Nepali women movement started in collective or organized way some 9 decades back, which was led by Yogmaya Neupane, a child-widow from eastern part of Nepal. She led some 2 dozen women to Kathmandu and met with Rana prime minister, with a long list of social demands.
Gradually, women realized that education is basic element to encourage and mobilize women for social change and then, they themselves took some initiation. They started to make public noise as well at the same time. As the result state allowed women to go school in 1946, only with establishing girls’ school. On the same year women came on the street with demand of civic right. Four women including Sahana Pradhan, a legend of Nepalese women movement were arrested and put in the custody for more than two weeks.
In the process, the first Nepali women organization with political aim was founded in 1946 called Nepal Women Organization (NWO), which was fragmented after four years caused by political difference and established All Nepal Women Association (ANWA), with the clear political vision to establish equality in all sphere of the society through total social transformation and eliminate all kinds of discrimination based on gender. Ideologically it was closed to Communist Party of Nepal, established in 1949.
Since the establishment of ANWA, during this 6 decades long struggle, the women movement has achieved countable amount of its objective, though still need to long way to achieve total gender parity. Following are the major achievements of 6 decades long women’s movement.
1. Political and citizen right
As politics is the back bone of the human society, achieving the equality in political sphere is the major goal to establish ANWA.
Just after removal of the 104 years long Rana oligarchy system in 1951, women collectively put effort to achieve equality in politics and organized a delegation to prime minister. As result of the initiation Nepali women became eligible to take part in election as candidate as well as voter at once. Utilizing this right, Sadhana Pradhan, the member of Communist Party of Nepal, as well as pioneer of NWO, was elected as first woman representative in municipality in 1952.
In 1960, monarchy imposed the party-less PANCHAYAT system. Then, all the political leaders disappeared as under ground activists. Women leaders also kept active in the same way. After almost two decades of underground movement, after success of students’ popular movement in 1979-80, ANWA was re-established again in 1981 and started to organize women under its own flag and slogan of “Fight for Equality.”
In 1985, CPN (ML) took policy to utilize the forum of the state election with own candidates, giving name as People’s Candidate (Janapakshiya Ummedwar), some cadres from ANWA as well ran the election with strategy of popularizing its vision, mission and objective as wider coverage of people and expand the organization. It contributed a lot to make people aware and organize against autocratic state machinery. Finally, the party-less Panchayat system was over through and established multiparty system in 1990.
Multiparty system recognized and realized compulsory women participation in the decision making to sustain democracy. Based on this, the provision of at least 5 percent women candidacy in general election was included in new constitution. But, ANWA was continuously demanding women participation in the local body as well. It passed a program of 1/3rd women participation in all level and structure of the state.
In 1997, second local election was held. Just before that, the law was amended and provision of 20 percent women participation was included. As of its result, 40 thousands women were elected at once as local political leader. It has given tremendous impact in politics as to establish women as leader in the society and make them more confident and involve in the political activities.
The campaign for 1/3rd women participation was continued. Finally, we achieved it in decision making, when there was constituent assembly election in 2006. More interestingly CPN (UML) including its all affiliated sister organization has included this provision in their own constitution as well and now in the process of implementation.
In constituent assembly, right now we are fighting for proportional representation in the state mechanism including political party as well as social organization. If we could manage this, it will give the impact in society beyond the imagination.
Similarly, gender related agendas have been recognized and gradually being included as common agenda of state, parties and social organization itself.
2. Right to Decent
Everyone know that citizenship is the compulsory certificate to manage formal relation with the nation. Nepal has established system of decent citizenship. Based on this, ANWA is demanding for equal provision covering both parents regarding decent citizenship right for children. It has been spelled out in interim constitution, but caused by proviso, it is not being effective in practice. Similarly citizenship providing to spouse based marital relation, women are still discriminated.
In this ground, citizenship issue is being major gender agenda in the process of on going constitution making process.
3. Property right
Equal property right is one of the primary concern of ANWA. When ANWA was established, there was no provision at all to provide the inheritance property to daughter. The scenario was little change, when in was re-established in 1981 as if daughter could stay unmarried, after 35 year, she was allowed to claim it. But, it was discriminator based on gender and ANWA continued fighting.
After long way, it has been mentioned in the interim constitution is that son and daughter can have equal right on the inheritance property, regardless of marital status. Now, ANWA is putting effort for its enforcement.
4. Institutional development
Establishment of the state institution to tackle women issues in more sustainable way is one of the major demand of ANWA, since the beginning.
Responding this demand of women movement, women ministry has been established in 1995, just before Beijing conference. Afterward, Women Caucus in parliament also came into existence to take collective action on women issues in the policy making level as well as to provide policy feed back to the state mechanism.
In additional, National Women Commission has been formed in 2002 as national body, to take up the women issues, but still fighting to upgrade it as constitutional body.
Similarly, within the movement as well some initiation has been taken. Women department was conducted within student wing from 1986. This trend slowly expanded to trade union, peasant and youth movement and finally even CPN (UML) started to form women department under its structure. Now, this initiation has been expanded across the movement and giving special focus on creating gender awareness and conducting activities and enrolling women in their own structure.
