Skip to main content

Strengthen, strictly implement POSH, POCSO Acts: sexual harassment of women, children

The National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) convention calls for one lakh public meetings. A note:
***
On June 4, 2023, on the occasion of the 70th year of the foundation, a National Convention in solidarity with the protesting wrestlers was organised by the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW), the pioneering mass women’s organisations of Independent India.
The convention tiled ‘From Remission to Wrestler’s Struggle: Challenges before the Women’s Movement and Way Forward,’ Almost 400 members from 20 states participated at Constitution Club of India New Delhi.
It was inaugurated by Aruna Roy, President of NFIW. In her speech she highlighted the wide-ranging rights-based work done by the organisation over the last seven decades for social, political and economic equality. She recounted the history of the movement in standing with the most marginalized the poor, Dalit, Adivasis, Muslims and every other section of society to strengthen struggles for justice and against communal violence of any kind. NFIW has taken battles from streets to courts to secure constitutional rights and justice.
The convention unanimously passed a resolution moved by Annie Raja, General Secretary reiterated to continue NFIW’s solidarity to the struggling wrestlers and to the cause of strengthening and strict implementation of POSH and POCSO Acts related to sexual harassment of women and children respectively.
It also demands the suspension from Parliament and arrest and begin the investigations against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, under the POCSO Act, as well as begin a judicial enquiry into the processes that were instituted to secure his impunity, including the report of the Oversight Committee, and the absence of an ICC in the WFI and other bodies. The resolution also demanded action on horrific police violence against unarmed protestors and sympathizers a few days ago.
Along with the Veteran leaders of NFIW Ranjana Ray and Gargi Chakravartty, leaders and aactivists from different organisations working with cross-section of women spoke and they all condemned the apathy and anti-women stance of the present Modi led government, as well as pointed to the real challenge today to pull the country out of the bigoted, patriarchal, misogynist, fascist quagmire that it is sinking intoday. The women’s movement needs to make its priority to vote the present BJP and Sangh combine regime out of power, which is aggressively poisoning the country with vicious anti-Muslim propaganda, communal hatred through distortion of history and mis-information at all levels.
The National Convention has given a call of one lakh public meetings demanding proper implementation of woman and child centric Acts like POSH Act, SC/ST PoA Act and POCSO Act, by 15th August 2023.

Comments

TRENDING

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”

If Maoist violence is illegitimate, how is Hindutva, state violence justified? Can right-wing wash off its sins?

By Swami Agnivesh* and Sandeep Pandey** There was major police action against Sudha Bhardwaj, Gautam Navlakha, Varvara Rao, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira on 28 August, 2018. Before this police arrested Professor Shoma Sen, Adocate Sudhir Gadling, Sudhir Dhawle, Mahesh Raut and Rona Wilson on 6 June. Even before this Dr. Binayak Sen, Soni Sori, Ajay TG, Professor GN Saibaba and Prashant Rahi have been arrested and all these activists have been accused of having links with Maoists.

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

​ By Syed Ali Mujtaba*  ​The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.