Making a call to socially isolate families involved in taking and giving dowry for marriage, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the Kerala Assembly on Wednesday that people's representatives should take a decision to stay away from such wedding ceremonies.
Replying to a question on attacks against women and dowry-related deaths, Mr. Vijayan said that often the families of the bride and the groom arrive at an understanding on dowry, and complaints are raised only at a later stage when things go wrong.
"Only by socially isolating such families will the girls get the courage to refuse to be part of such marriages. We should strive for a situation where our boys also would say that they are not ready for a marriage by taking dowry. Awareness has to be created with such an aim," said Mr. Vijayan.
Raising a question on the lack of continued vigilance from the Police Department in cases where young women are facing threat from men whose proposals they have rejected, Congress MLA P.T. Thomas said that the mental health side of the issue should also be addressed. Mr. Vijayan said the help of mental health experts can be sought.
Cyber stalking
Responding to Anwar Sadath MLA's question on strengthening laws on cyber stalking, the Chief Minister said there were certain boundaries in enacting laws. It should be ensured that such laws did not create other dangers. The police were taking stringent action against such forces, although there were weaknesses that need to be addressed, he added.
Mobile use by children
Congress MLA K. Babu raised a question on whether measures would be taken to create awareness among parents on mobile phone usage of children. Mr. Vijayan replied that awareness campaigns could be conducted through Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs). Parents also have to remain alert about the content the children consume online, he said.
