Kerala govt to conduct 'night walk' on Dec 29 as part of its efforts towards women empowerment

The Kerala Women and Child Development Department will conduct a night walk for women on December 29, as part of its efforts towards women empowerment and making people aware against increasing violence against women.

The night walk, which will be held from 11 am to 1 am, will be conducted at 100 locations across the state.

Health Minister KK Shylaja told ANI that the purpose of the night walk is to convey the message that public space is for women too.

"There are two main objectives behind the night walk. Women go out in the middle of the night and are in a state of mental anguish and fear. Our first aim is to remove them. Some people, that form a minor part in society, come out to harass women if they see them at night," she said.

"The second is to alert the police as soon as possible and take action against such people. Similar night walks will be held again by volunteers in over 100 places without notice after the first event," Shailaja added.

The minister said such a programme is intended to evoke a strong public consciousness against the increasing violence against women, strengthen the existing policing system and reclaim public spaces that are alien to women.

For this purpose, 25 volunteers have been prepared at each centre. The coordination committee has been constituted in all districts with district women and child development Officer as chairman and the concerned municipal chairperson as president.

The coordination committee will consist of Janamaithri Police, Residents Association, Kudumbasree and representatives of various organisations.

The night walk is being organised as a group consisting of one, two or three members. Volunteers will be deployed at a distance of 200 metres to ensure that women receive help and reach.

Crime scene mapping will also be done with the help of Janamaithri Police before selecting locations for the night walk.

The street lighting required in these areas will also be made available.