Women welfare tops Meghalaya CM's agenda

SHILLONG: Chief minister Mukul Sangma has launched a programme to curb domestic violence against women, called 'Chalo gaon ki ore', in all the three districts of Meghalaya's Garo Hills. "Initiated by the National Commission for Women in association with the state social welfare department, the programme aims to empower and make women aware of the laws to fight domestic violence and safeguard their welfare," a government official said here on Tuesday. "It's imperative that the existing laws penalizing domestic violence be enforced in spirit and letter even in a matrilineal state like Meghalaya," Sangma told newspersons here. He admitted that though certain laws were enacted to safeguard the welfare of women, its enforcement was not significant. The CM said reports of domestic violence in the state were "distressing", but cautioned that the figures were not actual and could be more given the fact that "many such cases go unreported due to fear of stigmatization by society and other such related factors". He urged the police department to pit importance to such cases in future. Emphasizing the need to include men in sensitization programmes, Sangma said, "It's very important that the men are too involved in such programmes to ensure that the laws empowering women were not misused."He said empowering women - both in terms of education and economy - could reduce domestic violence in the region.