Men’s protection trust launched in Mandya

Mandya: A woman counsellor from the district has founded the National Human Rights for Men’s Protection Trust to support men facing harassment. BJP MLC AH Vishwanath has been appointed the honorary president of the organisation, while former MLC KT Srikantegowda has been named national president.

The organisation was registered as a non-profit trust in Pandavapura four days ago. According to the trust’s founding president Rajani Raj, a counsellor, the initiative is not intended to be against women. “As a counsellor, I come across many instances where men are also exploited and harassed. To help such men facing problems from women, we formed this trust,” she said.

“We will also help women in distress. We will provide counselling for both men and women, work to resolve differences and promote reconciliation,” she added.

“In recent times, we have come across many instances where innocent men are targeted. As a counsellor, I have helped several women get justice. But in many cases, men are the victims,” she claimed.

According to EC Ningaraj Gowda, a former member of the University of Mysore syndicate and a BJP functionary, there are several statutory bodies to support women, but none for men. “In this era, men, too, are subjected to harassment, and there are instances of misuse of various laws to target them. Keeping this in mind, we formed this trust,” he said.

“Men are targeted in many ways, and many struggle to cope with the pressure and humiliation. We aim to extend support to such victims,” Gowda added. “We will work at the national level and extend support to victims across states.”