Government, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah has said, is working to frame a strict law on the violence against women.  The law has become the urgent need of the hour following the acid attack on a woman which came shortly in the wake of the gang-rape and subsequent death of a woman in New Delhi. CM has underlined the need to reauthorize the Act in Ranbir Penal Code on abuse of women. On the other hand, the law secretary has indicated the plan to set up fast track courts for speedy justice in cases of sexual violence against women. The government, he said, has already invited suggestions from jurists, legal experts and the people conversant with the Criminal Justice System to take a decision on the issue. Both a tougher law and the fast track court have become important to check the incidence of violence against women. However, a strong law alone is not the solution. The fear of social stigma prevents a large number of families to register complaints with police. What we need is a greater consciousness about the physical violence against women. The gruesome Delhi gang rape has certainly made a difference. The way it was played up by the media helped also draw attention to the acid attack on the woman in our state. Situation in Kashmir, however, is more complex. The Valley has passed through the tragic two decades. We have a huge baggage of violence perpetrated by different sets of actors and this includes violence against women, a large part of it by the men in uniform. However,  the successive state governments have paid little attention towards this reality. Chairman of the Minority’s Commission Wajahat Habibullah was candid enough to point towards this reality in his reaction to former Army Chief General V K Singh’s public protest over the Delhi gang-rape. While we talk of bringing out a stronger law against sexual violence, it is also incumbent on the  government to account for the sexual violence of the past two decades.

Lastupdate on : Sun, 6 Jan 2013 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sun, 6 Jan 2013 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Mon, 7 Jan 2013 00:00:00 IST