Putting women in charge of their own welfare

Kozhikode: The state government seems to have found a seemingly simple, but as yet untested, solution to better implement women and child welfare programmes. Appoint women themselves as women and child development officers in each district.

Such appointments, Women and Child department officials say, will help improve the implementation of women-friendly laws. The appointments are temporary, and the offices would be in project offices for the time being. Nonetheless, women and child development director Sheeba George said that the staff strength would be strengthened soon, and the offices would be shifted to new places.

“The offices are currently being run in the project offices. However, they would be shifted once the construction of the new buildings are over. These district-level officers would be dealing with domestic violence act 2005, dowry prohibition act, child marriage prevention act, immoral trafficking prevention act, Nirbhaya policy, central and state nutrition policies, ICDS policies, anganwadis, and shelter homes in the district. There were complaints that the department was not able to cater to the needs of the women and children in need due to the lack of officers and staff in the department. With the appointment of new district level officers, such issues can be sorted out to a great extent,” the director said.

These district level officers would be looking after the cases related to Kerala State Women's Commission, Kerala State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights, Jagratha samitis and gender budgeting. This is the first time that the state is appointing district-level officers for Women and Child department.

Ten officers, who were promoted from women and child department and four officers who were holding the posts of women protection officers, are appointed in the districts, announced minister KK Shylaja.

The new officers are: L Sabeena Begum (Thiruvananthapuram), Geethakumari S (Kollam), Sheeba L (Pathanamthitta), Anita S Lin (Kozhikode), Sophy Jacob (Idukki), Jebin Lolitha Zain (Ernakulam), Sulakshana P (Thrissur), Meera P (Palakkad), Thasneem PS (Malappuram), Dena Bharathan (Kasargod), Minimol (Alappuzha), PN Sreedevi (Kottayam). Lajeena KH (Wayanad) and Bindu CA (Kannur).

New social justice officers: Elias Thomas (Thiruvananthapuram), Sudheerkumar P (Kollam), Shamla Begum J (Pathanamthitta), G Gopakumar (Idukki), Ranjunathan (Ernakulam), KG Vincent (Thrissur), Francis Babu KG (Palakkad), K Krishnamoorthy (Malappuram), Sheeba Mumthas CK (Kozhikode), Bhaskar B (Kasargod), Sabu Joseph (Alappuzha), Pavithran Thaikkandi (Wayanad), MM Mohandas ( Kottayam) and Rajeevan K (Kannur).