AP Maliha Commission Chairperson Vasireddy Padma stressed the need for focus on illegal trafficking of women and sexual abuse during COVID times, to reach out to the vulnerable. Ms. Padma said that migrant women workers face a lot of hardships due to lockdown and their issues have to be addressed. Principal Secretary (Labour, Employment, Training and Factories) B. Udayalakshmi said that female migrant workers, particularly youngsters, would fall prey to men who trap them taking advantage of their poverty. AP Mahila Commission Director R. Suez said that the government had taken up several programmes to bring back women migrant workers stuck in other States during the lockdown. The seminar was moderated and coordinated by IJM, Chennai zonal interventions head Alice Suganya and IJM zonal interventions (government and community relations) lead Gladys Finney.

Source: The Hindu July 23, 2020 18:20 UTC