State to launch portal to report dowry crimes

A portal to report complaints related to dowry will soon be launched in Kerala, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said, underscoring his government’s commitment to fight the social evil.

Calling dowry an evil in Kerala practised to objectify women, he said getting rid of attitudes that looked upon women as objects was imperative to ensuring gender equality.

He was speaking after inaugurating the State-level International Women’s Day celebrations organised by the Women and Child Development Department here on Tuesday.

On State’s moves to curb dowry, he said strict action would be ensured on complaints related to the crime and the portal that was being planned would aid the process.

Women, he said, should be aware of their rights and men should also be very conscious of how to behave with women. A pre-marital counselling programme towards this end was also being launched on the day, he said.

The theme for this International Women’s Day was formulated against the backdrop of climate change. It was women who faced the most hardship in natural disasters caused by climate change. Leadership roles for women should be ensured in activities aimed at surviving such natural disasters, the Chief Minister said.

Vanitharatna awards

Mr. Vijayan gave away the Vanitharatna awards to Santha Jose, Vaikom Vijayalakshmi, Sunitha Krishnan, and U.P.V. Sudha.

Awards for anganwadi workers, helpers, supervisors, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) project officers, child development project officers, and District Collector (former Kozhikode Collector Sambasiva Rao), were also given away, as also the ICDS award for the best anganwadis in all 14 districts.

Minister for General Education V. Sivankutty released the ‘Anganapoomazha’, gender audited anganwadi textbooks. Minister for Higher Education R. Bindu announced the ‘Pentrika Kootu’ project for Attappady, and Minister for Animal Husbandry J. Chinchurani inaugurated the ‘Dheera’ self-defence training programme for girls. Minister for Women and Child Development Veena George presided over the programme.

Deepamol joins 108

The day also saw Deepamol of Kottayam become the first woman driver of the government’s Kanivu 108 ambulance service. Ms. Veena George handed over the ambulance key to Ms. Deepamol.

Ms. George said women would be appointed Kanivu 108 ambulance drivers in all districts. The government was attempting to facilitate entry of women even in sectors that were thought to be out of bounds for them.

The Minister said Ms. Deepamol was an inspiration to all. She had dreamed of this job, and dedicated herself to making it come true.

The Minister who also inaugurated the Health department’s programmes in connection with International Women’s Day said maximum number of women worked in the Health sector. The presence of women in all levels, starting from ASHA workers, was huge.

‘Idam’ logo

There was no space for gender discrimination, and the Health department was making a major intervention in this regard. It had formulated a project ‘Idam’ to find a solution to the health problems faced by the transgender community. Hospitals would be made transgender-friendly, she said while releasing the logo of ‘Idam’.

Inaugurating the celebrations organised at Tagore Theatre as part of ‘Samam’, the Culture department’s awareness programme, Minister R. Bindu called for joining hands to form a new Kerala where men and women were equal. A significant change should be created in society’s attitudes and consciousness through concerted awareness creation and efforts, she said. Suicides in the name of dowry, murders for not reciprocating love overtures, and honour killings, were on the rise in the State, she pointed out.