SHILLONG: National Commission for Women (NCW) Chairperson Rekha Sharma said on Friday respective governments should register names of women who are going outside states to work to ensure their safety amidst rising concerns over trafficking.
Speaking to reporters after a seminar ‘Empowering women through entrepreneurship’ on Friday, Sharma said, “There should be a registration of women who are going out for jobs.”
She added that it is necessary to get information of the state they are going to and the names, address of the employers should be known which makes it easy to track the women’s movement whether they are safe or not.
Asked about the scenario in the North East, she said the lack of opportunities to work in the state is the biggest problem which often impels women to work outside the state.
“If work is found in the state, other people will not lure the women to get jobs outside the state. And that is what we are doing through the programme, why not women start their own entrepreneurship here and engage other women so that they don’t need to go out and search for work,” Sharma said.
She added it is members of the same family who are mostly involved in luring women to work outside the state. She said, “They are told they will get jobs in restaurant, beauty parlors, but then trafficked somewhere.”
She observed if women are empowered, women would not be influenced to work outside the state.
Seminar on entrepreneurship
Sharma also spoke at the seminar organized by NCW in collaboration with Meghalaya State Commission for Women on “Empowering women through entrepreneurship” at the auditorium of North Eastern Council.
She observed that the North East has a negative point in that it is disconnected with mainland India as railways are still lacking which will ensure better marketing of products.
She observed that image of women in India is that of a home-maker and asserted that empowerment does not happen if women are not empowered economically for women should be job makers and not job seekers.
“Include women in nation building and the nation will surge ahead,” she said.
Meanwhile, Chairperson of Meghalaya State Commission for Women, Theilin Phanbuh said at present government jobs are saturated even as people continue to pursue government jobs.
She pointed there is a need to explore all possibility to empower young people in different fields.
Referring to the state of Meghalaya, she said single mothers face problems for running the house and raising children. She added that rural women should be given awareness on entrepreneurship to give them better opportunities.
