Panaji, Jun 14 :On the eve of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) June 15, the Goa Womens Forum (GWF) has called for an action plan to address the abuse of female senior citizens in Goa.
In a letter to the Director of Social Welfare Umeshchandra Joshi, GWF has stated that the action plan needs to be formulated keeping in mind the World Elder Abuse Awareness Day 2021 theme “Access to Justice”.
GWF in its letter has pointed out that during the last 15 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, domestic violence is on the increase in Goa and so also the abuse of female senior citizens.
Some of the reasons for this situation include all family members being together for long hours of the day and many days of the week due to lock down & curfew conditions, mental stress, uncertainty of job security and cut in wages, schools and other educational institutions being closed for a long period of time, the GWF said.
It said there was an urgent need for data to be compiled on how many female senior citizens were living alone, living with their families and living in Homes for the Aged in Goa, need for wide media focus through the Department of Information and Publicity on the important provisions of the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act 2007 and Goa Rules 2009, which cover elder abuse and the action that can be taken in the such matters.
”The issue of abuse of female senior citizens must be an agenda point in the forthcoming meetings of the District Committees of Senior Citizens in North and South Goa. The assistance of the Goa State Women’s Commission may be taken to prepare the Action Plan to tackle the abuse of female senior citizens. District level sensitization programs need to be organised for senior citizen volunteers of Police Stations so as to create awareness about the abuse of female senior citizens, how to handle complaints and what redressal mechanisms are available. Links need to be established with the Carmel College for Women, VM Salgaocar College of Law and VVM’s Govind Kare College of Law to prepare a legal & gender based intervention program to tackle the abuse of female senior citizens based on the WEAAD 2021 theme “Access to Justice”,” the GWF said.
”There is need for a collaboration with the District Womens Police Stations to take the WEAAD 2021 theme forward through the existing network of police stations in North and South Goa, with the Goa Panchayat Mahila Shakti Abhiyan (GPMSA) to take the WEAAD 2021 theme forward to the Zilla Panchayats and all the Village Panchayats in North & South Goa,” the GWF said in its suggestions.
The copies of the letter were sent to the Chief Secretary, Secretaries for Social Welfare and Provoderia, respective District Magistrates, Director Women and Child Development, Director General of Goa Police, respective District Police SPs, Principals of Carmel College for Women, VM Salgaocar College of Law and VVM’s Govind Kare College of Law, Chairperson, Goa State Women’s Commission, Administrator, Goa Panchayat Mahila Shakti Abhiyan (GPMSA) and Assistant Director Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs.(UNI)