Give protection and respect to women in need

Categories: When considering the present situation in Sri Lanka we are bound to pay tribute to a certain group of women while taking care of another group of women. The third group needs both protection and care. Today we talk about women serving in Armed Forces and police, the wives and mothers of war heroes. The fourth group is, women who are internally displaced due to various reasons.

Almost all of us go through security check points during our day to day lives. Women serving at these check points spend a harder life than the women who go through them. Women in the Armed Forces and police, check all women who go through these check points. These women officers stand up during most of their duty hours. They stay in small shelters hardly protected by the sun and rain.

As they stay outside most of the time, especially at roadsides near gutters, they are always exposed to dengue mosquitos. Besides, they live in danger because they are the first persons to come across explosives or other dangerous items/persons.

It is natural that the women in the Armed Forces and police have desires like any other woman, although they do not enjoy the same facilities. They cannot run to the 'Ladies room' five times a day because there are no ladies rooms at checkpoints and they do not have time for that.

They expose themselves to infectious diseases because they check all the people. Women who serve in the conflict areas live difficult lives under the attacks of terrorists.

Some of them leave their children and aged parents at home and spend time to protect human lives. It is our responsibility to extend our fullest corporation to them and treat them with highest respect.

Women who have become widows after their heroic husbands who served in Armed Forces are killed, need protection and care. Sometimes they are left alone with girl children which makes them more vulnerable to evil forces.

Sometimes these widows do not get protection or financial support from the parents of their late husbands or their own parents/siblings. Sometimes they give birth to their child after the death of their husbands or left alone with few days/weeks old infants.

Most of these widows are young and need protection. When the financial benefits of their late husbands divided between the aged parents (in-laws) and the widow, these widows become more helpless and vulnerable.

Every woman should admire the leadership for drastically decreasing the number of war heroes killed/disabled by the fighting despite terrorist attacks. They need our care and protection.

It is a well known fact that the elder population of Sri Lanka is growing up rapidly. Parents, especially mothers give away their sons to the Armed Forces because they love their motherland.

When their sons sacrifice their lives to safeguard the country the aged parents become helpless. When the son is married and have two or three kids the parents become more dependent because the financial benefits of their late son directly goes to the widow and some widows hardly look after the aged parents due to various reasons. Both parties need our care and protection.

The women who become refugees and internally displaced are being used by different parties to achieve their `objectives'. NGOs use them to tarnish the image of any Government which tries to safeguard the country while certain media and politicians use them to sling mud on whatever Government at that time (if it is fighting against terrorism).

Unfortunately the majority of these women expect everything from the Government, organisations and the society without even dreaming about helping themselves because of the influence they get from certain persons and organisations. They wait for aid to come from the Government or any other organisation.

The last category needs many things other than rations and material assistance. They need awareness raising especially on contraceptives, about the State institutes who hold responsibilities for their well-being and how NOT to become victims of different propagandists. They should be given vocational training and guidance.