5. Women in Education
Education is the major vehicle to mobilize women in the different sectors. Having this understanding, women education was started to educate some 8 decades before and state opened first girl’s school in 1946. This was one of the major focus of the ANWA’s activities. At the time of getting multiparty system in 1990, women literacy rate was only 24.7 percent. Now, after 20 years of democracy, this rate has been increased to 53.1 percent. Among the school age student, per 100 boys, girls participation is 1/3 in university, 77 in secondary and 88 in primary level. It is big achievement indeed.
Now a day even middle aged women are joining regular school without any hesitation. We can proudly say this is the part of social transformation and social stigma is sidelining.
Similarly women participation in teaching profession has also been increased as almost 1/3 in public and half in private school up to primary level. But in the upper level, still need to give some more emphasis to manage proportionate as girls’ student participation.
6. Women and Health
We Nepali can be proud on the achievement of health sector during last decade. Until 2002, the women’s life expectancy was lower than male. But now, women live 4 months longer than man, which is 64.4 years in average.
The principle of “Our body, Ourself” has been realized and women have got reproductive right as fundamental right as mentioned in constitution. Women have the right to abort unwanted/unwilling pregnancy up to 12 weeks, with her own decision. It was introduced 10 years back.
Maternal mortality rate has been decreased to 22. 9 per 1000 delivery, which was 85 in 1990. Similarly the rate to visit health institution/ health personal during pregnancy has also been raised to almost 90 percent and delivery with attendance of health personal has been reached 29 percent, which was only 7 percent in two decades back.
Now, almost 50 thousand women health volunteers are being mobilized over the country as public health assistance, basically focusing on maternal health. The rate of following contraceptive use as well as mini lab has been increased tremendously. It has made women possible to attend productive work one way and create girl child education in another way.
7. Women in Workforce
3/4 of the working age women are involving in workforce, is good sign that women becoming more and more as bread winner in the family. Caused by this, family structure is being restructured. Now, women headed household has been raised to 22 in compare with 6 percent 10 years back. it is drastic changed.
Though women’s participation in regular employment is only a quarter, but huge majority are active in informal economy as daily wages and self employed. The average earning of women is 59 percent of the men, which is increased by 2 percent in 10 years time.
Now, the government has announced the policy that if family want to add women name in the land certificate, it will be almost free of cost. Its policy implication might be to increase in ownership on land property.
Women participation in migrant workers has been opened which was band for a decade from 1997. Now almost a million women are working abroad. According to government data, almost 13 percent of total Nepali workforce around the world. Though the social cost has not been calculated yet, but they are investing almost all earning to educate children and managing family, which is giving recognition women as bread winner somehow.
8. Violence against women
One of the common problem of women from all sphere is violence against women. ANWA is fighting against it within party, society and state. As a result, special motion has been passed unanimously from parliament in 2006. As follow up, law against domestic violence has been passed from parliament and now in the process of enactment. Bill regarding sexual violence at workplace is in pipeline. Special mechanism has been established in the office of prime minister with 24 hour hot line service. Similarly safe house service for victim has been started in some 15 district as pilot phase.
But the rate of the violence has not been controlled and now highly demanding a umbrella bill to cover all kinds of violence against women including witch battering, alcoholism, polygamy, marital rape etc.
Violence against women caused divorce and as per changing social structure, the rate of divorce is being accelerated. Addressing the phenomena, some legal provision has been developed that women can get her share of the property from husband before signing the divorce paper as well as children can have choice whether want to stay with mother and father with their share of property.
ANWA has demanded to the political parties and other organizations as well to develop internal code of conduct in this regards. CPN-UML has initiated a discussion with its first draft for internal consumption.
9. Changing social perspective as overall
Not only the women’s participation in all sector of the society has been accelerated, but also the gender sensitivity among the whole society is gearing up.
The perspective toward women and gender issues are being shifted. Media has been changing little by little. Now more women participation can be seen in electronic media, though still nominal numbers are in hardcore section in print media and ideological debate.
Similarly, together with laws, perspective of legal professional has also being changed slowly. The pattern of filed-cases as well as verdict given by court is taking positive shift from gender point of view.
Women’s participation in security sector as arm force and military force are accepting women as integral part, though previously none of the people could even think that women can fight with gun in hand.
Challenges and way forward.
We are in the face of writing new constitution. How to make new constitution not only gender neutral, but also gender friendly is the major challenges of Nepali women’s movement for the movement.
State should not have gender based preference is our main concern. Gender neutral provision regarding citizenship, inclusive and proportionate participation in all state mechanism, Affirmative action regarding education, health, employment social security as well as strong provision regarding violence against women are our challenges.
Unified women’s movement and gender sensitive leadership, society and movement as well gender friendly executive, bureaucracy, legal system and media are the way out for sustainable social-cultural transformation toward equality is our way forward.
Let us develop common perspective and act in coordinated way to achieve rest of the things and face the challenges in the process.
Equality is must, Change is possible !
Prepared for ANWA News – 2012