Invite to meet on Women and Democracy

Warm greetings!
Globally women are celebrating 20 years of advancement in women’s rights since the Beijing Conference on the Declaration of Women’s Rights. This is the right time to bring demands of women to the attention of the political parties and the public. Fielding of women candidates by all political parties, announcing free sops to women, Abhaya Hastham- pension scheme for women, pavala waddi, have made it crystal clear that women are considered an important vote bank in the coming elections.
Women are also using their power of vote to bargain for housing, loans, etc. and can influence this election. In this election, women will come out in more numbers as political candidates. But this is just the beginning. Today the question is not about more women candidates or exercising their vote. The question is how do we influence and participate in the decision making process itself. We are at the end of the decade, in which women and girls have paid a heavy price for sexual assault, rape and violence. Women are faced with a myriad of problems including rising food prices, economic crisis, losing jobs, losing lands for infrastructure projects, gender based violence etc.

It is perhaps right time for us to review this decade long journey of women’s rights and put forth our demands to the political parties. The solution for women’s problem is not just fielding more women candidates in the elections. In order make a difference with our votes, we need to create access and participate in the decision making process in determining our political and economic future of the state. Hence, we need to get together, talk with one another, create discourse on issues and put up our own agenda.

Academics, NGOs, activist groups, students and employees are requested to participate in this discussion. Together we can sustain this group through this upcoming election and beyond to engage meaningfully on the issue of women and democracy. I hope the group will create informed discourse that will go a long way in strengthening women right’s movement.

We invite those participants working on specific issues to initiate a discussion in their niche area and help the group to brainstorm. In the second half of the meeting, the participants will join groups that will work on education, health, livelihoods, legal aspect, etc to prepare a charter of demands to the political parties for incorporating in their election manifestos.
The “Women Manifesto” which is prepared after consultations will be released to the public on March 8th 2009
On behalf of Openspace forum we invite you to the meeting on “Women and Democracy” to be held on 17th February 2009.