United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Saturday said the 'Ahimsa Messenger' programme would spread awareness to the grassroots about the legal rights of women and children.
"I am proud that our UPA Government has made tough laws to fight violence against women. We know that making laws and policies is not enough. We also have to implement them at the grassroots. In a family, the right that a male child has should be given to a girl child too," she said at the launch of the 'Ahimsa Messenger' programme of the Ministry of Women and Child Development that addresses violence against women in all forms.
The event was also attended by Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath
This initiative by the Ministry of Women and Child Development addresses violence against women in all forms through a mass movement by creating numerous Ahimsa Messengers in various parts of the country, till the grassroots level.
Violence against women and girls has far-reaching consequences, harming families and communities. The Ministry of Women and Child Development has conceptualised a programme for empowering women against violence named Ahimsa Messenger. The Ahimsa Messenger as a concept had been introduced by the Ministry of Women and Child development earlier.
However, given the spate of violence against women and children in the current context, a full-fledged programme is being started which has the following dimension: a series of awareness building programmes across the nation on gender issues, a series of training and sensitization programmes for grass root level functionaries across the nation, developing and introducing a gender sensitive module/curriculum which is now being introduced in various training institutes across states.
The 'Ahimsa Messenger' programme aims at preventing violence against women and children and generating awareness about basic legal rights, procedures and provisions amongst women and children at the grassroots. The programme involves both men and women including youths to address and eliminate all forms of violence against women and children at grassroots and facilitate social/community mobilization to fight social evils.
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It would also serve as link to workers in case of any violence and also facilitate the women to approach the concerned authorities in case of incidences of violence for suitable redressal and follow up on the case.
The programme envisages generating awareness amongst the community and giving intensive training to various cadres of grass root level workers under various programmes across the country, besides generating awareness amongst the community especially adolescent girls and boys about their civic responsibilities and duties.
Ahimsa Messengers will facilitate an enabling environment for safety and security of women and children in the community. They will also create women and child friendly environment in villages through community participation, especially of local leaders, adolescent boys and men, opinion makers, village elders etc.
This programme will be implemented through all Anganwadi Centres, all Panchayati Raj Institutions, Sabla Girls (in the age group of 16-18 years) and Poorna Shakti Kendras (PSK) coordinators under the National Mission for Empowerment of Women (NMEW) will be trained as Ahimsa Messengers.