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Members of the Kohima district legal services authority and participants during the observation of International Women’s Day at the Zhadima community hall in Kohima.[/caption]
Our Correspondent
Mokokchung, March 8 (EMN): Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM)-International Women’s Day was observed in Mokokchung as part of the Swachh Shakti Week on Mar. 8. The programme was organized by the Public Health Engineering division of Mokokchung.
The district’s SBM ambassador, Tsukti Longkumer, was the guest of honour of the event. Women representative from 15 villages attended the event.
In his address Longkumer said that the Clean India Mission should be ‘holistic cleanliness’ rather than limited only to cleaning own household. The SBM should not be taken as an occasional social work exercise but a continuous process inside and outside home, he told the gathering.
Unless people understand the core concepts of the sanitation movement, Longkumer said, the mission will not materialise. He has urged the womenfolk of the area to be the agents of change starting from the kitchen all the way into public areas.
Two women groups namely the Mission Clean Drive of Ungma and Mokokchung Town Sweeper Group were given awards and cash incentives for their contribution to the sanitation movement.
The Watsu Mungdang, the apex women organization of the Ao community, also observed International Women’s Day at the Mokokchung town hall on Thursday. The organisation conducted the event with the general theme for International Women’s Day ‘press for progress.’
District legal service agencies
Members of the district legal services authorities across the districts of Nagaland observed International Women’s Day on Mar. 8, according to updates from local legal agencies that were received here on Thursday.
Kohima
The Kohima district legal services authority (KDLSA) observed International Women’s Day at the Zhadima community hall. Speaking as the resource person of the programme on the topic of violence against women, panel lawyer Zasitsolie Bei-o said that even if rights are guaranteed to women, most women in the Naga society don’t fight for their rights.
Article-15 and article-16 of the Indian Constitution stipulating the Fundamental Rights outline key provisions for women such as equal pay for equal work which must be practiced even in the Panchayats and municipal organisations, he said.
Speaking on the topic of protection of children from sexual offences, another panel lawyer of the KDLSA, Keduvi Zhotso, said that a special law had been instituted for the welfare of children who are under 18 years of age. The legislation is to protect children from sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and pornography, among others, he said. He told the gathering that the act provides also for child-friendly ‘systems’; interim compensation for immediate needs and for relief; and final compensation that may be given to a child victim.
Further, Zhotso said that the act stipulates various punishments for offences such as failure to report an offence which may attract a six-month penalty. He informed that aggravated sexual assault attracts a penalty of 10 years or life imprisonment; false complaints against a child attracts a one-year penalty.
Longleng
Members of the Longleng district legal services authority also observed International Women’s Day at the Good Shepherd School on Mar. 8.
An advocate P Monyei Phom, spoke on the topic of gender equality and women empowerment, while the administrator of Good Shepherd School highlighted the significance of women’s day, updates stated on Thursday.
In collaboration with a local group called the Peren Town Women Welfare Organization, members of the Peren district legal services authority also celebrated International Women’s day in Peren town on Mar. 8, updates stated on Thursday.
Somet C Chang, secretary, was stated to have spoken about the significance of women’s day. A member of the district’s legal service authority, Zheviholi Swu, spoke about the constitutional rights of women; Asuni, a panel lawyer of the legal agency spoke about domestic violence; and Ahoshi Achumi, a ‘government pleader,’ spoke about the laws in India concerning women, the updates informed.
In Dimapur a number of local youth groups organized a joint programme to observe International Women’s Day. The event was conducted with the theme “Progressive Naga Women,” updates on Thursday informed.
The programme was organised by five organizations ‘led by women’ namely the Mind Blowers Club, Ethnic Group of Nagaland, Get Gorgeous Society, Incessant Welfare Society, and the Native Trax Society, in collaboration with the Nagaland State Commission for Women. The event was co-sponsored by the department of Women Resource Development, it was informed.
The event was conducted at the Don Bosco Institute for Development & Leadership in Dimapur. It was informed that ‘hundreds of women’ from diverse backgrounds “and also by a lot of supportive men” attended the event.
According to the updates, the programme was to highlight the achievements of Naga women and to ‘motivate and unite friends, colleagues and our community to think, act and be gender-inclusive and press for progress of women.’
A weeklong sanitation-themed programme in Longleng district called the ‘Swachh Shakti Week’ culminated with the celebration of International Women’s Day on Mar. 8. The event was organized by “DWSM PHED” of the district, updates informed on Thursday. The event saw the presence of more than ‘100 women sanitation champions.’
The programme was organized to highlight the role of women in the Swachh Bharat Mission and to aid their leadership, it was informed.
The activities that were undertaken during the Swachh Shakti Week was highlighted to the gathering by S Walling, a chemist at the Public Health Engineering division of Longleng. The speaker congratulated the local “sanitation champions” for their active participation and contribution to the cause of the SBM. Besides, they were lauded for ‘bringing sanitation awareness to the community and for motivating women, children and society thereby improving hygiene and sanitation.’
Resource person M Atula Jamir, a counsellor at the district hospital of Longleng, also talked to the gathering. She emphasized on the importance of women’s role in water and sanitation, the updates stated. She was stated to have encouraged the women to step forward and ‘work relentlessly’ by spreading information about sanitation and hygiene, it was informed. Further, they were urged to keep their surroundings clean ‘so as to stay safe from diseases.’
International Women’s Day was celebrated at Immanuel College too. The programme was organised by the college’s women cell on Mar. 8 in the college’s auditorium. The event was conducted for the “female faculty members as well as the female students,” updates informed on Thursday.
The speaker for the programme was Merensola Imchen, counsellor and chaplain at the Dimapur Mission Higher Secondary School. In her speech, she highlighted the ‘uniqueness of women,’ the updates informed.
‘How women are exquisite creatures beautifully crafted and created by God. Women equals strength and feminity (sic). So to be a woman require enormous amount of strength. Lastly the speaker opined that a strong woman and her essence were a gift to the world and just being a woman is God’s gift which all the women must appreciate,’ the updates stated.
Members of the Nagaland unit of the FPA India and the Development Association of Nagaland (DAN) jointly celebrated International Women’s Day at Mima village. The groups observed the event with the universal theme for the event ‘press for progress,’ updates from the organisers informed on Thursday.
The resource person for the event was Dr. Thejanuo Solo. The speaker spoke about women’s reproductive health and women’s rights, it was informed. Altogether 75 women attended the program.
Kiezonuo Livi, a leader of Mima women in the area, said the invocation. Ville Rhetso, counsellor at FPA India talked about the significance of the day and ‘gave a strong call for action to press forward and progress gender parity,’ the updates stated.
Also, Rokosenuo Medoze, assistant program manager at DAN was stated to have spoken about the organization and project activities ‘which reach out for the communities in health-related issues.’
Free health consultations, counselling in family planning, and VCT services were provided to the participants by members of FPA India, the updates informed.
