FeaturesThe Island6 Thursday 11th March, 2010
Emphasis on law by itself can-not deliver, implementation key
The Daily Star/ANN
Bangladesh Prime MinisterSheikh Hasina has announcedher government’s resolve on the
occasion of the 100th InternationalWomen’s Day to repeal all laws dis-criminatory to women and make a dulyupdated National WomenDevelopment Policy work to changethe women’s lot in a radical way. It isworthwhile to note that a nationalwomen’s development policy was for-mulated by an Awami League govern-ment itself during 1996-2001 whichwas thereafter tampered with by theBNP-Jamaat alliance government thatfollowed. Thus, if we took one step for-ward we were soon to go two stepsbackwards.
In other words, mere presence ofa policy document or a law (there weretough anti-dowry and anti-acid throw-ing measures aplenty) has hardly everbeen anything more than a declarationof intent; for, it fell short of implementa-
tion and therefore, not a suf-ficient guarantee for estab-lishment of all the rights forwomen that we set aboutachieving since the birth ofthe country, particularlysince the inception of thecountry’s constitution. Wehave learned the hard waythat it is easier said thandone.
First of all, a robustpolitical will backed by anenvironment congenial toa paradigm shift in thewomen’s overall situation in the house-hold, family, society, workplace andpolicy and decision making fields willhave to be brought to bear on thepressing agenda for women’sadvancement. Secondly, the laws thatexist against different forms of violenceagainst and exploitation of womenwhich have been stringent in words butweak in application will have to berewritten to be made fail-safe. In aword, we have to have an adequatelegal framework on protection, preser-
vation and full exercise ofwomen’s rights at par withthose enjoyed in other coun-tries of comparable back-grounds which have hit thehigh road to success interms of gender balanceand equality.
Another most importantcomponent of changerelates to institutional prepa-rations which seem to be
lacking in vital areas such as,for example, in the local bodyinstitutions where women
have been given greater representa-tion but not an equal role. Thisinstance can be multiplied, the list canbe almost endless where women’s pol-icy and decision making roles are atworst conspicuous by absence or atbest circumscribed by subtle devices.
So long as the mindset does notchange in the still male-dominant soci-ety, the women’s lot cannot be refash-ioned in a truly qualitative way of whichthe whole society can be legitimatelyproud and a full beneficiary.
The Korea Herald/ANN
Scanning the many statisti-cal figures on women’s sta-tus in Korea produced by
the media and various advocacygroups on the occasion of theInternational Women’s Day,which was on Monday, March 8,it is quite difficult to measurethe ascent of women in Koreansociety. They are still suffering alot at home, workplaces andeverywhere else, under manytypes of social preju-dices, but women aremaking impressiveinroads into posi-tions of power andinfluence these daysin what pundits dub“women’s revenge”.
Educated women are aiminghigh to grab powerful and high-income jobs from which theycan fight social disadvantagemore effectively. In the moresophisticated professional areaswhere sexual barriers have beenremoved, women prevail overtheir male counterparts in bothjob performance and finding
employment.About 70 per cent of new
judges and some 60 per cent ofnew prosecutors appointed thisyear were women. They are tobe joined by male colleaguesreturning from compulsory mili-tary service later so that the pre-carious gender balance willbarely be maintained at the jun-ior levels of the law enforcementjobs.
The fertility rate of 1.15 lastyear, one of the lowest in the
world, the high divorce rate andthe growing proportion ofwomen staying single indicatethe continuing trend of womenprioritizing their career overraising a family. Another signifi-cant statistic reveals that 82.4per cent of female high-schoolgraduates entered universitythis year, compared to 81.6 percent of male graduates. Two
decades ago, only 32.4 per cent ofhigh-school girls advanced tohigher education.
Behind these remarkable fig-ures proving women’s rising sta-tus in Korea, petitions to theNational Human RightsCommission reveal that womenare molested and harassed sexu-ally, humiliated in public,abused physically and mentally,and disadvantaged in employ-ment. While the nation wasstruggling under the impact of
the global eco-nomic crisis since2008, the numberof economicallyinactive womenincreased to 10.4million as of the
end of 2009, up by 286,000. Laboranalysts say many of their lostjobs went to male workers.
The overall picture is incon-gruous. Women’s success in pro-fessional areas is due largely tohard individual efforts and doesnot yet illustrate a change insociety. Just look at the 299-seatNational Assembly, which has 41women lawmakers.
Women’s status
Elevating women’s position
The Peliyagoda
police anti-vice
squad on Tuesday
evening nabbed a
‘mobile-bar’ that had
operated in the
Meegahawatte area for
months.
Police had received
lots of complaints from
the housewives in the
area that there some per-
sons were selling
moonshine
to their
hus-
bands, who spent all
their income on rotgut.
