It’s
May 16 and all forms of communication – televisions, mobile phones, Internet et
al are buzzing with just one thing and one thing only. Narendra Modi! Today,
the largest democracy in the world witnessed the results of the largest
election ever taken place anywhere with a singular outcome – Modi in, Congress
out. And this led to a unanimous uproar of cheers throughout the country
reminding the world of the real power of a democracy and that India doesn’t
believe in a neo- imperialistic rule by the Gandhis and can choose their
leader. However, with these elections, our hopes are held with a delicate
noose. Modi has always been seen as an aggressive administrator and we
are speculating his stand especially on women and their rights.
Over the past several weeks, there have been several revelations about women in
Modi’s personal life – his relationship with a certain woman who he wed years
ago, and his mother, who he seems to have disregarded any relation. So this
begs the question, what exactly will be our future Prime Minister’s
stand on women’s issues? India today faces a serious challenge of
discrimination against women. They are repudiated in the womb, in infancy or
after marriage. The stories of discrimination and violence
against women are dreadful beyond words. So what next for Modi?
According to the 2011 census, the sex ratio in Gujarat is shockingly low as 918 per 1,000 men
whereas the national ratio is 940 per 1,000 men. Events such as the 2002 Godhra
riots and the rate malnutrition and poverty in Gujarat are a big concern too.
In every case, women and children have been affected the most.
Post December 2012, the issue of women’s safety and empowerment has
been taken up by BJP when the Women’s Safety Bill was finally passed in 2013. However,
this does not mean that crimes against women have come down. Sadly, the figures are
high as ever. However, Mr. Modi has not stepped back from addressing several
women-related issues such as the initiative ‘Chai Pe Charcha’ where he
interacted with the public at 1,500 locations via Internet. He claims that
every girl and woman should have the freedom to choose her career and
profession. The root cause of most of the problems today is inequality, where
parents treat the female child differently. This mindset has changed. On the
hindsight, he also admitted that girls often drop out of schools in Gujarat due
to improper toilet facilities. This is problem not only within the state, but
also all over the country, which he promises to address.
Indian women
are not just child-bearers, but have a bigger role to play in the country’s
development. They represent a significant number of entrepreneurs that greatly
contribute to the Indian economy at both grass-root and national level. Modi
delivered a speech on women’s contribution to the growth of the country at a
FICCI meet. Though he spoke of exemplary initiatives by women at Lijjat papad and
Amul et al, one should know that there are competent women out there who can do
more than rearing cows and making savoury snacks.
With the formation of a new government there are high hopes for change.
There had been severe discontent with UPA II due to the negligence towards
topical issues. The issue of women’s rights in India has gained unprecedented
momentum in the recent months. We are eager to see how Modi and his
newly-elected government can help improve the situation and empower women at
the same time.
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PRIOR TO INDIA ELECTION - 10 April
2014
Full Article: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/apr/10/india-elections-women-want-say-politics
INDIA - THE MESSAGE IS CLEAR: INDIA
WOMEN WANT VOICE & PARTICIPATION IN POLITICS
More
and more women are voting in Indian elections, yet they remain under-represented
in public life.
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INDIA - WOMEN, ENERGY ACCESS &
INDIA'S ELECTIONS
.....In India, a shocking 290 million people lack electricity while hundreds of millions more suffer from chronic energy shortages, benefiting from only a few hours of power supply each day. This energy poverty disproportionately affects women with implications on their health and well-being.
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INDIA "WOMANIFESTO" - HOW
CENTRAL ARE WOMEN'S RIGHTS TO THIS YEAR'S ELECTIONS?
By Monica Sarkar,
for CNN - May 16, 2014
(CNN) -- The gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a moving bus in New Delhi in December 2012 marked a sharp turning point for the debate on women's rights in India. The protests that exploded nationwide following the incident brought the issue forcefully to the political table in a way that revealed the power of the Indian masses, according to a prominent advocate for women's rights.
"As women in India, we grow up with constraints; and live with a degree of discrimination and assault," says Karuna Nundy, a Supreme Court lawyer, adding that privileged women, who have a significant amount of power, have to deal with it a lot less.
