Mount Abu (Rajasthan): Demonic attacks on women have shaken the conscience of the country, President Ram Nath Kovind said n Friday and advocated that those convicted under the POCSO Act should be deprived of their right to mercy petition.
It is for the Parliament to take a decision on the matter and make necessary constitutional amendments, ‘but the thought of all of us is moving ahead in that direction’, Kovind said while addressing an event in here on the issue of women safety.
The president said women’s safety is a very serious issue and a lot of work has been done on this but much remains to be done.
“Incidents of demonic assaults on daughters shake the conscience of the country. It is the duty of every parent, citizens, yours and mine to strengthen among boys the sense of respect towards women,” said Kovind.
“In this context, several things are coming up. Such convicts have been given the right of mercy petition by the Constitution. I have said that there should be reconsideration on this…. In cases under POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, they be deprived of the right of mercy petition. They do not need any such right,” asserted Kovind.
The president’s remarks came at a time the country witnessed several cases of brutal attacks on women.
Speaking on women empowerment, Ram Nath Kovind pointed out that education is important for empowerment of women.
“It is true that when you make a boy educated, it gives benefit to one family but when you make a girl educated, its benefit goes to two families. Another important fact is that the children of an educated woman do not remain uneducated,” stated the president.
Kovind said that financial empowerment of women was equally important and the Centre’s Jan Dhan Yojana has played an important role in that direction. He said that there has been an improvement in child sex ratio due to women development centric schemes and Haryana, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan have been honoured for the improvement.
“I have been informed that an improvement of nearly 35 points is child sex ratio is there in Haryana, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh. This is an important social change. Birth of 1003 daughters per 1000 sons in Rajasthan’s Banswara district is a good thing,” said Kovind.
PTI