NCW chief Vijaya Rahatkar to arrive on three-day Bengal visit, attend several events on women's safety
Kolkata, Aug 4
The National Commission for Women Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar is set to visit West Bengal for the first time after the Bharatiya Janata Party government came to power in the state, officials said on Tuesday.
Rahatkar will arrive in Kolkata on Wednesday for a three-day visit.
During her visit, the NCW Chief will review women's safety in the state and discuss about ensuring justice, increasing legal awareness and preventing human trafficking with help of various institutions in the state.
For this, several meetings, workshops and public hearings have been organised in Kolkata and Howrah.
According to the information received so far, on Wednesday, Rahatkar will visit directly to the West Bengal National University of Juridical Sciences after arriving in Kolkata. There, the NCW Chief will interact with students in the 'Campus Calling' programme. Later, she will meet members of women's self-help groups at the Dhandhanya Auditorium and participate in the 'She Serves' programme at the National Library.
The next day, i.e. on August 6, Vijaya Rahatkar will inaugurate the Bengal Women's Development Conclave titled 'Women-led Bengal' at the Biswa Bangla Convention Centre in Rajarhat.
On the same day, she will listen to the complaints of the state's women in a public hearing in Kolkata and later attend a high-level meeting on women's safety with the state Director General of Police Siddh Nath Gupta and top police officials.
On August 7, the NCW Chief will participate in another training workshop at Sarat Sadan in Howrah. She is also scheduled to meet with the district administration and police officials.
Apart from this, Vijaya Rahatkar will also address a special workshop on prevention of human trafficking at the headquarters of Border Security Force's (BSF) South Bengal Frontier in Kolkata's New Town.
The NCW has told that for the first time in West Bengal, the Chairperson of the Commission will personally chair two women's public hearings during this visit.
Women will be able to directly raise complaints in these two public hearings organised in Kolkata and Howrah on Friday.
Walk-in complaints will also be accepted.
The aim of this visit by the NCW Chief is to further strengthen the institutional system related to women's safety and make the complaint redressal process more effective.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Good initiative but where were they all these years? Women's safety is not about one visit; it's about consistent efforts. I hope the NCW chief looks at the ground reality beyond the AC conference rooms. Public hearings are a good start though.
It's heartening to see the NCW taking proactive steps. The 'Women-led Bengal' conclave sounds promising. But what really matters is the follow-up action after these events. We have so many laws but implementation is the real challenge. Hope the meeting with the DGP brings concrete results. 🤞
Just another political yatra in the garb of women's safety. The state government and central agencies need to work together instead of making it a prestige war. But I must admit, the public hearings where women can directly walk in and complain is a very practical step.
This is what true federalism looks like. Central commission coming to state to address issues collaboratively. The BSF headquarters visit for human trafficking workshop is particularly important, given our long borders with Bangladesh. Strong coordination is key.
As someone who works with NGOs here in Howrah, I can tell you the situation on the ground is complex. Human trafficking is rampant in the border areas. This visit gives us a ray of hope. Let's see how many recommendations actually translate into action on the ground. 🙏
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