Kathmandu, June 13

Women rights activists said at a programme today that the new constitution had failed to give women the identity they deserved, and that economic empowerment was a must for women’s progress.

Speaking at a programme organised by Sankalpa: Women’s Alliance for Peace, Justice, and Democracy, to hold a national level consultation with women rights leaders on prioritising the issues of women, Sashi Shrestha, former president of Inter Party Women’s Alliance, said that the rights granted to women in the constitution were not on par with their contribution to various movements.

Shrestha said, “Women have also fought to establish democracy in the country during Jana Andolan- I and II, and in many other movements, but their contribution and sacrifice are not acknowledged as much.” She claimed that the constitution had failed to even acknowledge that women are human beings.

“We have prepared a list of points that need to be amended in the constitution, which will be made public soon,” she added.

She further said that as elections of local bodies approach, the local bodies must coordinate with the National Election Commission to know about the election system, and other policy matters, and allocate more seats to women.

Former minister for energy Radha Gyawali said that while the present constitution was very progressive in comparison to the old one, it had still failed to give identity to a woman.

Member of Parliament Chhaya Sharma said that women empowerment was impossible without economic empowerment.

A member at Sankalpa Stella Tamang said that the issue of citizenship transfer should be at the top because it is the right of every Nepali citizen. She also agreed that women’s development was impossible without economic empowerment.

“Women must be allowed to exercise the rights accorded to them fully, and the provisions in the constitution that still failed to give women their due rights had to be amended,” she said.

President of Sancharika Samuha Nepal Nirmala Sharma said that many provision mentioned in the Constitution have not been implemented.

“Although the constitution mandates that the cabinet must allocate 33 per cent seats to women, the first cabinet formed after the endorsement of the new constitution did not do so,” she said.

She said that all women need to unite to fight for their rights, and women political leaders must lobby to change society’s perception of women.