Use Waqf land to help divorced women: AIMWPLB to UP govt

Lucknow: The All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board (AIMWPLB) has urged the Uttar Pradesh government to open rehabilitation homes for divorced women on Waqf land, where they could be imparted training under skill development schemes and become self-reliant.

Board President Shaista Ambar raised the issue in a letter sent to UP Women and Child Development minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi.

Shaista also demanded that Waqf properties be used for rehabilitation of not only divorcees, but also for widows, elderly and homeless women, rape survivors and victims of domestic violence.

"These women could be trained in traditional crafts and zardozi, and the products made by them could be purchased by the state government," Ambar said.

"Most of the Muslim women hesitate to convey their problems, mainly due to religious reasons. Hence, the state government must think with an open mind," she said.

She demanded that cases of divorce and domestic violence be disposed at the earliest through fast-track courts. Ambar was also of the view that a blanket ban on liquor should be imposed in the state.