IMPHAL, November 21: Health and family welfare minister L Jayentakumar today inaugurated a one day workshop on ‘Manipur in the present scenario related to sexual exploitation of women and children’ at Keishampat Keisham Leikai community hall organised by the Holistic Development Organisation.
“A mother has to play a big role in bringing a peaceful and developed society, and in order to look after the welfare of women and her children, the Indian government had instituted a separate department called the department of social welfare”, the minister stated.
Considering the welfare of the women and her children, the state through the department has implemented various schemes and projects; however the law and order situation in the state has blocked the successful implementation of the schemes.
He also opined that there was no good education in the Manipuri society some 20 years back, and the result is that the present day has been facing the worst kind of law and order in the state. Manipur needs good mothers to produce healthy and good children. The government has been implementing various schemes and programme but it is unfortunate that so far it has not been able to succeed.
Noting that in India, there is no separate department for men, he said the country has women and child department.HDO secretary, S. Prakash who was also speaking at the workshop said the number of children living with HIV/AIDS are alarmingly increasing in the state due to armed conflict situation.
It is the right time for the people of the state to work towards the development of the state.
Secretary HDO, S Prakash in his addressed stated that with the arrival of development in the state, the society is today witnessed to various unbecoming behaviours amongst the youth of the society and if the leaders and various civil societies of the state fail to check this unbecoming behaviours it could be fatal for the very survival of our society.
K Saroja, probation officer social welfare department stated that there has been a steep rise in the numbers of orphans and widows in the state due to the problems of armed conflicts and HIV/AIDS. Side by side little girls from Below Poverty Lines have been exploited by some individuals in the name of providing jobs. There has been an increased in sexual exploitation of children by their step parents. Not just these but the social welfare department has even countered instances when children were found sleeping atop trees afraid of facing abuse from their step-parents, she added.
The department has also reports of two rapes in the state this month. The department rescued a 12 year old from the clutches of a 42 year old who had abducted her and raped her for three days and another six year old who had been raped by a neighbour during this month.
She informed that family members of young girls have a major role in stopping such sexual exploitations.
Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2011/11/one-day-workshop-mulls-over-ways-to-fight-sexual-exploitation/