PG Department of Commerce and IQAC of Al Ameen College, Edathala in association with Kerala Women’s Commission, conducted a webinar series on the topic “Gender Equity and Women rights” from 26-8-2020 to 29-8-2020. The major objective of the webinar was to provide an insightful session, dealing with Gender equity and also to provide more emphasize on the rights of the women community. The four day webinar series commenced with the topic ‘Gender Equity’ in which the resource person for the program, Ms. M.C Josephine, Chairperson, Kerala Women’s Commission) spoke about the current employment ratio of women and also about various laws that aid women to secure their rights.

The second session of day one was handled by Adv. Shiji Shivaji, where she spoke about gender equity and education in Kerala. She also pointed out her view that boys should be educated about gender equity right from their family level.

The second day of the webinar series started off with ‘Women and Mental Health’ being the main title of discussion. The resource person for the program was Dr. Samin Sameed, Psychiatrist, General Hospital, Ernakulam. The guest, in this session, directed her focus on the problems faced by women in balancing their work life along with their responsibilities at home.

‘Women’s Safety & Laws’ was the highlighted topic for the following  day.   The resource person for the program was V. K Hema, Advocate and Notary, High Court of Kerala. The session witnessed discussion on various laws related to women safety and protection from domestic violence. Various sections and legal definitions catering to the support of women were discussed in detail.

She concluded the session by reminding everyone about the importance of timely reporting of sexual, domestic or public abuse against women to the concerned authorities since time plays a significant role in proving that, most of these cases are to be reported without delay or shyness.

The topic of discussion for the fourth and the concluding day of the webinar series was about ‘Gender based Violence & Women rights.  The resource person for the program was Ms. Deepa M.S , Women Protection Officer, Ernakulam. The chief guest clearly explained about the various acts and laws that can be availed for violence against women. Violence against women and girls comes in different forms including domestic violence, sexual assault and harassment, early and forced marriage, sex trafficking, etc. She pointed out that it is one of the most widespread violations of human rights and has long-term devastating effects on the lives of women, their communities and the society.

The four day webinar series finished on a high note with participants discussing the various aspects mentioned throughout this string program. It was a highly informative session as well as of at most importance. The participants provided positive feedbacks since they received an information filled campaign about gender equality and sexual abuse against women.