The Karnataka State Commission for Women’s chairperson, Pramila Naidu, has expressed concern over growing incidents of “honour killings’’ and violence against women in the Mysuru-Mandya belt.
She told mediapersons here on Monday that she had extensive interaction with district officials in Mandya as the commission has been receiving a large number of complaints pertaining to caste feuds and violence and female exploitation besides “honour killings’’.
She cited the case pertaining to a girl from Scheduled Caste community who had married a Vokkaliga five years ago but it transpired that the girl was done to death by the groom’s family. “The case is under investigation and has made progress and we are following it’’, she said.
Ms. Naidu, who took over as the chairperson of the commission in March this year, said she is holding review meeting in all the districts of the State and has covered 18 districts so far. The thrust is on creating greater awareness among the school and college-going students about gender equality and the laws pertaining to it so that female exploitation and violence against women are reduced.
The commission was also cognisant of the fact that the child marriages continued to occur despite there being a law against it and wanted to involve the anganwadi workers to spread awareness among people against such practices.
Ms. Naidu said the commission would submit a report to the government over the state of affairs and the imperatives of stringent punishment to the guilty in case of violence against women so that it acts as a deterrent.
The chairperson also received grievances from women during her visit to the city. She said the commission has received 1,558 complaints since the lockdown in the last week of March of which 506 complaints have been resolved
