NCW official bats for engaging men in fight against gender

A National Commission for Women official today warned against holding men responsible for violence against women without addressing issues at the family level or involving them in the policy making process.
"It will be superfluous to say that men and boys cause maximum violence to women...There is a huge dichotomy between what men see in their homes and what they are expected to behave in the society," said Vandana Gupta, NCW Joint Secretary.
"I feel sorry for our men-folk for huge confusion in which we as society have thrown them. Unfortunately policy makers involved only women in initiatives and issues relating to them and men were kept out of the loop," she added.

Gupta was addressing a conference on "Engaging men and boys in fight against violence".
NIRD&PR Director General and PR W R Reddy said NCW has
developed training modules. "We will be using those modules and train the master trainers, who in turn will train the elected representatives at regional level in different clusters. This is basically a one-year programme and will be done in collaboration with Rajasthan government," he said.

"We expect to get into other activities also on field research and various other programmes like impact assessment," he added.
Later interacting with delegates at the event, Kumaramangalam, replying to a query on flexible working hours for women employees, said, "We are negotiating with CII, FICCI and also been talking with Commerce Ministry."

"On flexible working hours, we can't make a law. We have recommended for both government and private sector. But the demand has to come from the women themselves who work in those industries," she said.
Replying to another query on imposing prohibition, she said, "Alcoholism is more of a social disease. Agreed that government policies may help. The demand generally (for prohibition) has to come from community that is the best way through which it can addressed."
"Alcoholism in itself cannot be merely stopped or reduced by shutting down or restricting sale of liquor... There is a need for multi-pronged approach. Governments have a role to play but the community has an equally important role to play," she added.