Legal Awareness Camp

BACKGROUND

To awaken the people, it is the women who must be awakened. Once she is on the move, the family moves, the village moves, the nation moves.- Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Status of women has undergone multidimensional changes with the passage of time, strikingly in an alternate fashion. They enjoyed a revered status in pre-Vedic period, as a pariah during post-Vedic/medieval period and again emerged strongly in the twentieth century which is still on its journey to be completed. In Odisha though the status of women is enhancing still we have to miles to go. The reason behind this is the lack of awareness among the people regarding the legal provisions available in various aspects. Keeping the above things in mind and to make the legal provisions reach at the door step of general public the Odisha State Commission for Women organized a Legal Awareness Camp with the support of Orissa Voluntary Health Association (OVHA), Bhubaneswar and its member District member organization on 24th October, 2011 at Puri ,23rd July 2012 at Dhenkanal, 27th July, 2012 at Angul.

LAUNCHING OF LEGAL AWARENESS CAMP

Personnel`s from different sectors participated in the event and tried to make it an earmark for the rest districts to be covered gradually. Following is an overview of the participation :

• High Officials from State Commission for Women
• High Officials from Department of Law and Order (Police)
• Management of OVHA
• Representatives from NGOs across the districts
• Representatives from SHGs across the districts
• Personnel`s from Media

RECOMMENDATION EMERGED

• Creation of a Meera Apa` (Campion) at very village to guide and support the women regarding the legal aspects.
• The spreading of such camp not only at block level but also to every nook and corner of Odisha i.e., covering the grass root level through Gram panchayat .
• Issue of Identity Card to all the members who are working in Puri district for last 10 years to solve the problems specially injustice going on with the women of their locality.
• The book Published by Odisha State Commission for women must reach to every Anganawadi center for its worker to go through it and make people aware about all the acts and the facilities mentioned under it.
• Formation of a Redressal forum for women at District level and to do regular follow up of all the activities.
• Three factors must be taken into consideration i.e., economy, health, and illiteracy/ignorance as women are weak in these fields.