Morung Express News
October 25
DIMAPUR: Reacting to the formal rejection of setting up of a State Women Commission (SWC) in a letter by the Nagaland Government to the National Commission for Women (NCW), an Expert Member of the NCW has lambasted the development terming it as deliberately misleading and indicative of the absolutely gender insensitive attitude of the government in Nagaland “with no concern for the women” of the state.
Rosemary Dzuvichu, of the NCW in a letter to the Governor of Nagaland, stated that the Naga womenfolk had been demanding for setting up of the State Commission for Women for many years due to the fact that there were distinctive discriminatory practices in the Naga traditional and customary laws towards women. Vehemently denying the claim that atrocities against Naga women were ‘unknown’ as stated in the letter, Dzuvichu sharply reacted terming the statement was misleading and extremely serious which spoke volumes of the gender insensitivity of the State’s policy makers. “The State Commission for Women is a legal body to protect women and their rights and if the Government is a government for the people, it should not take a patriarchal stand and give lame excuses and fears of infringement on social and customary issues” she stated adding that ‘financial constraints’ cited by the State for its inability to set up a commission was ridiculous and an insult to the Naga womenfolk.
Reminding that Nagaland and Manipur are the only two states in the country that has not set up the mandatory state commission to safeguard women rights, the expert member stated that women organizations, activists, and women organizations of political parties including the ruling DAN government have been lobbying for setting up of the very important body in the state. “We have been repeatedly asking for adoption of a State policy for women which is mandatory, as per the National Policy for Women Empowerment. It is therefore very discouraging that such a decision has been taken without the knowledge and consent of women in the State” Dzuvichu asserted.
In this regard, the expert member requested the Governor’s intervention to ensure that the State Government revokes its decision and set up a State Commission for Women at the earliest. She also reminded that the state Policy for women which was drafted three years ago, has been kept in cold storage by the State Government till date.
