Women groups for gender budgeting, priority to rape victims

NEW DELHI: A number of leading women groups today sought higher resource allocation in the forthcoming annual budget for implementation of steps to protect the fair sex from violence and exploitation and ensure their financial inclusion.

Expressing deep concern over "rise" in various forms of violence against women, the groups in a memorandum to Finance Minister P Chidambaram, specifically demanded "priority attention" in the budget for rape and acid attack survivors.

Referring to Verma Committee recommendations for multiple interventions to ensure dignity of women, the groups said budget should make funds available for safe public transport, rehabilitation of victims of violence, sanitation and setting up of child care centres for working mothers. The budget will be presented in Parliament on February 28.

The organisations which submitted the memorandum include All India Democratic Women's Association, All India Women's Conference, Centre for Women's Development Studies, Joint Women's Programme, Guild of Service, All India Dalit Mahila Adhikar Manch, National Federation Of Indian Women and Muslim Women's Forum.

"It is disturbing to note that even the meagre Rs 20 crore allocated to a scheme for providing relief to rape victims in the previous budget was not utilised due to absence of implementation mechanisms. The lack of accountability and monitoring processes has to be remedied," the groups said.

They said enough funds should be facilitated for "widespread" setting up of crisis intervention cells, short stay homes, and other related measures to assist women victims of violence.

The groups asked the Finance Minister to make a provision for 30 per cent allocations of funds for women with proper gender budgeting by all ministries and departments besides ensuring accountability and transparency in implementing the schemes.