THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Why should women's shelter homes have cooks or sweepers? While the inmates of all other shelter homes in the state have food cooked and floor swept for them, the traditional gendered notion that makes cooking and sweeping the responsibility of women is at work in the government run Mahila Mandirams, where the posts of cooks and sweepers are nonexistent. The inmates of these women's shelter homes are expected to do all the work, whether or not they are physically or mentally fit to do the work.A Women's Commission study has found that the Mahila Mandirams in the state, conceived as a shelter home for battered and destitute women, are not just women-unfriendly, but often runs in the style of a correctional home or even a women prison. The study said that the notion about safety aspects often restricts the basic rights of women, affecting dignity of life.The difficulties begin right at the gate, when any woman seeking shelter is asked to get a court order to get admission to these short stay homes. "An aggrieved woman or a victim of domestic violence can't be expected to go through the labyrinthine procedures for getting a court order in her already traumatic condition. The admission procedure definitely has to be made more easier for a woman in need of help," said advocate J Sandhya, who conducted the study for the Commission.While the cooks and sweepers are nonexistent, the post of matrons are often daily wage appointments that takes out the accountability factor, making a serious impact on the quality of work.There are no routine medical services provided to the inmates and when such institutions are far away from the city, the health problems of the inmates are often ignored. The monthly checkup for pregnant women are also given a miss. The two districts of Idukki and Wayanad do not even have Mahila Mandirams.The worst case scenario is that of children who accompany their mothers. These children are separated from their mothers and kept in Children's homes, either in Calicut or Ernakulam, when they attain six years of age. The geographical distance between the mothers and the children creates further anxiety and trauma in both."It is imperative that the kids be allowed to stay with their mothers at least until they attain 12 years of age. Destitute girl children below the age of 18 should have separate homes," said Sandhya.Many women from outside the state are living in absolutely alien conditions in these homes, as not just the language but the food and other habits are very different from their own. Often they are not accepted by other inmates and the staff members are in the dark as to how to handle the situation."An effective mechanism ought to be in place for tracing the families of these women from other states. They can even be housed together in a single home so that such a system will fall in place," said Sandhya.
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