The Communist Party of India (Marxist) would be organising an extensive mass campaign “Sthreepaksham Keralam” to raise awareness against the oppression of women and violence against children.
The mass campaign will be organised from July 1 to July 8, said CPI(M)'s Kannur district secretary M.V. Jayarajan said on Monday.
Speaking to the media, he said that in a capitalist society, anything was a trade. Some saw marriage as a lucrative contract. Capitalism created a patriarchal society and hence, the constitutional right to gender equality was often mere rhetoric.
He said that according to a 2018 World Health Organisation report, one-third of the women worldwide were victims of violence. The violence increased even more during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said under the Dowry Prohibition Act of 1961, giving or receiving dowry was an offence punishable by up to five years in prison.
He opined that violence against women and children could not be ended by law alone. The patriarchal attitude must change. Gender equality should be transformed into universally accepted common value without the issue being rhetorical, he said. Vigilance committees under the control of local bodies should be strengthened, he said.
The party would be organising various events, which would be inaugurated at 7 p.m. on the CPI(M) Kannur Facebook page. It would begin with a webinar on July 1. This would be followed by lectures by eminent socio-cultural women leaders and lawyers. House visits and various other events would be held in subsequent days.