"But when thousands of people came out onto the streets and walked in front of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidential palace, I think it became clear to me that none of us have to deal with this anymore -- that people around the country are standing with us and saying 'enough.'"
That sentiment is shared by the majority of Indians taking part in the country's general election this month, according to a recent public opinion poll.
More
than 90% of Indian voters see the combating of violence against women as a
priority, second only to corruption, the MDRA/Avaaz survey released last week
shows.
According to the poll, 75% of men and women participating in the largest democratic event in history also believe that the political promises made to advocate women's rights have been inadequate so far.
"The electoral process is a very important time to hold parties to account and to make it clear that politicians will lose their seats if they don't truly represent the aspirations of the people," says Nundy. "Politicians need to respond to that."
So what are some of the main promises being made by the leading election contenders?
The three main parties cite similar goals, including enacting the Women's Reservation Bill, which would allocate a third of seats in parliament and state legislatures for women, as well as enforcing fast-track courts -- the same process used to convict the accused men in the gang rape case.
The ruling Indian National Congress party, which has been in power for 49 years and is led by Sonia Gandhi, claims it will ensure at least 25% of staff at all police stations are female.
The main opposition, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led by Narendra Modi, released its manifesto on the first day of the polls and says women's security is its focus.
The recently formed Aam Adme Party (AAP or "Common Man" party), born out of a desire to eliminate corruption, enjoyed an astonishing victory in Delhi in the local assembly elections last year. During a news conference in New Delhi on Thursday, the party's leader and former activist Arvind Kejriwal said women's safety is the "biggest issue which has come to the forefront" and promised it would be high on the party's agenda.
But how convincing are these pledges?
"There have always been throwaway, ad hoc references to realizing women's rights in manifestos in the past," says Nundy. "In this election we see an increase in parties addressing those rights. They're addressing them more frequently but the approach is still ad hoc."
The outcry after the gang rape in Delhi did instigate some change, says Nundy. For instance, under the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013, stalking and voyeurism have become offenses and it is now possible to file a criminal complaint against a police officer.
"But it's not enough," Nundy says. For example, "marital rape is still not criminalized, it's still explicitly legal. (The law) says it's rape unless the parties are married."
Dissatisfied with the government's efforts, NGOs, women's movements, journalists, economists, academics and lawyers are promoting their "Womanifesto:" A six-point plan, first drafted last year, that details what needs to be done within the next five years to improve conditions for India's women and girls.
The six points are: Educate for equality; make laws count; put women in power; appoint police for the people; enact swift, certain justice; and ensure a flourishing economy.
Nundy, co-founder of the plan, received early confirmation from AAP party leader Kejriwal to commit to the charter. However, the Congress and the BJP are yet to agree.
Another motivation for the Womanifesto was to spell out the process in which women's issues should be tackled.
Co-contributor Kavita Krishnan, who is also secretary of the AIPWA (All India Progressive Women Association) and national leader of the Communist Party of India (CPIML) says political parties end up "moral policing women in the name of protecting them" by imposing dress codes or punishing couples for being intimate in public.
Although the mass protests following the Delhi gang rape spurred change, Krishnan argues that the focus of the outcry needs to shift: "Among the protesters there was still a large number that demanded the death penalty for rapists and little else -- and it is this sentiment that parties tend to play to, pushing patriarchal protectionism rather than women's equality and rights."
The
electoral process is a very important time to hold parties to account. - Karuna
Nundy, Supreme Court lawyer
Nundy says a drawback in India is action: "The problem with India is not that we have bad laws; I mean, the laws aren't perfect at all, but the problem is that they aren't implemented."
Another major challenge for the Indian government is the country's 1.2 billion population, with richly diverse religious and cultural practices. Some, such as infanticide and dowry customs, are oppressive for women. So how can any plan accommodate the entire country?
Referring to the Womanifesto, Nundy says: "There would be local discussions about this. This is one page. It can't be the same plan for everyone; India's too big a country. Breaking down (the plan) for local practices and customs would be required."
Priya Nanda, group director at the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW), adds: "Civil society needs to help the government. For certain areas, even the government doesn't have the skills.
"It's not just about running out there and delivering a service or a product. You're building perspectives, trying to change norms and attitudes, so it takes time to do that."
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