Youth Contribution to the Beijing+20 Review Debate #YouBeijing20 – Panjab University, Chandigarh

Centre for Social Research (CSR) organized Youth Contribution to the Bejing+20 Review with Department of Sociology, Panjab University Chandigarh on 25^th November, 2014. Anubhuti Vatsayan, Sonia Kaur Ghuman and Mehak Jhingon represented CSR team and coordinated the event with Mr. Vinod Choudhary.

The event started with a welcome address by the Professor Kiranpreet Kaur, Chairperson of the Department. This was followed by introduction of CSR by Mehak Jhingon. Further, a power point presentation was made by Anubhuti Vatsayan highlighting the importance of Beijing Platform for Action and its engagement of youth.The faculty also presented papers on diverse issues relating to women empowerment, instigating the participants to address to some vital questions related to it.

The later session was devoted to group discussion on the 12 critical areas facilitated by CSR team members. A short video of Dr. Ranjana Kumari (Director, Centre for Social Research) addressing the participants was played to set the base for the group activity. The participants were divided into 6 groups with 2 concern areas assigned to each for their reflection and recommendation on these critical areas.

Youth Recommendations:

Violence against Women

1. Cultural acceptance of violence by women needs to be questioned.
2. Strict punishments for the perpetrators of crimes especially relating to sexual nature.
3. The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act should be scrapped totally. Or the age bar needs to be reduced.
4. Distinction to be made between women victims and girl child victims and accordingly the punishments should be awarded to the perpetrators.

Women and the Environment

1. Educational awareness about clean environment practices to be made mandatory for women.
2. Alternative sources of clean fuel should be made available to rural women.

Women in Power and Decision Making

1. Patriarchal set of our society needs to be altered.
2. Free trainings post higher education should be provided to women to make them independent.
3. Free education to be provided at higher levels.
4. Spreading awareness about women’s right initiating it at elementary school level till higher studies.
5. By providing gender sensitization to men and boys for their understanding of equal rights by both.

Women and Media

1. Portraying images of empowered women will lead to changing mindsets.
2. Controversial content in forms of lyrics, images, videos should be banned.
3. Objectification of women to be countered.
4. Regulation of media in regards to its content needs to be regulated and should be made transparent.

Human Rights of Women and Women in Power

1. Reforms to be made with regards to issues concerning women’s reproductive health.
2. Increased participation of women in economic spaces.
3. Micro credit facilities should be made easily accessible to women.
4. The number of Mahila banks to be increased, with women from each household being accountholders in same.
5. Special tax subsidies and loan waiver for widow women.
6. Skill development trainings to be provided to rural women for them to be economically independent.

Educational and Training of Women

1. Vocational trainings to be imparted from school level with subsequent supervisions on the same.
2. National level schemes like Sarv Shiksha abhiyan, Kasturba Gandhi Bala Vidhalaya and Aanganwadi to be implemented properly.
3. Proper implementation of Vishakha guidelines in educational institutions.
4. Curriculums in schools/ universities should not have gender biased content.
5. EDUSAT to be implemented all universally in schools and colleges.
6. Proper infrastructural facilities to be provided to girls in tribal/hilly areas for their access to schools/colleges.

Women and the Economy

1. Improving micro credit facilities will prove in eradicating poverty among women.
2. Proper implementation of Equal Remuneration Act.
3. Women engaged in unskilled labor should be recognized.
4. Labor laws to review laws relating to interstate migration women laborers.
5. Equal pay for Equal work to be implemented strictly.

The Girl Child

1. Women to be made aware of their reproductive rights and should be empowered to take family planning decisions.
2. Counseling to be provided to would be parents about sex selective abortions.
3. Mandatory self defense trainings to be imparted in schools.
4. Implementation of laws like PCPNDT through reward system.

Women and Armed Conflicts

1. Increased recruitment of womenfolk in armed forces.
2. Vocational trainings to be imparted to widows/half widows for their livelihood.

Women and Health

1. Media should take active part in promoting awareness on issues relating to women’s health.
2. Awareness programmes should be conducted for imparting menstrual hygiene.

The event was concluded by performance of two street plays which highlighted issues like eve teasing, acid attack, child marriage etc. A vote of thanks was extended to the esteemed faculty and the students for the active participant by Sonia Kaur Ghuman.