 |
| |
|
Quick Links
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Women's
Empowerment - Agenda for New Government |
 Round Table Discussion
- "Women’s Empowerment –
Agenda for New Government" by Dr. Sarala Gopalan, Former
Secretary, Department of Women & Child Development, GOI; Ms.
Firoza Mehrotra, Special Consultant Planning Commission; Ms. Ruchira
Gupta, President Apne Aap Women Worldwide NGO; Ms. Nymph Kaul, Vice
Chairperson Rai Foundation, New Delhi and chaired by Dr. Vasantha
Bharucha, Former Economic Adviser, Ministry of Commerce, GOI in
India International Centre, 40 Lodhi Road, New Delhi - 3.
28th August 2009
- Gender equality is enshrined in the Constitution but the cultural
legacy in South Asia has a dominant son preference, with discrimination
against a female child right at the time of birth. Universally,
given the world population of 6.7 billion, females constitute
roughly around 50% - maybe not equal to 50% but a little less
- slightly lower than 3.31 billion as per the 2006 data.
- In India from the Fifth Plan onwards, we have had a greater
focus on gender issues. A number of legal measures have been introduced
taking due cognisance of crime against women and their right to
property and violence against them. We have also faced issues
relating to economic empowerment of women which broadly covers
issues such as poverty eradication, particularly of women, economic
independence of women, and availability of credit when it comes
to economic activity.
- At the grassroots level, India has introduced the 73 and 74th
Amendments, which mandated one-third reservation for women in
the Panchayat and local bodies. Recently, the government has raised
it from 1/3rd to 50%. Many of these amendments were passed in
the nineties, and India had already set up a National Commission
for Women in 1990.
- An important issue is the impact of globalisation on women
and also the commitment to environment. Women can become instruments
for promoting use of non-conventional and eco-friendly energy.
- We need to addresses questions whether we have really achieved
whatever is needed in terms of policies or are there any inadequacies
in the existing policies to help empowerment of women. How do
we make social, economic and political empowerment a reality and
enforceable? There is also a social angle and the society angle.
How to increase the role of women in addressing newer and emerging
issues in our economy?
- Cradle to empowerment is the whole gamut of a woman's life;
the whole lifecycle approach, starting with the life in the womb.
The child sex ratio in India has fallen between 1999 and 2001
as against an increase in the total population sex ratio. This
is a very disturbing trend and indicates that there is definitely
a growing discrimination against girls in society today in India.
Some states in India have a very shameful record.
- Along with the much-mentioned concept of BIMARU states, there
is also the concept of DEMARU, which speaks volumes. DEMARU -
"Daughter Eliminating Male Aspiring Rage for Ultrasound",
which is indicated in the child sex ratio, again a very disturbing
trend.
- This points to female foeticide; the snuffing out of innocent
lives. This attitude is a manifestation of gender discrimination.
Until our own attitudes, mindsets and beliefs change, this is
not going to change. It is also due to disregard for human rights;
the right of the child both by the family and the medical fraternity
who often do not hesitate in performing unethical acts, made easier
today because of technology.
- Son preference is another reason for this, both because of
the issue of lineage as well as performance of one's last rites,
though in many cases girls have lit the funeral pyres of their
parents. There is nothing in India's scriptures that prohibit
a female from lighting her parents' funeral pyre. A prime reason
for gender discrimination is the obsession with marriage because
of the rise in consumerism and dowry. Denying education to the
female child is another manifestation of gender discrimination.
Nutrition is another issuer - there is nutritional discrimination
between girls and boys.
- On the healthcare side too, girls are discriminated against.
Some medical institutions actually do not report the deaths of
girls due to malnutrition-related illnesses, thus distorting the
statistical data, making it prone to misinterpretation.
- The societal and familial mobility of women is also subject
to discrimination. Early marriage is one of the most debilitating
things and one of the biggest hindrances in the empowerment of
women, because she loses her childhood and is pushed into motherhood
and there is a vicious cycle. Identity categorisation is another
subtle form of gender discrimination.
- India has one of the best legal frameworks for gender equality.
But besides legislation, we need to ensure that policies we have
in place like the National Policy for the Empowerment of Women,
Population Policy, Education Policy etc. are more gender-sensitive.
The approach and the dimensions of women's empowerment therefore
have to be holistic, looking at political, social and economic
aspects as well as being universal.
- There is a direct correlation between women's low status and
violation of their human rights. One of the most powerful growth
vaccines available today is women's empowerment.
- Violence against women is one of the most depressing manifestations
of gender discrimination and this violence has multiple costs
that are ultimately borne by family, society and state.
- There is need for a rights-based as well as a participatory
approach both for leadership as well as participation and involvement
in other things whether they are family matters, societal matters
or even government schemes and programmes. Women have to be involved
and have to be allowed to participate. Change in attitudes and
mindsets are the most important. We have to move into the right
framework after addressing welfare and development of women.
