UPA govt committed to welfare of women: Renuka Chowdhury

Hyderabad, May 15 (UNI) Union Minister of State for Women and Child Development Renuka Chowdhury today said the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government at the Centre was committed to protecting the rights of women and their welfare.

Addressing a press conference here, after inaugurating the two-day workshop to increase awareness on Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and Gender Responsive Budgeting, she said the Centre had undertaken a series of measures to end discrimination against women in all forms in the country.

Stating that the government was able to bring awareness on women's issues, she said there was a tremendous response to the problems faced by women.

''It is important that every woman is made aware of this convention and through it, her own rights as well as the duties of the government towards her,'' she said.

Ms Chowdhury said the Women and Child Development Ministry had constituted an inter-ministerial committee and recommended that the states should also set up such committees and send a report every year on the various steps initiated for women's empowerment.

Gender Budgeting was the awakening of a gender perspective and sensitivity not only to raise awareness on the contribution of women in every sphere of life, but it also meant a holistic empowerment of women -- economically, socially and politically.

Stating that domestic violence had come down drastically in the country in view of proper implementation of the Domestic Violence Act, she said the Ministry was monitoring the implementation of the Act.

She said the Ministry had formulated a protocol for pre-rescue, rescue and post-rescue operations of child traffickers for the purpose of commerical sexual exploitation. The Ministry had also proposed certain amendments to Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956, to widen its scope to focus on traffickers, prevent re-victimisation of victims and to make its implementation more effective.

Expressing serious concern on the decreasing sex ratio, she said parents had to give equal treatment to both the male and the female child. There was a huge demand for the girls at present.

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