Empowerment of women through legal awareness programme for women

held on 12.11.2021 at
Grays Lecture Hall, Narayana Medical College, Nellore.

On the occasion of National Legal Aid Services Authority Day, Hon’ble Sri Mude Srinivasulu Naik, the Senior Civil Judge cum Secretary, District Legal Aid Services Authority, District Court Compound, Nellore, proposed to conduct “Empowerment of women through legal awareness programme for women” at Narayana Medical College, Nellore on 12.11.2021 at 3.00 pm so that the Medical, Dental and Nursing students will have awareness on the Constitutional provisions and the laws enacted by the State and Central Government to empower women.

The proposal of the Senior Civil Judge cum Secretary has been accepted and the programme on the above topic was conducted on 12.11.2021 in the Medical College campus.  More than 500 students from Medical College, Dental College and Nursing Institutions attended the programme.

At about 3.00 pm on 12.11.2021 the Chief Guest Hon’ble Sri Mude Srinivasulu Naik, Senior Civil Judge cum Secretary, District Legal Aid Services Authority, has arrived at Narayana Medical College, Nellore, and he was received by the DEAN and the Vice Principal.

The said programme started at about 3.10 pm and the dignitaries were invited on to the dias.

Dr. S. P. Rao, Dean, Narayana Medical College, Smt. Dr. V.V. Seshamma, Professor & HOD of Psychiatry & Medical Superintendent, Dr. Gangadhar Belvadi, Professor & HOD of Paediatrics, Dr. S. Lavanya, Professor & HOD of OBGY & members of Sexual Harassment Committee and Dr. C. Jyothi, Professor of Community Medicine & Vice Principal and the Chief Guest Hon’ble Sri Mude Srinivasulu Naik were on the dias.

The introduction of the Chief Guest was readout by Dr. Madhuri, Post Graduate, Community Medicine, compered the programme.

Dr. S. Lavanya, Professor & HOD of OBGY, has explained the activities of the Sexual Harassment Committee that took place to prevent and erratic sexual harassment in the Medical College Campus.

Dr. S. P. Rao, Dean, invited the Chief Guest and informed the gathering about conducting of empowerment of women through legal awareness programme for women.

The Chief Guest, Hon’ble Sri Mude Srinivasulu Naik was invited to deliver his speech.  He explained that the women Empowerment is the vital instrument to expand women stability to have resources and to make strategic life choices.  Empowerment of women is essentially the process of upliftment of economic, social and political status of women, the traditionally under privileged once, in the society.  It is the process of guarding them against all forms of violence.  He further said that women population is around 50% of the total population of the World and now a days women are increasingly gaining control over their lives and are actively taking their own decisions with regard to their education, career, profession and lifestyle. He has stated that women have demanded equality with men in matters of education, employment, inheritance, marriage and politics and recently in the field of religion also to serve as priest. Further he explained that women empowerment implies the ability in women to take decisions with regard to their lives and work and giving with equal rights to them in all spheres like – personal, social, economic, political, legal and so on.  They are playing multiple roles – at home as a mother, daughter, sister and wife and at working place as professional with remarkable simplicity and compatibility.  It is true that women, to a large extent, do not face, discrimination in the society today, unfortunately many of them face exploitation and harassment which can be diverse types – emotional, physical, mental and sexual and they are often subjected to rape, abuse and other forms of physical and intellectual violence.

While explaining as above, he has stated that the Parliament of India has passed various legislations to save women from various forms of injustice and discrimination.  The following laws are enacted by the Parliament of India to empower women.

 
  1. Equal remuneration Act 1976
  2. Dowry Prohibition Act 1961
  3. Immoral traffic (Prevention Act) 1956
  4. Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act 1971
  5. Maternity benefit Act 1961
  6. Commission of Sati (Prevention Act) 1987
  7. Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006
  8. Pre Conception and Pre-natal diagnostic technics (Regulation and Prevention Misuse) Act 1994 and
  9. Sexual Harassment of women at work place (Prevention and Protection) Act 2013
 

More recently, in the wake of Nirbhaya case involving the rare and brutal murder of a Paramedical student in Delhi, the Government passed Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of the Children) bill 2016.

Furthermore, he stated that very recently The Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly passed the Andhra Pradesh Disha Bill, 2019 (Andhra Pradesh Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2019). The bill provides for awarding death sentence for offences of rape and gangrape and expediting trials of such cases to within 21 days.

The chief guest has made awareness of women empowerment among the students particularly girls while explaining the above stated laws.

The Chief Guest Hon’ble Sri Mude Srinivasulu Naik, was felicitated with momento and shawl.

The programme concluded with the vote of thanks delivered by the Vice Principal Dr. C. Jyothi.