'Telecast programmes on domestic violence'

BANGALORE: One woman is beaten up in every three minutes, and with 45 percent of Indian women suffering from domestic violence, it has become necessary to create awareness among the public through telecasting domestic violence related programmes and the various laws and Acts that can be enacted to this effect, says, Kiran Bedi, IPS.

She was speaking at a seminar on ‘Domestic Violence- Issues and Challenges,’ organised by the Women Empowerment Committee, a wing of the Rotary Club of Bangalore, here on Saturday.

“More and more family counselling centres should come up. Law students should come to the field and try their hand in such cases,” she added.

Further sharing her experience at the Star Plus telecast series “Aap ki Kacheri”, she said: “I have come across cases where the ‘panchas’ have decided the marriage of a woman without her knowledge, and there are also cases where women have been treated as ‘public utility service’. There are various laws protecting the victims of such domestic violence, which should be made known to the people”.

Justice N Kumar, Judge, High Court, Karnataka, highlighted the Acts enacted to this effect and said: “Though we cannot make laws and Acts for every other kind of domestic violence, the laws which are existing are not being implemented properly due to the ignorance of the people. People can form associations and work towards such effects and this would probably lessen the frequency of such domestic violence”. Vijayakumar, president of Rotary Club of Bangalore and Rosa Paramel, chairperson, Women Empowerment Committee were also present.