This year,70 pc cases in women commission relate to domestic violence,but only three in police files The reports of Punjabi women abandoned by NRI husbands and domestic violence have caused concern not only in India,but also in the United Kingdom and Canada. But women in Punjab are still to wake up to their rights. As per Punjab Police records of this year till August,only three cases of domestic violence one in August and two in February were registered under the Domestic Violence Act,while the number of complaints against NRI husbands was 14. This despite that fact that 70 per cent of the cases reported in the Punjab State Womens Commission (PSWC) are related to domestic violence. Commission chairperson Gurdev Kaur Sangha said,In most of the cases,the problem either starts with domestic violence or is the proverbial last straw that brings a woman to the commission. This clearly indicates lack of awareness among Punjabi women. A scheme of the Punjab State Social Welfare Board also testifies to the fact. Sources said a helpline (1092) for women in distress started by the board in 2003 gets very few complaints of domestic violence. A couple of months ago,while asking Chief Secretary S C Agarwal to order a high-level probe into offences against women,PSWC Principal Secretary Sarvesh Kaushal stated in a letter,The Domestic Violence Act is already operational,but such insensitivity to the cause of women is baffling. Agarwal told The Indian Express that he has forwarded the letter to the department concerned. A senior official in the women and child development department entrusted with the task of creating awareness and responsible for the implementation of the Act said a meeting would soon be convened on the issue. Rajnish Kumar,the departments deputy director,said though work on creating awareness was on,smooth flow of funds would yield better results. Last year,Rs 50 lakh were earmarked for the work,but the money was not released,he said. Sounding hopeful,he said the planning department has allocated Rs 1 crore this fiscal. When asked if any awareness strategy was planned by the department,Kumar told The Indian Express ,We will set up awareness camps and the staff will be trained about the Domestic Violence Act. Advertisements on TV,radio and newspapers will be issued and seminars will also be organised. We are also planning to give training to the police,especially women officials. Giving another reason for few cases registered,he said women in villages find reporting about their being bashed up by their husbands insulting and prefer to keep mum. Besides,reconciliation is also reported after a case is reported to the protection officer, he added. As for cases against NRI husbands,he said they have drafted a three-pronged scheme. In the first phase,people would be told how to verify antecedents of the boy with the help of the embassy. The second phase would deal with brides abandoned in Punjab by the NRI grooms,he said,adding that under this phase,the girls family would be provided free legal aid. The third step aims at helping married women harassed on foreign soil. The Government of India has tied up with NGOs abroad,which would be asked to rescue the victims,he added. Three dowry cases a dayThe number of dowry cases registered this year till August was about 664,which comes to three a day. An official of the Women and Child Development Department said as per records of their protections officers in the state,203 cases of domestic violence came to light this year. Sources said many domestic violence cases were being treated as that of dowry. In the state infamous for its abysmally skewed sex ratio,only 15 cases against foeticide were registered this year till August.
