most of the complaints coming in to the commission are of domestic violence.

Around 400 complaints were disposed of in 2020-21 while 450 complaints are still pending. Most cases pertain to domestic violence. The Commission holds regular courts to hear complaints and passes appropriate orders. Apart from this, awareness camps are being organised from village to city.

Free justice is being provided without the help of any lawyer after filing a complaint with the commission or taking suo motu cognisance of media reports.

Umang Foundation president Ajay Srivastava said the commission will start awareness regarding the trafficking of women and children. He said till now, no complaint has been received in the commission in this regard. But such incidents cannot be ruled out either.

He said tribal women from Assam, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Bengal, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar are brought in through smuggling and made domestic servants. They are also being sexually abused.

Muskan Negi, PhD scholar, visually impaired, Himachal Pradesh University suggested that the Commission should also pay special attention to the problems of women with disabilities.

On this, the chairperson of the commission said it will be kept in mind in future.