Women Entrepreneurs Network Nagaland in collaboration with NABARD celebrated International Women’s Day on at Hotel Saramati, Dimapur March 8.
Dimapur, March 9 (MExN): Women Entrepreneurs Network Nagaland (WENN), in collaboration with the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), celebrated International Women’s Day with the theme “March Forward – From Promises to Progress” on March 8 at Hotel Saramati, Dimapur.
The main highlight was a panel discussion on ‘Women in Nagaland - An Introspection of Rights & Gender Equality.’ Panelists Neiteo Koza, Paul Lokho and Temsusenla Kichu shared their insights and experiences, fostering a meaningful dialogue on women’s rights and gender equality. It was moderated by Ovi K Yeptho, a development professional focused on entrepreneurship and livelihood promotion.
Neiteo Koza is an advocate with over a decade of experience in civil, criminal, family, and consumer law, specializing in writs, service matters, and public interest litigation. She has worked as a legal consultant in South Africa, probation officer, state coordinator for the Human Rights Law Network, and senior legal research officer.
Paul Lokho is the Director of Pro Rural. With 36 years of experience in the development sector, Paul has played a pivotal role in pioneering the NGO movement in Northeast India since 1988. He has nurtured and capacitated around 120 NGOs across 7 states.
Temsusenla Kichu is an entrepreneur and women’s empowerment advocate. With 12 years in retail, she founded Fusion, a brand that highlights handmade products by Nagaland artisans.
Sharing her perspectives on rights and equality in Nagaland, Koza noted that India is not lacking behind in rights and laws but the challenges lie in the implementation. She stated that the law does not discriminate against women and gender while highlighting two key acts: POSH Act that pertains to violations against women in workplaces, and the Protection of Women Against Domestic Violence Act. She also noted that SAKHI One Stop Centres in Nagaland are fairly well implemented.
Speaking on the progress and challenges, Lokho Paul highlighted various positive developments such as the urban local body elections in Nagaland, among others. Further, based on indicators where women are emerging as successful entrepreneurs, one barrier that needs to be broken down is the riddance of bias in society (men dominated, patriarchal in nature), breaking stereotypes, and advocating for women’s participation in power sharing, he said. He also highlighted the need to advocate for women in village level setups and girl/Women’s Right to Ancestral property.
Temsusenla Kichu, recounting her upbringing, shared about the challenges that she faced to sustain the family and her commitment to change that for herself. She pointed out that women’s contribution to the economy is 44.7% and placed a challenge before the government and stakeholder, to give women more roles and opportunities to participate.
The panelists also spoke about the way forward, what more can be done– to remove stereotypes, to close the gap of existing laws and their implementation, and the role of Naga women in rebuilding a women inclusive society- capturing grassroot, leadership and entrepreneurship. The panelists concurred that well curated training modules, confidence building measures, exposure, and creating collectives to advocate for training are some of the ways to move forward. Progress can be made with collaborative effort, women collectives, government, and CSOs, they noted.
Observing that women achieve more when they collaborate, Koza observed that if more women can reach the grassroot level to push other women, the village level can fare much better. Further, positive use of law to impact the society is also the need of the hour, she added.
Earlier, General Manager, NABARD, Pauliankap Bulte delivered the keynote speech. He mentioned that “women shape the intangible, but it is crucial to bring forth the tangible contribution they make.” Stating that women are at the heart of NABARD’s initiatives, he said that it is through collaborations that our commitment leads to lasting change.
The WENN Pop-Up Bazaar showcasing products and services from 15 talented entrepreneurs was also held.
