WOMEN SPEAKERS OF PARLIAMENT
The seventh meeting of women Speakers of Parliament ended
on Thursday 4th October,2012, with a call for promoting women’s representation
in Parliaments and other elected bodies through supportive electoral laws and
temporary special measures.A declaration adopted at the end of the two-day
meeting said it was important to bring women’s participation to its utmost
potential by enabling their representation in all parliamentary committees and
ensuring their nomination or election to leadership positions in parliamentary
structures.Without mentioning the Women’s Reservation Bill – passed by the
Rajya Sabha but pending in the Lok Sabha – Speaker Meira Kumar told journalists
she would like to see more women on the floor of the House.
Ms. Kumar said she had been requested by MPs to play a
proactive role in ensuring that women got more space in Parliament and she had
even called several meetings on the issue.Praising male MPs, Ms. Kumar said
they were very respectful to women and helped the passage of a series of
women-centric laws, some of which were path-breaking including the 73rd and
74th Constitutional Amendments which reserved 33 per cent seats for women in
panchayats and municipal bodies. “We do have a gender-sensitive Parliament.’’There
are 190 Parliaments in the world but only 37 have women Speakers. While India
does have one in the Lok Sabha, the representation of women in the House is
only 11 per cent.
The Delhi Declaration said gender equality should be
placed higher on the parliamentary agenda by ensuring debates on the issue
inside Parliament, by mainstreaming gender through the establishment of
specialised committees, and through women’s caucuses and gender units.It called
for sharing the responsibility for gender equality with men by raising their
awareness and knowledge and associating them in legislative initiatives,
debates and events on women’s rights.The meeting had been organised by the
Inter-Parliamentary Union and Indian Parliament.
Prof.
John Kurakar
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