Sri Lanka: WOMEN, POLITICAL EMPOWERMENT AND CONCERNS

September 4, 2008 – (Daily Mirror) The most dramatic political developments to enhance women’s political representation and participation have taken place all over the world. Several countries of South Asia moving faster than Sri Lanka have achieved or are in the process of achieving Millennium Development Goal 3 to "promote gender equality”. MDG includes 8 goals, 18 targets and 48 indicators. MDG 1 is “Halving extreme poverty” and MDG 2 is “Achieving universal primary education”. All three inter relate to promote political empowerment of women.

The Millennium Declaration (of September, 2000) was signed by 191 countries including Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is expected to do well on most indicators by 201 5. The granting of universal franchise in 1931 in Sri Lanka encouraged men and women to enjoy voting rights for over 77 years. However political representation, political participation and women in decision-making remain at abysmal level. Women’s representation in Parliament stands at 4.05% and in Local Government 1.9 %. The percentage of women in Municipal Councils is 3.0% and the Urban Councils 3.4% respectively.

Mr. Kofi Annan, former Secretary General of UN focused on the now universally popularized acceptability of good governance. He underscored the point that good governance is an energizing process. But where are the women? Women’s equal access to and full participation in power structures and decision-making are today critical areas of concern for women of the world. The minimum percentage of women needed for any decision-making body to influence or make decisions was 30% of women representatives. This minimum was 33% called the “critical mass” in the Platform for Action formulated at the Beijing World Conference on Women in 1995.

A most recent survey under the auspices of UNDP to update the contents of training modules utilized previously to promote women’s political representation brought out much information on the activities carried out by women NGO’s and State institutions. A great deal of work has been done on this issue for over two decades and this includes awareness raising, workshop training, advocacy, lobbying and research to assist women move towards the goal post of political empowerment. The Women’s Charter based on the Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) was recognized as the base for agitation and action to achieve a Women’s Commission Act in the 1990’s consequent to the Cabinet decision in 1993 where several further efforts were made. A Women’s Rights Bill drafted in 2003 by the National Committee on Women got abhorted with the dissolution of Parliament in 2004. This Bill covered a wide spectrum of activities for district representation and powers to resolve women’s issues. The timely effort by UINDP to maximize and speed up support especially in its endeavour to establish the Women’s Parliamentary caucus and reach out to other stakeholders, update research modules for training is in itself a target directed towards promoting women’s political empowerment.

It means empowering women to negotiate . This project aims to:

a) enhance the capacities of women by developing leadership and related skills.

b) Sensitize stakeholder groups including political parties, the media, civil society and the public on key issues related to women’s empowerment.

c) update research and advocacy to assist the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Development to formulate an Action Plan for further research and advocacy and positive action to fill in gaps that exist.

d) Further relevant measures and strategies to achieve goals.

Why political empowerment

The UN International Women’s Year 1975 and the UN Decade for Women (1976 — 1985) nourished international networking among women. Encouraged by the UN Decade for women, women all over the world experimented with new ways of management, to battle the complexities and differences amongst women themselves.

Women were encouraged to contribute significantly to articulating their own opinions and the needs of children and society in general. In several countries women empowered were eager to influence women’s concerns in Parliament, public policy and decision making on vital matters such as war or peace, foreign aid, economy, women’s issues and needs, social security, refugees and IDP’s.

Worldwide events proved that increase in women’s representation bears a favourable connection between the presence of significant numbers of women in Parliament and the content of good governance legislation. Also that cross-party caucusing promotes women politicians of all parties to focus on national issues and more especially on women’s issues, introducing a healthy element of national co-operation and empowerment. Up to the present, very few women have aspired to political office in sufficient numbers, to adequately represent women’s concerns in Parliament and Local Government Bodies to enable influence public policy and public decision-making.

The Sri Lanka experience was different. Women continued to rely mainly on the goodwill and expertise of males in high office for women’s well-being. This has failed. Traditional thinking does not observe the finer differences on women’s issues in a transformative society.

Several women’s organizations by now hold the view that women’s goal oriented participation is needed up front. Legislative and programme reforms need to be constantly focused and defended by women activists. Especially when senior politicians, policy makers, public servants and other bodies shift their priorities, change the rules or perceive it is safe or expedient to change or discontinue services or proposals harmful or critical to women’s welfare and advancement. Why do women want increased representation in Parliament and other bodies of governance? Because women’s concerns are not addressed, women’s potential is not utilized, violence on women, IDP’s and refugees suffering are not addressed and a host of other issues such as gender inequity relating to women in employment, women and violence, women migrant labour etc. The mirror of Parliament shows no women in adequate numbers to surface issues or remedies. One million women in India govern the Panchayatraj system by a quota provision of 33% under the 73, 74 constitutional amendments. The success of the Panchayatraj system is a model for Sri Lanka.

By women’s collective action a dramatic increase in the number of women in government and positions of influence, would create a “critical mass” much needed to make the institutions, more “representative” of the women population. This indeed is what Democracy is all about.

Gender and human rights

MDG 3 “to promote gender equity” proved to be both a strategy and tool to eliminate the narrowed down over emphasis of member states on their solo approach and over emphasis on policy development and good governance. The concepts — Democracy and Good Governance comes alive only when women are included in the above equation. Thus a new approach has emerged to exploit bigger possibilities for governments to understand and address women’s activism and women’s concerns, viz Gender and Human Rights

The term ‘gender’ often raises eyebrows and shocks male listeners, especially in Asia. U.N. definition of Gender is “the socially constructed roles ascribed to males and females. These roles which are learnt through the socialization process change over time and vary widely within and between cultures.”

The CEDAW definition in its preamble states “extensive discrimination against women violates the principles of equality of rights and respect for human dignity.”

Concept related challenges and demands made by women in a transformative society demand more official attention and creation of fresh policies and strategies for the promotion and protection of the rights of women. This seems revolutionary to those brought up in conventional environments within patriarchal structures. The outcome at the 1993 Vienna Declaration on Human Rights won the day for women’s demands on their rights. The Vienna Declaration pronounced — “Women’s Human Rights are universal, inalienable and indivisible” “Women’s Rights are Human Rights” — it was a great step forward and established the rights for women all over the world.

(a) Gender Equity envisages the practical approach viz.,’ to prevent discrimination in general and obstruction of opportunities for women in working life, promotions, job appointment and wages.

(b) Promote equality on humanitarian grounds between the sexes in all sectors and especially understanding differences on improving the situation of women. Equal opportunities, affirmative action for quotas, Gender mainstreaming, Gender budgeting are all corollaries of the former Gender Equity concept.

Women are bearers of human rights. They demand that their “humanity” be acknowledged by the state and the whole world. Therefore the demand for the ‘incorporation’ of women and gender sensitive strategies, policies and project implementation and opportunities for increased political representation. “Human rights includes civil, political, social, economic and the cultural” was the banner message held up by women of India at the World Conference on Women in Beijing, China. They demanded their rights in chorus. They have succeeded at grassroot level. We in Sri Lanka should ask for more, repeatedly.

From:http://www.dailymirror.lk/DM_BLOG/Sections/frmNewsDetailView.aspx?ARTID=25230