KL Report
SRINAGAR
The civil society group KCSDS Sunday asked state government to make Domestic Violence Act operational which was adopted in 2010 but never ratified because of financial implications.
“Whereas governments have enough funds for propaganda extravaganza of every kind, they have no money for ensuring safety and security of citizens that is mandated to be their prime concern and bounden responsibility,” Prof Hameedah alleged.
“KCSDS is terribly anguished at violent incidents that took place in recent days. KCSDS has taken the advocacy of women’s rights as a priority area and has been agitating on the issue of violence against women in a sustained manner ever since its inception,” a statement by KCSDS said.
“But today,” the statement said, “the greatest challenge to women’s rights comes from inside her own bosom, from her near and dear ones,” said KCSDS chairperson, Hameedah Nayeem, on Sunday afternoon.
Domestic violence has grown manifolds in the past decades resulting in heart wrenching injuries and gruesome deaths in many cases, the statement said.
KCSDS is outraged by the current spate of violence that has led to the tragic death of even a 60 year old woman in Kupwara at the hands of her husband supposed to be her saviour and protector in traditional societies.
“This has happened paradoxically in the domestic space which is supposed to provide safety and security to women and save them from the onslaughts of public and state violence,” she said adding, “But in the present scenario it is the domestic space in which women have become more vulnerable than ever before. The society especially the men concerned and women must collectivise around this grave challenge in a sustained manner and shake their world to take cognizance of the menace that has engulfed women especially of the lower strata of the society. We need to adopt multi-sectoral perspective to strike at the root of this menace.”
The Act could act as deterrence against domestic violence which has endangered the lives of tens of thousands of women and made their daily lives a smouldering hell for them, the statement said.
“Secondly, government should take suo motto cognizance of violent acts against women and prosecute the culprits straightaway without waiting for long procedures. Whereas court decision in Tabinda case gives some hope and the punishment awarded to acid –throwers is encouraging but lot more needs to be done to bring the culprits to book speedily in thousands of cases. Society needs to shrug off its sluggish attitude and come forward to rescue the women from the hell they have been consigned to in the domestic space,” she said.
“Those who pay lip service to Prophet of Islam (SAW) every day in the mosques and at home must introspect and meditate over the essence of Prophet’s (SAW) message as He tirelessly crusaded against the inhuman treatment of women throughout his life as restoration of women rights and dignity was one of the prime movers of His mission,” Hameedah asserted.
