Minister of State for Education, Culture and Tourism, Priya Sethi today said that women lawyers have a vital role to play in the society, especially in dealing with the cases of domestic violence and child abuse.
Speaking at a meeting convened by Bar Association Jammu (BAJ) here today, Priya Sethi said women’s entry in legal profession is a remarkable social change which the society has experienced over a period of time. “After medicine or journalism, I see more women joining legal profession and most of them have even proved their mettle during the course of time as well”, said the Minister.
The influence of feminism in legal profession, she said though is not new, yet many young girls are nowadays joining law schools all over the country to become good advocates, judges or corporate lawyers. The only regret she said is that almost equal number of boys and girls join law schools, but after passing out only a few girls make it to courts for practicing.
The percentage of women among lawyers is not yet encouraging, she said adding in a society where gender discrimination is there and cases of domestic violence besides child abuse are on rise. National Crime Record Bureau status reveals that trial in rape cases is 83%, therefore, the women must come forward in choosing law as their profession to seek justice for these victims. The demand for credible women lawyers in this profession will always remain high, she added.
Earlier, on the demand of working women lawyers, the Minister directed the officers of education department to look for a suitable school in the vicinity of high court where a crèche could be opened. Responding to other genuine demands, Sethi asked the core team to prepare the proposal and she will contribute from her constituency development fund.
The lawyers presented a charter of demand before the Minister, which included proper and adequate washrooms, lockers, computers for maintaining records and extensions of Bar Room to accommodate more professionals.
President, Bar Association Jammu, B.S. Slathia, Advocates, Ms. Surinder Kour, Ms. Radha Sharma, Ms. Monika Kohli, Sachin Gupta, Prem Sadhotra were prominent among those present on the occasion.
