President Pratibha Patil has suggested that school curriculum should include a section on dowry and its evils, child marriage and gender discrimination.
Speaking after inaugurating the international Arya Maha Sammelan in Hyderabad on January 3, Ms. Patil said women faced a number of problems such as domestic violence, sexual harassment in the office and inequality at work places. She said girls should be educated to stand on their own feet.
She regretted that even people living in cities, the educated and economically well off also practised female foeticide, which was a crime against humanity. She warned that a time would come when this practice would lead to a serious imbalance in the sex ratio leading to increase in crimes, which would become a threat to women’s security.
The President said that in Andhra Pradesh a number of self-help groups had made significant difference by making financial assistance available to women. The problem of child labour could be solved by creating employment opportunities in rural areas and finance should be made available to poor families.