Representative imageIt took 15 years after the National Policy of Empowerment of Women 2011 for the government to come out with a draft national women’s policy. Unlike the usual official documents, the draft approaches women’s issues realistically. The draft touches upon health, food security, education and finances and puts forward significant suggestions. However, the draft reads like a wish list.
The policy claims to be an approach based on rights but it has some basic flaws. This policy will not be complete unless it tells us how to ensure the rights and what remedies are available if the rights are violated.
For instance, the draft policy wants to ensure education for girls. The question is how. It was a welcome move to consider key issues such as washrooms in schools and travel facilities for girls, rather than increase the number of schools. But the draft is silent on how to ensure these to all girls.
Gender budgeting is crucial to any policy formation on women. The effectiveness of its implementation is doubtful though. It needs a nodal agency that comprises the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare as well as the finance and planning departments. The suggestion to implement the programmes through inter-ministerial committees does no good because so many such systems exist in almost all departments. We have to find out what ails these mechanisms to address the shortcomings and strengthen the system.
Most often, the departments draw up their own programmes but struggle to find funds for their implementation. Even the Ministry of Women and Child Welfare does not have sufficient funds. Active participation from the Finance Ministry is essential for the effective implementation of any programme.
The document also speaks about a skill development programme for women. We already have many such schemes but very few women are exposed to or benefited from them. We need a system modelled after the Planning Board where Women and Child Welfare, Finance and Planning ministries join forces and prepare programmes for each department in consultation with them. This is the only way to ensure comprehensive monitoring of the programmes.
The draft policy is silent on the atrocities against women. The atrocities against women are on the rise and they are becoming more cruel. The document lacks in a strong approach on this matter. Resistance is key to prevent such cruelties. At the same time, we have to adopt gender equality awareness programmes from a young age.
(The writer was a member of the Rajput Committee appointed by the Union Women and Child Welfare Ministry to study the life standards of women in India. She is a Centre for Development Studies fellow.)
