PANAJI
With the top post of the Goa State Commission for Women vacant for almost a year, the Bailancho Saad had demanded immediate appointment of the Chairperson and members of the Commission.In a statement issued on Thursday, Dr Sabina Martins of Bailancho Saad said the vacancies for almost a year have rendered the State body defunct.
Martins said, a representation has been made to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Minister for Women and Child Vishwajit Rane, Governor PS Shreedharan Pillai, the chairperson of the National Commission for Women Renuka Sharma, drawing their attention to the fact that the body meant to ensure gender justice is virtually non-functional and urging them to ensure the posts are filled.
In its letter, Martins said the Saad has highlighted the grave sex ratio of girls dipping to 838 per 1000 males in the latest National Family health surveys.
"Goa also ranked highest in sex trafficking. The alarming rise in crimes against women and the failure of the redressal system has been pointed out," Martins said, adding that the Women's Commission's task was to check the ground reality and prepare reports to be tabled in the legislature for policy formulation.
"Several grievances of women which could be resolved have been aggravated, increasing the misery of women," Martins said, adding that it has been a trend to delay appointments to various State bodies thus defeating the very purpose they have been formed.
"The Chairpersons of Goa Human Rights Commission, State Police Complaints Authority were appointed after several months resulting in women losing faith in the systems and giving up, thus derailing justice," she said and called on organisations to rally together to demand the reconstitution of the GSCW.
With International Women’s Day fast approaching on March 8, she hoped it will be a day to uphold all the struggles and demands of women for gender justice.
