Socially boycott men who misbehave with women: Panel

People should socially boycott those who misbehave with women. This is one of the recommendations by the Dharmadhikari-led committee, set up in 2011 to come up with measures for women’s safety.

People should socially boycott those who misbehave with women.

This is one of the recommendations by the retired justice CS Dharmadhikari-led committee, which was set up in 2011 to come up with measures for women’s safety.

The committee submitted its final report of 30 additional recommendations to the state government on Sunday. HT reported this on Tuesday.

In the last of its reports, the panel came out strongly against those who misbehave with women. “Social boycotts have an unusual strength,” it says.

However, the report did not specify how to go about socially boycotting an offender.

In the introduction segment, the committee has also discussed the option of naming and shaming convicted offenders through social media.

The committee had earlier submitted five interim reports, with a total of 141 recommendations.

The state government has so far accepted 109 recommendations and is mulling over the rest.

The report has also recommended strict implementation of the anti-child marriage laws and that they should be applied to everyone. "It should apply to all communities, as the courts have made clear," it says.

It has looked into the specific problems faced by Adivasi women and recommended that they be protected from exploitation. “It is necessary to have special schemes for Adivasi women,” the report states.

The report has recommended creating awareness about the laws, so that people can be empowered.

The committee was set up when the Bombay high court was hearing a bunch of public interest litigations (PILs) on women’s safety issues, including a suo moto PIL based on a Hindustan Times report.

The final report will be placed before the high court before December 2, when the matter has been listed for hearing.