Women face violence because they don't have control over their finances: NCW chief

Chennai: One of the reasons for women continuing to face violence was due to the lack of control over their financial resources, Chairperson of National Commission for Women Lalitha Kumaramangalam said here on Tuesday.

Speaking at a panel discussion on “Land Rights for Women Farmers”, organised by the M S Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) here, she said in order to reduce systemic violence against women, their inclusion in planning and policy frameworks right from grassroots level was essential.

“There are financial advantages of doing this and as such it should be seen as a financial investment.”

Founder of the Gramya Resource Centre for Women Rukmini Rao, after discussions with the Mahila Kissan Adhikar Manch, a network for women farmers across 16 states, presented a charter of demands to the chief of NCW seeking support to implement existing laws and encouraging legal literacy for the community.

Chair of the Gender and Development at the MSSRF Mina Swaminathan said while 80 per cent of work in agriculture was done by women, their actual ownership of land was only 13 per cent.

PTI