NCW backs Jayalalithaa's harsher laws pitch, says will curb crime against women

New Delhi: National Commission for Women on Tuesday welcomed Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's views that laws dealing with crime against women should be amended, saying they would help contain such violations. "It is a very good decision. She has asked for harsher punishment for the accused and has also said that steps will be taken to amend the Goondas Act."

"She has also asked for setting up of more fast-track courts to deal with such crimes. If all these measures are followed there will certainly be a decrease in the crime rate," NCW Chairperson Mamta Sharma said. Pitching in for harsher punishment for rape, Jayalalithaa had said her government would request the Centre to make necessary changes in the law to provide death penalty and chemical castration to those involved in such crimes.

Expressing grief over the death of the 23-year-old Delhi braveheart, Jayalalithaa announced a 13-point action plan to ensure women's safety and prevent incidents of sexual harassment. When asked what steps NCW was taking in this regard, Sharma said that they had already sent their recommendations to the government.

Pitching in for harsher punishment for rape, Jayalalithaa had said her government would request the Centre to make changes in law.

"We have sent our recommendations three months before," Sharma said, adding that it takes time to make changes in the law. "Law is not something which can be changed in one or two days. It needs to be discussed in Parliament," Sharma said. The NCW chief, however, said it was more important to implement the laws than enacting them.

"You can not just get away with framing of laws, it is more important to implement those laws. "There are demands for chemical castration. People have also been asking for capital punishment. But that is for the Parliament to decide. My only concern is that a serious law should be enacted which would act as a deterrent so that such crimes are not repeated," she said.

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