Karnataka - Bellary   

‘Invoke the law to solve problems’

BELLARY: K.S. Mudugal, Principal District and Sessions Judge, has asked commercial sex workers to approach the District/Taluk Legal Aid Authority to seek legal assistance for problems pertaining to infringement of their rights.

She was speaking after inaugurating a legal awareness workshop for commercial sex workers, organised under the joint auspices of Vimukti, a non-governmental organisation, the Bellary District Legal Aid Authority, the Bellary Bar Association and the Bellary District AIDS Prevention Society (BDAPS) here on Saturday. “Come to the office of the legal aid authority and talk about your problems. People in charge of the authority will help you exercise the right options,” Ms. Vasantamma, president of Vimukti, said. Ms. Mudugal also appealed to them to make best use of government welfare schemes. She also asked them to get organised by forming self-help groups, so that they could raise their voice against exploitation.

They could also avail themselves of financial assistance from banks and other financial institutions to focus on skill development.

Pushparekha, president of the zilla panchayat, said that only through awareness could one avoid getting HIV. Expressing concern over the misuse of the law, she said that legal awareness workshops should not be limited to aggrieved women, but should also help men as well. “Creating awareness by legislation is not enough, until the people consciously take steps to achieve the goal,” she said and underlined the need for women to become literate and educate their children.

Peer Mohammed of the Karnataka Health Promotion Trust (KHPT) elaborated on the legal problems faced by women and appealed to them to make use of them to safeguard their rights.

Prabhavati, Chief Judicial Magistrate and Member Secretary of the Authority; Jayakumar, coordinator, BDAPS; and Ankalaiah, general secretary of the Bellary Bar Association, were present.

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‘Invoke the law to solve problems’

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