Failure of Commission

• Women’s commissions in India were set up with a lot of fanfare and high expectations.
• However, a review of their working and responses to the issues of women is long overdue.
• The cases of molestation and rape of women in Manipur have brought them into focus.

National Commission for Women (NCW)

• It was established in 1992, as a statutory body,under Scetion3 of the National Commission for Women Act 1990
• Objective: To take up the concerns of women at the national level.
• Composition: Persons of ability, integrity and standing who have had experience in law or legislation, trade unionism committed to increasing the employment potential of women, administration, economic development, health, education or social welfare.

Manipur State Commission for Women (MSCW)

• Each state also has its own commission.
• The MSCW was constituted in September 2006 as per the Manipur State Commission for Women Act, 2006.
• Aim: To safeguard the interests of women with a wide mandate that covers all aspects of women’s development.

Functions and Powers

• To investigate and examine all matters relating to the safeguards provided for women under the Constitution and other laws
• Look into complaints and take suo-moto notice of matters relating to “deprivation of women’s rights, non-implementation of laws enacted to provide protection to women”.

Associated Concerns

• Whether women’s commissions at the national and state levels have become toothless tigers, merely pushing papers around
  • Various commissions of the country seem busy more in paper work, failing to prioritise field visits over files.
  • Members of human rights’ and women’s commissions need to get a sense of reality in order to empathise with the suffering of citizens.
• Political appointments in the commissions
  • Most of the commissions are wary of even minor criticism of the government since they are nominated by the political party in power
  • They are sometimes over-enthusiastic in taking up states ruled by the Opposition. Individuals who are genuinely interested and capable should be selected by a committee.
  • Members of the Opposition, judges from the Supreme Court, civil society organisations and the ruling party can form the selection committee.
• Performance of the commissions
  • A social audit of the performance by competent external agencies on a regular basis is necessary.
  • It would give citizens an idea of their actual working.