The women had told the
police that kasippu
mudalalis kept shifting
their outlets and there-
fore remained elu-
sive. The police deployed
decoys at places fre-
quented by tipplers and
nabbed the sellers with
stocks of illicit spirits.
Women showered praise
on the police while hus-
bands gnashed their
teeth.The Wattegama police foundT-56 ammunition and a live84-S cartridge among flowers
on a flower receptacle (mal asana)of a Bodhiya on the Walala-Wavinna road on Monday.
The police are conducting inves-tigations. No arrests have beenmade so far.
The Gampahapolice onTuesday arrest-
ed a drug addict whoused to extract protec-tion money fromschool children.
He had obtainedmoney from the chil-dren to pay for his ‘fix.’
It has been revealedthat the drug addict usedto waylay children bran-dishing a pointed knifeand obtain money threat-ening to stab them.
None of the victimshad dared inform the par-ents or police of theirpredicament
for fear of reprisal butone intrepid kid pluckedup courage to go to thepolice. The Gampahapolice sent several per-sonnel in civvies andcaught the culprit red-handed.
The Maligawatte police raideda gambling den operatedinside a house in the areaand caught five women and twomen playing cards for money onTuesday. The police seized Rs. 88,000.
The owner of the house was alsotaken into custody. The raid was led by IP Nuwanwith several personnel includingWPCs of the Maligawatte police.
A 12-year-old boy came to theNational Child Protection
Authority all by himself yester-day and complained that he had
been assaulted by his employers.The victim was from
Bandaragama .He had worked
in severalhouses in
and aroundColomboas a ser-
vant .
Wheneverhe was severe-
ly beaten, heused to escape
and find employ-ment elsewhere.
The NCPA authorities told TheIsland that they would summon
the child’s parents and arrestthose who had illegally employed
him.
The Galleanti-vice
squad per-sonnel onSunday (7)found threemen riding amotorcyclenear the GalleWakwellaBridge andchecked themon suspicion tofind a 12 borehome-made gun(galkatas) and a goldchain in their posses-sion. The chain wasdamaged and policesuspected that it mayhave been snatchedby the riders. Theywere taken into custody around 2.40pm.
Further investigations revealedthat the suspects had snatched thechain from a woman nearSanghamitta Girls School on the
same day around 2.00 pm.They were from Madapathagala
and Ginimellagahahena in Wakwella.The Galle police are conducting
further investigations.
Women who rivalled men atthe wrong game arrested
Hunter becomes the hunted Boy at NCPA doorstepwith complaints
Mobile
bar busted
Chain snatcherscaught in 40 mins
Unholy offering
High maternal death rate overshadows Intl Women’s Day in Afghanistan
PM Hasina
March 8 marks International Women’s Day.Hundreds of events are held throughout the world toinspire women and celebrate their achievements.The United Nations says the theme of this year’s cel-ebration is “Equal rights, equal opportunities:Progress for all.”
Four years ago on International Women’s Day,the Afghan government unveiled a plan for accelerat-ing the improvement of women’s status in the country.
Today, almost one-fourth of the Afghan parlia-ment is female. President Hamid Karzai also hasselected three women as members of his newCabinet.
And while the Afghan government expects more
than 3.2 million girls to enroll in school this year, thecountry’s acting Public Health Minister Suraya Dalilsays improvements are needed to ensure their futurewellbeing.
On average, an Afghan woman will get pregnantsix times during her reproductive years. Dalil saysofficials are working to educate people on contracep-tion, but only 15 percent of couples use one sort offamily planning. Dalil says this contributes to a harshstatistic.
“Every 30 minutes one woman in Afghanistandies from causes related to pregnancy and childbirth.So that is [a] really alarming figure,” she noted.
Many women around the country lack access to
hospitals like the ones in the capital, Kabul. So it isup to the government to bring the medical care tothem.
“One of the strategies to address maternal mor-tality is to increase skilled birth attendants,” sheadded. “That means midwives, nurses and physi-cians to assist deliveries.”
Skilled birthing attendants are present at 25 to 30percent of births in Afghanistan. Dalil says the gov-ernment hopes to expand its midwife training pro-grams and install these professionals in local commu-nities.
Also this year, the Afghan government, along withits international partners, is launching a new mortality
study. Dalil participated in the last study in 2002,which she says uncovered some shocking results.
“It found that in Badakhshan the maternal mortali-ty issue was 6,500 [deaths] per 100,000 live birthsand that is the highest ever documented in humanhistory,” she explained.
Dalil says she hopes the new study will highlightimprovements that can lead to lasting achievementsfor women’s health.
But she stresses that the Afghan governmentneeds a combination of international and public sup-port for health advancements before the overall well-being of women in the country can show realprogress.
