The first phase of ‘Sthreepaksha Navakeralam,’ a campaign being organised by the Kudumbashree against dowry and harassment of women, will go on till March 8, International Women’s Day, Minister for Local Self-government M.V. Govindan has said.
‘Sthreepaksha Navakeralam’ will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday.
Mr. Govindan said all neighbourhood groups (NHGs) in the State will organise discussions as part of the campaign. A project will be prepared for activities to be implemented by each NHG in its area. This will be done after a study of all families in the area.
It will be followed up by women’s meetings in the more than 22,000 wards in the State. The action plans prepared by NHGs in each ward will be presented, discussed, and codified for forming ward-level action plans.
At the next level, women empowerment meetings will be organised at the panchayat/municipal level. Kudumbashree community development society (CDS) governing body, local bodies’ governing body, experts, and celebrities will attend these meetings in which the ward-level action plans will be discussed and codified to come up with action plans at the local body-level.
A proclamation will be made at the empowerment meetings and women who have made a name for themselves in their respective fields will be honoured, the Minister said.
The district-level meetings will discuss at length the action plans prepared at the local body levels and codify these. The draft district plan will be presented at a seminar to be attended by representatives of district administration, district and block panchayats, and various departments and prominent people from the cultural field. Any recommendations that arise will be included in the final action plan.
The Sthreepaksha Navakeralam proclamation will be inscribed in stone at prominent centres in the district.
On March 8, a conclave will be held. To implement the action plan that emerges at the conclave at the State level, social literacy activities will be taken up by the Kudumbashree, the Minister said in a statement.
Meanwhile, writer and critic M. Leelavathi said it was a relief that at a time when violence against women was on the rise and suicides by young women were being reported, the State government was implementing programmes such as Sthreepaksha Navakeralam. It will be a huge help if Kudumbashree members remain alert and are able to prevent suicides following domestic violence, she said.
Former Minister P.K. Sreemathy said the campaign will evolve into a strong social intervention move for violence against women. It would give a new direction to the fight against violence and harassment faced by women.
