New Delhi, January 31 (MExN): A group of women and citizens of North East have expressed deep concern at the current development in Nagaland following the State government’s decision to reserve 33 per cent of the seats for women in the Urban Local Body (ULB) election.
In a statement, 36 signatories comprising mostly women and a few organizations appealed to all “right minded people” to work collectively “for ensuring inclusion and participation of women in decision making forums and spaces.”
The signatories further requested all to kindly look into the concerns of women in Nagaland and to empower them in their effort for peace and justice.
Citing various media reports which reported of candidates being threatened and intimidated, the statement sought to highlight the Preamble of the United Nations adopted from the historic Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), 1975 which states, “The full and complete development of a country the welfare of the world and the cause of peace required the maximum participation of women on equal terms with men in all fields.”
It also mentioned the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which aims to achieve, by 2030, equal participation of women and men in decision-making for strengthening the composition of society, democracy and promote its proper functioning among others.
Drawing attention to the minimal representation of women in decision making bodies of the Northeast, the statement made it known that only 5.15% (or only 24 of the total of 466 seats in the assemblies of eight North Eastern states) are women.
It added that in Assam, there have been talks of increasing the reservation for women in local body election from 33 per to 50 per cent while in Manipur, a minimum of 33 per cent members of the panchayat and a 30 per cent reservation in the urban local body election is for women.
Also pointing to the 17 groups from the North East currently involved in peace talks, the signatories lamented the absence of women in all these peace talks. “We, the undersigned affirm by the values of this and several other international and national conventions that safeguard the rights of its women,” the signatories asserted.
“Without the active participation of women and the incorporation of women's perspective at all levels of decision-making, the goals of equality, development and peace cannot be achieved,” the 36 signatories maintained. The Martha Farrell Foundation, New Delhi, and Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), New Delhi, were among the signatories.