- We need to change mindsets of men, women and the whole community
and the whole attitude to gender. The struggle to find space for
women runs over recent two centuries. They always have had to
obey orders without any power to make decisions.
- Political empowerment and the value of women's votes in India's
electoral process has made political parties realise the importance
of women. The manifestos of all parties have something positive
to say about women. Many countries in the world have 50% women's
participation in the polity.
- Reservation for seats in political bodies is a much-debated
issue all over the country. Elected women have brought with them
a different texture of governance. They looked at those small
things that matter to the community, which has made a big difference.
Women community leaders and participants understand social dynamics
better.
- The role of NGOs in the context of women's empowerment is crucial
in many ways. If India has decided that political participation
is the way forward for women at certain levels, it raises questions
for NGO workers and the role that NGOs can play in this empowerment
process.
- The role of NGOs comes into play in the matter of policy implementation,
as NGOs are the bridge between government and civil society. NGOs
play a very vital role in that by providing information to women
about their rights, what they can access and in helping them access
it.
- NGOs can and do play the role of capacity-building as they're
actually in contact with the community, with the woman inside
the community and play the role of capacity-builder.
- NGOs being in direct contact with communities and women on
a daily basis can play a role in policy-making. They can actually
bring and share their knowledge and information with the government
at different levels. The Government of India is seeking assistance
from NGOs to do this and their policies are becoming more and
more gender-friendly. One of outcomes of this partnership between
the government and the NGOs has been gender budgeting; another
one has been social audits, which have been tried in different
parts and list what women can access. NGOs play a very powerful
role in this dialogue between the community and the government.
- NGOs are a watchdog and because of their participation and
presence in different parts of India policies are being formulated
or implemented for women and on behalf of women. NGOs can participate
along with the community, especially in the form of self-help
groups, enabling building capacities, providing access, assisting
and act as a watchdog on the local authorities. They provide protection
to women by being there and being available and making sure things
are done for them.
- NGOs can play a role in creating awareness and bringing forth
the voices of women, because they are in direct touch with them;
they are the ones mobilising the women; they are in touch with
communities, building the capacities of the self-help groups.
Though NGOs cannot be part of any political parties and have to
play a non-party role in politics, they can take up broader issues.
- NGOs can also play a role in education. Most textbooks are extremely
gender-biased with social conditioning and NGOs can work with
the education sector to see how textbooks can be changed so that
girls understand their rights and boys are made aware of their
duties. Social conditioning of men and boys can play a very critical
role.
- NGOs have an important role in nutrition. Nutrition is now being
tied in with the whole debate of food security, which certain
NGOs are leading in India and are fighting this out in courts
and at the grassroots level, where women who don't have access
to food. Because of this, they are vulnerable to all forms of
exploitation, including sex trafficking and prostitution. Beyond
behaviour change inside homes, it is also very important to think
about food security for women.
- Another role for NGOs is health, a very critical sector for
women and this has been played out in certain ways for the women
both in urban and rural India. One reason why family planning
programmes very often fail is because men still have the decision
making-power and women are not taught about their rights. In health,
very often mobility is a very big factor for women to access health.
- The most important and critical thing that the NGOs can do besides
capacity-building, social mobilisation, information and being
the link between the community and the government, influence and
changing attitudes is to make sure that the government hears what
they are saying. They must not become part of the government,
but actually represent the sectors that they are trying to change
and literally be a mirror to the government for the policies they
are creating.
- There is a need to improve the skills and capacities of women
for livelihoods because economic empowerment of women is an important
empowerment strategy. When women are economically empowered, they
can be socially and politically empowered.
- The entire gender architectural framework needs to be changed
in the society.
- The role of NGO's in facilitating women's empowerment is multifold.
NGOs can serve as the bridge between government and the community
in terms of information sharing; NGOs can help in capacity building,
provide necessary feedback inputs to policy - making, serve as
a watch dog during policy implementation, carry out social audit
and audits in gender bias in educating girls to understand their
rights and boys in understanding their duties, help in social
conditioning of boys and men, improve nutrition and health awareness
etc.
- To facilitate spread of women's political empowerment benefits
widely across regions, sectors and families and to prevent women
members of our political system from the families or current male
members, a rule based transparent approach of one family member
per family could be considered.
- India has one of the best legislations in the world and a mechanism
to monitor implementation to achieve results is required.
- In a book by Mohandas Gandhi published in 1921, Gandhiji highlighted
the role of girl in household work - 'Pal Pothi' - which needs
to be included in school and college for awareness.
- Under the corporate social responsibility initiative partnership
with private sector to focus on women's education, nutrition and
empowerment should be ensured.
- Top management in firms needs to be sensitised regarding women's
empowerment issue.
- Amendment to Immoral Traffic Act could be considered to punish
buyers or women / girls and impact
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
