Kathmandu, September 18:

The ongoing movement for ‘total democracy’ has not gained the desired momentum due to low participation of women, said Indu Acharya, a political science lecturer at the Padma Kanya Campus. “There is a need for women’s direct participation in the movement to make it a success,” she said at an interaction organised by the Martin Chautari here today. “History shows that all major movements had been successful because of high participation of women,” she added. She said it is very pathetic that most of the women are involved in politics just because of being somebody’s daughter, sister, wife or niece. “The student leaders who want to rise on their own are always pulled back and discouraged due to which the country has a very few dedicated women politicians,” said Acharya. Ram Kumari Jhakri, chief of the Publicity Department of the All Nepal National Free Students’ Union (ANNFSU), said the number of women in political parties’ central committees shows their representation in the country’s politics.

“We need to combat weaknesses in political system and encourage women’s participation in the movement,” said Jhakri. “Women’s participation in the state mechanism is very low compared to the women who had actively participated in the democratic movement of 1990.”

Jhakri said the seven political parties’ movement co-ordination committee still has no woman member in it, which reflects the low women’s participation in the movement. She said ANNFSU now has more than 6,600 active members, out of which only 1,000 are female. Jhakri said the present political movement would gain momentum if all women involved in professional and labour organisations became united. “Female youths participation in the movement is praiseworthy, but women politicians’ role is not satisfactory,” said Jhakri.