SHILLONG, July 9: Recent reports suggested the National Commission for Women (NCW) distanced itself from a 2022 study on single mothers in Meghalaya, prompting NCW member Delina Khongdup to clarify the matter. Khongdup defended NCW Chief Rekha Sharma, asserting her accurate understanding of the study’s timeline. Initiated in 2018 and funded by the Meghalaya State Commission for Women (MSCW), the study faced pandemic-induced delays before its 2022 publication.
The study analyzed 23,228 households across 122 villages/localities, finding that 3,078 households were headed by single mothers, estimating that 13.25% of households in the state, or 72,759, were led by single mothers. This figure is slightly lower than the 95,841 female-headed households recorded in the 2011 Census.
In response to the rising number of single mothers, the NCW head has commissioned Khongdup to conduct a new study. Speaking to The Shillong Times, Khongdup acknowledged the previous study’s limited sample size and announced plans to expand the new research to include more villages, particularly in the Jaintia Hills and West Khasi Hills.
“Given how the ban on mining has left many men jobless, which led to addiction and family abandonment, we are considering a larger sample size this time to gather more comprehensive data for effective follow-up actions,” Khongdup explained.
She added that she would coordinate with the NCW and MSCW to initiate the new study promptly, ensuring a thorough analysis of the socioeconomic status of single mothers in the region.
Original Story https://theshillongtimes.com/2024/07/10/ncw-member-parries-criticism-over-panel-chiefs-lack-of-study-info/
Category : MEGHALAYA
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