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Dimapur, March 15 (EMN): The Nagaland State Commission for Women (NSCW) claims that “gender equity is at the heart of any progressive and democratic society,” and that ‘legal knowledge and provisions’ must be “made accessible” to citizens.
The statement formed the discourse of a programme that the NSCW conducted, to highlight various aspects of legal rights in the context of gender equality, on March 14 in Zunheboto town. The programme was conducted in collaboration with the Nagaland Institute of Development Studies with support from the National Commission for Women, a press release from the organisers on Sunday stated.
Citizens and stakeholders in Zunheboto headquarters including the Gaon Burah, and members of the Sumi Hoho, Sumi Totimi Hoho, church leaders, district administration, and students attended the programme.
In her keynote address, chairperson of the commission Khrienuo Tachu lauded the efforts of the Sumi community, which also is “at the juncture of tradition and modernity like other Naga communities,” in striving to create “more space for women in the society.”
Tachu categorically stated that “gender equity is at the heart of any progressive and democratic society,” and that “gender equity and legal rights must address the issues and problems at the grass-roots, and that legal knowledge and provisions” must be “made accessible” to all citizens.
“The need to sensitize people on the legal rights and constitutional amendment on gender rights and equity is what NSCW is trying to promote and achieve through a programme like the one conducted in Zunheboto,” Tachu said.
Highlighting the aims and objectives of the women’s commission, she was quoted as having stated that the citizens of Zunheboto, besides other districts in the state, can connect with the commission to seek counsel and assistance on specific Acts and women-related legislations, and to “seek the protection of law agencies in case of any violence and crimes against women” in the state.
The objective of the programme is to inform and ‘sensitise Naga men and women on equal opportunities in all areas of life, and also create a platform to provide help women victims of sexual harassment in the workplace, human trafficking, cyber crime, blackmail and domestic abuse etc,’ she said.
Another speaker at the event, the president of the Sumi Totimi Hoho, Kheholi Assumi, appreciated the NSCW, resource persons, stakeholders, and citizens of Zunheboto in general “for coming forward to address an important issue which will benefit the Sumi people as a whole.”
Assumi mentioned that important conversations are taking place between Sumi men and women, and that the Sumi Hoho and Sumi Totimi Hoho are ‘working in tandem to address issues and problems relating to Sumi women,’ the press release stated.
The panel of speakers for the programme included “experts” from different fields including education, district administrators, and legal experts who spoke on different issues relating to gender rights and equity, the organisers asserted.
“Important topics like workplace sexual harassment, rape, acts and amendments relating to women rights, customs and practices, and examples from field and personal experiences as well, were covered to enlighten the gathering,” it stated.
The press release claimed that these “these experts from different fields and backgrounds unanimously advanced a need for gender equity and legal parameters in place, which will give fair and equal justice to both men and women without any discrimination.”
They were also stated to have addressed the “need to make more avenues to sensitise the masses on the issue of gender rights and equity, and that dialogues, conversations and information must cut across all sections of the society.”