WUNRN
Direct Link to Full 36-Page PWESCR
Publication:
PWESCR’s
announces our latest publication – Women’s Social Security and Protection
in India – A Report by Anupma Mehta. Social security
for women in India, despite the existence of multiple Government sponsored
schemes, is an issue that has not yet been tackled efficiently as these schemes
still fail to reach the most marginalised women in society. Due to a series of
systemic failures, women’s lives and work are adversely impacted in both the productive
and reproductive domains. There is, thus, an urgent need to efficiently
implement social security schemes for women in order to counter their
vulnerability in our society.
What are the
social security needs of women in India? What are the gaps in the social
security discourse for women in India? How can these gaps be bridged? How can
the social security system in India recognise and honour women’s rights to
social security in their individual capacities as rights-holders apart from
their position in a household, their age or marital status? How can the women
have platforms to share their concerns and influence policy-making? How can social
security concerns promote livelihood security for women and help them move up
the value chain of production and marketing? How can social security systems in
India redistribute the burden of caring for the family, children and the
elderly that is exclusively shouldered by women?
These were some of the very important questions
explored at Conference on Women’s Social Security and Protection in India on
6–7 May 2013, New Delhi organised by The Programme for Women’s Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights (PWESCR), in collaboration with UN-Women, Heinrich
Böll Foundation, ILO and UNSW. This report captures the discussions and
deliberations that took place among over 170 delegates from over 16 states as
they participated together to identify and unpack various perspectives on the
issue of social security for women in India. These participants brought
together a diverse range of participants from the Government, trade unions,
women’s organisations and UN agencies on a common platform.