Focus Areas > Representation
of Women in Parliament
At the core of both social justice and sustainable development
is gender equality. Neither of the former can exist without
first establishing the latter. Unfortunately, though independent
India has spent the last half century trying to empower
its millions of impoverished citizens, gender disparity
has remained an incredibly deep-seeded relatively unaddressed.
Though women constitute 50% of India’s population,
they comprise a mere 8% of India’s parliament, a
democratic institution that claims to champion gender equality.
Given that the constitution of India guarantees gender
equality, and that India has signed and ratified the Convention
on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against
Women (CEDAW, a ‘bill of rights’ adopted by
the UN in 1981), the continued gender gap in government
participation at the national level is an extremely shocking
incongruity. For true democracy to exist in India, women’s
equal participation in the policy decision-making process
must be mandated. Throughout the past 15 years, nearly
50 countries have introduced legal quotas for women, ensuring
a stipulated minimum representation of women in the highest
decision-making bodies.
This is not to say India has been completely unresponsive.
Similar reservations were introduced for women during the
early 1990s at the Panchayat level, the lowest level of
Indian governance. Through a 33% reservation of seats in
local government bodies, women in regions across India
have become active and valuable participants in grass root
level decision-making. Even with the success of this legislation
however, state and central legislatures remain reluctant
in adopting similar measures. There is no doubt that higher
levels of decision-making would benefit from the dynamic
involvement and leadership of women, if a strategy to ensure
equal representation for women in legislatures were to
be employed across all levels. It was out of this discussion
that the Women’s Reservation Bill was drafted.
WPC has worked relentlessly towards the bill’s passage
through the following initiatives:
Before and after each session of the Parliament, letters are sent to all Members of Parliament (MPs), the Prime Minister, the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson, the Home Minister and the Law Minister. These letters include a list of action and persuasion to place the bill in the Parliament for enabling discussion and debate. Furthermore, these letters highlight the importance of raising the issue on the Parliament floor through starred questions and call attention motions.
The issues has always been an important area of discussions and deliberations during all the annual meetings.
A WPC delegation under the leadership of Dr.Girija Vyas, Chairperson of the National Commission for Women submitted a memorandum on the Women’s Reservation Bill to the Prime Minister on August 10, 2006. The memorandum conveyed the disappointment of women’s groups at the unexplained delay in tabling the bill in Parliament and urged the Government to fulfill its promise by expediting the introduction to the Bill in its current form and allowing for an open debate in Parliament.
WPC launched a countrywide signature campaign, in which all its members were requested to collect at least 200 signatures from their networks, partners and friends. The campaign was a resounding success and WPC received more than 10,000 signatures in the time before November 2006.
With the active support of member organizations, WPC organized a rally on November 24, 2006. Prior to the event, which garnered an audience of over 3,000 women, WPC collected approximately 15,000 signatures on letters, posters and banners.
On 11 June 2007, WPC delegation met Hon’able President APJ Abdul Kalam and submitted a Memorandum to the President which urged him to use his office to ensure women their rightful place in the highest decision making body- The Parliament.
On 22 Feb 2008, the WPC delegation had a meeting with Mr Rahul Gandhi, to discuss on women’s reservation bill and the need to enact the long pending Bill on Women’s Reservation.
WPC held a consultative meeting titled Women’s Reservation Bill- the Way Forward on March 19, 2008. 5 MPs and 32 representatives from 20 organizations attended the meeting.
The Karnataka state chapter organized a meeting titled ‘Daring the Exclusion: Co-Creating Strategies and Solutions’ on March 28, 2008 in an attempt to bring together politicians, bureaucrats, opinion makers, the media and development professionals on a common platform for discussing the exclusion of women, who constitute half of the population, from decision-making processes and sharing thoughts on the development of strategic solutions for addressing this issue.
Out of the concern that the media should be informed of women’s view on the Women’s Reservation Bill, a follow-up media consultative meeting on April 10, 2008.
