Women should watch what they wear: NCW
19 July 2012 3:14 AM GMT
After the shocking molestation case in Guwahati emerged, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has been embroiled in one controversy after another. First, a member of the NCW probe committee in the case Alka Lamba revealed the name of the victim, and was removed from the committee subsequently. Now, it is the NCW chairwoman Mamta Sharma who has shamed the women's panel.
Reacting to the Guwahati molestation case, Sharma said on Wednesday that women should be 'careful about the way they dress, because such incidents are a result of blindly aping the West'. When asked if she was suggesting that there should be a dress code for women, she said, 'After 64 years of freedom, it is not right to give blanket directions... and say “Don’t wear this, or don’t wear that”. Be comfortable, but at the same time, be careful about how you dress... Aping the West blindly is eroding our culture and causing such crimes to happen.'
She said that the biggest challenge before the NCW today is changing the social mindset of discrimination against women. 'Westernisation has affected our cities the worst. There are no values left. In places like Delhi there is no culture of offering seats to women. It is unfortunate that while the West is learning from our culture, we are giving ourselves up completely to Western ways,' she said.
Reacting to the Guwahati molestation case, Sharma said on Wednesday that women should be 'careful about the way they dress, because such incidents are a result of blindly aping the West'. When asked if she was suggesting that there should be a dress code for women, she said, 'After 64 years of freedom, it is not right to give blanket directions... and say “Don’t wear this, or don’t wear that”. Be comfortable, but at the same time, be careful about how you dress... Aping the West blindly is eroding our culture and causing such crimes to happen.'
She said that the biggest challenge before the NCW today is changing the social mindset of discrimination against women. 'Westernisation has affected our cities the worst. There are no values left. In places like Delhi there is no culture of offering seats to women. It is unfortunate that while the West is learning from our culture, we are giving ourselves up completely to Western ways,' she said.
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