SHILLONG: As part the 16 Days of Activism campaign against domestic violence and violence against women, the Meghalaya State Commission for Women in collaboration with the MSW 3rd semester students of Martin Luther Christian University and Yes Bank organized a one-day road show here on Tuesday to spread awareness on the prevalent social issue of violence against women and foster ownership of the issue amongst the denizens of Shillong.
The road show was conducted with Sawlad as the starting point and then proceeded on to the key populated areas of Madanryting, Jhalupara and finally culminated at the busy Polo market area. The students put together a street play in Khasi and Hindi to portray instances of domestic violence within marriage, incorporating the important message that victims of domestic abuse can approach the Meghalaya State Commission for Women or the District Social Welfare Officer and also the legislations for their protection.
Apart from the street play, the students also made the use of slogans, charts, question and answer sessions and, flex displays to get their message across to the people.
Despite the difficulties faced owing to particularly the traffic congestions, lack of space to carry out the street play and spectators to gather, the programme passed off quite smoothly.
It is the hope of all involved in the road-show that their efforts would have left a significant mark on the people who need help and prove to be a monumental step towards the eradication of violence against women from all strata of society.