YINGKIONG, 29 Oct: Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Women (APSCW) member Hoksum Ori called upon the civil society to raise voice against gender inequality and discrimination against women.
“Time has come for society, particularly women organizations, to introspect matters relating to domestic violence, rape, child marriage, and divorce and alimony conflict,” Ori said during a legal awareness meeting at Giidi Notko in Geku in Upper Siang district on Friday.
She exhorted women and adolescent girls to come out of their shell of timidity and age-old bindings and fight for the cause.
“It is the high time people changed their mindset and adopted a more educated, logical and reformed approach,” Ori added.
The programme saw discussions on a wide range of issues, including drug and alcoholism among the youths, polygamy, property rights in context of Arunachal Pradesh, the Domestic Violence Act, 2005, and one-stop centres.
Upper Siang SP Jummar Basar said that drug abuse is now constantly increasing in the society and it is detrimental to the progress of the society.
He said that many drug peddlers have been arrested and punished in the district but the government machinery has failed to curb the menace.
“The drug problem can never be rooted out so long as the society itself remains a good market for the drug peddlers,” he opined.
Basar appealed to parents, SHGs and NGOs to work at the ground level to stop consumption of drugs, especially among the youths.
Government officials, panchayat leaders, GBs, women’s groups, representatives of NGOs, SHG members and students attended the programme.
The awareness programme was organized by the Upper Siang unit of the Arunachal Pradesh Women’s Welfare Society in collaboration with APSCW. (DIPRO)
