Waheed Para requests for continuation of special cells for women in J&K

JAMMU: Senior PDP leader and legislator Waheed Ur Rehman Para on Saturday expressed serious concern over the discontinuation of special cells for women in Jammu and Kashmir, calling it a “reckless decision that endangers the lives of vulnerable women”.

Para, who is PDP’s legislative party leader in J&K Assembly, urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Health Minister Sakina Itoo, and National Commission for Women (NCW) which is funding the project to restore and institutionalize these cells, ensuring they remain operational and effectively address gender-based violence.

Established in November 2021 under the Violence-Free Home – A Woman’s Right Initiative, it has assisted nearly 9,800 survivors across all 20 districts of Jammu and Kashmir.

Implemented by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) in collaboration with the Jammu and Kashmir Home and Social Welfare Departments, the special cells have functioned within police stations to bridge the gap between survivors and the justice system.

NCW sources said the Jammu and Kashmir government had to take over this project, but they did not do so.

According to NCW sources, the MoU was set to end on March 31. However, the J&K government “took no action”, and the MoU remains valid only until March 31, 2025.

The plan was for us to start the project and provide hand-holding support to the J&K government, but they allegedly did not take responsibility, the NCW sources said.

However, the health minister said she had requested NCW for a one-year extension for the special cells.

“I have formally written to NCW India requesting an extension of at least one year for the Special Cells for Women in J&K. The support these cells provide is crucial but along with these cells, One Stop Centres are also providing legal aid, counseling, medical assistance, and shelter to women in distress in J&K,” Itoo had posted on X on March 24.

A group of over 600 women’s rights activists, intellectuals, and professionals have also appealed to CM Abdullah to intervene to prevent the proposed closure of special cells for women.

In a letter addressed to Abdullah dated March 26, prominent activists Shabnam Hashmi and Dr Syeda Hameed underscored the role the special cells have played in providing psycho-social-legal support to women facing violence.

“The shutting down of Special Cells for Women is a grave mistake. These cells have helped hundreds of women survive violence, and we continue to receive calls for their restoration. This reflects the apathy of the administration towards the suffering of women in our region,” Para said in a statement.

He said the shutting down of these cells raises serious questions about the government’s priorities and whether women’s issues are being “deliberately sidelined”.

Para emphasised that the dismantling of these Cells reflects a “broader pattern of governance failures” in J&K, where essential social welfare initiatives are being neglected or discontinued.

He accused the administration of failing to prioritize women’s rights and safety, calling it yet another example of how the central government and the UT administration are failing the people of J&K.

“The government must act swiftly to preserve these cells. We cannot afford to abandon women who are in distress. I urge the chief minister to immediately intervene and ensure the continuation of these crucial support centres.

“The administration needs to recognize that neglecting “women’s safety is not just a policy failure but a moral and political disaster,” he said. (PTI)