Civic and Voters Education for Women Multipliers

Training of people in citizenship education illuminates the interplay between constitutional idealism and political realism. This sort of education provides the training a critical awareness, experts say.

In this context, the Tank Prasad Memorial Foundation (TPMF), Sahabhagi and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) organized two two-day training programs in series  on “Initiatives for Democracy Building: Education about Voters and Civic Rights for Women”  at Chitwan on May 30-31 and June 1-2 respectively.

 Altogether 72 women representing political parties, civil societies, NGOs, indigenous, ethnic, Dalits, Madhesi groups and Muslim took part. Participants came from 10 districts—Darchula, Dailekh, Achham, Baglung, Rolpa, Chitwan, Kailali, Kapilvastu, Nawalparasi and Dhanusha districts. Participants were trained on various gender related issues to be addressed in the Constituent Assembly (CA).

Speaking at the meeting Dr. Meena Acharya, the noted Nepali scholar and pioneer on women’s education and movement, said that increasing women’s participation is a key to the success of CA elections and guaranteeing their constitutional and human rights. The more the women know their rights and duties and act as multipliers of the skills and knowledge the better civic competence they can impart on other sections of society.

Another speaker Kashi Raj Dahal, former law secretary, explained the nuts and bolts of CA, various types of election system, conditions for increased women’s participation, ownership in the constitution making process, need for capacity building of women, experience of other countries and the importance of CA  for the Nepalese now.

Dev Raj Dahal, Head of FES, Nepal office, explained various components of democracy, women’s position in various institutions of governance in Nepal and role of the state, political parties, market, civil society and international community for political empowerment of women. He underlined the need for social transformation in Nepal so that state, democracy and peace building exercises are owned by all the stakeholders of society including women. The weak nature of the state, fragmentation of politics and various levels of deadlocks and social movements of subsidiary identities have delayed the holding of CA.

Group presentation of reports by participants identified a host of issues to be included in the CA: lobby for the election of 33 percent of women in the CA, gender sensitization of political leaders on increased representation of women in political parties’ various committees, citizenship, compensation for conflict victim women, proportional access of women in all the institutions of governance and so many relevant issues.

On the occasion participants also discussed about two books—“Democracy” and “Handouts on Democracy” and the seminar papers of CA elections. They also identified a number of structural, ideological and cultural barriers, such as feudalism, patriarchy, unwritten transcript of society, discriminatory laws and practices to reverse the saying, “Slaughter a goat if a son is born but cut a pumpkin when a girl is born.”. These programs were supported by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Posted on : 2007-06-06 06:26:51

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