Women’s groups formed a ‘human chain’ on April 30, 2008 as a demonstration for the enactment of the Women’s Reservation Bill. The demonstration was led by YWCA and was afterwards addressed by many political party representatives, an alliance formed at the initiative of WPC.
A WPC delegation led by President Dr. Ranjana Kumari, met with the Parliamentary Standing Committee led by Dr. E.M. Sudarsana Natchiappan for the presentation of WPC’s views on the Women’s Reservation Bill. The delegation focused specifically on issues such as the quota, the rotation policy and the duration of reservation. *
WPC, with Stree Shakti, an NGO out of Delhi, organized a consultative meeting on September 4, 2008 at the Women’s Press Corps in New Delhi. The meeting’s purpose was to discuss how women’s groups could involve influential women in lobbying women’s issues, such as the Women’s Reservation Bill.
A consultative meeting was organized by the Civil Society Organizations on the need to include women’s agenda in the Congress Election Manifesto, thereafter President, WPC along with other women’s group presented a charter of demands to the Congress Working Committee
On January 20, 2009, a meeting was held between WPC and allied association the YWCA on the 33% reservation for women. During this meeting it was decided that an appointment be sought with the President of India via the submission of a memorandum.
The Women Reservation Bill was an integral part of the charter of demand drawn up by WPC. This charter was posted on the Solution Exchange on March 20, 2009. The charter of demands thereafter was also sent to the leaders of all major political parties.
The WPC delegation met with the Hon’able President Smt Pratibha Patil on 29 April 2009 to discuss the development on the issue of the passage of the women’s reservation bill which was a promise of the UPA’s 100 day plan. WPC also presented the charter of demands to her.
The WPC delegation met few parliamentarians including Shri Madu Goud Yaskhi, and discussed about the importance and need to enact the long pending Bill on Women’s Reservation.
WPC delegation met with Ms Jayanthi Natarajan, Chairperson, Parliamentary Standing Committee of Law and Justice with regard to the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill.
At WPC’s Third Annual Convention in December 2008, it was decided unanimously that all WPC members should meet with the Member of Parliament of their constituency between March 1 and March 8, 2009.
Public Meeting on ‘Women’s Reservation Bill (WRB) on 4th May 2010
An Alliance of women’s organizations was formed which organized a public meeting in New Delhi which was attended by 800 participants. Apart from WPC, women organizations which were part of the Alliance were, Centre for Social Research, AIDWA, AIWC, All India Mahila Congress, NIFW, Stree-Shakti-The Parallel force, Action India, Sabla Sangarh, Joint Women’s Programme (JWP), etc. The participants pledged to keep the pressure on for the passage of the WRB and hold different activities across the country, before every session of the Parliament, till the Bill is passed. The leading women activists, members of political parties, addressed the participants and urged to maintain a united stand and keep the issue of getting 33% reservation for women in Parliament alive till it reaches fruition.
Shared the platform with other women’s groups in a mass rally held on July 29, 2010 on, ‘Passage of Women’s Reservation Bill’
WPC joined the Alliance for 33% which was a congregation of hundreds of organizations supporting Women’s Reservation Bill. Many civil society organizations supported the alliance and a rally was held at Jantar Mantar on July 29, 2010, on the opening day of the monsoon session of parliament. Many popular public figures including Sharmila Tagore, Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar and several Members of Parliament expressed solidarity by addressing the rally which saw the participation of young girls in big numbers. WPC President Ranjana Kumari also spoke at the rally and reiterated the organization’s commitment towards getting the bill passed. She said the bill needs to be brought to the Lok Sabha in the same form and that no slabs or provisions should be added to it.
A ten member delegation also met the President of India Pratibha Patil on the sidelines of the event and presented a memorandum asking her to use her good offices for facilitating the passage of the bill. WPC Executive Director Dr. N.Hamsa was part of the delegation. The President assured the delegation that she supported the bill and women’s groups should keep their fight for equal representation going.
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