Subject: [fem-women2000 108] NGO Statement 28th Oct on Strategies for Empowerment of Women
From: lalamaziwa <lalamaziwa@jca.apc.org>
Date: Sat, 27 Nov 1999 04:46:31 +0900
Seq: 108

Item 5(d) Strategies for Empowerment of Women

Statement by Neelam Gorne, Stree Aadnar Kendra, India

ESCAP High Level Intergovenmental Meeting to Review Regional
Implementaion of the Beijing Platfor mfor Action is in the process of
finalization of regional report, it will be appropriate to acknowledge
certain obstacles, while formulating strategies.

The voices from South Asia, Asia Pacific and also from within Country
consulatations, categorically underlined certain obstacles for
implementaton of PFA in the region. However surprisingly, these
obstacles were not mentioned in the government report, barring few
exceptions. In this context, NGOs have to shoulder the historical
responsibility for expressing these realities, which can be termed as
obstacles.

Corruption at every level, is leading to fueling of hopelessness and
demoralization of voluntary sector.

Intervention by vested interest groups in the law enforcement machinary
is resulting into total failure of every strategy regarding Gender
Justice, implementation of existing good laws, and even denying justice
to women.

And finally, inadequate resouce allocation to gender-development issues
is a major obstacle. It was not clear from many reports theshift in the
Budget allocation.

This applies to the North-South divide, and Asian women are being taken
granted that they are for "Micro" programmes and the so called
"developed" are suppose to decide about "Macro" issue! There is a need
to identify specific Budget, and Programmes relevant to survival and
empowerment of women.

While the drafting of the Strategies, we have to remind ourselves that
diverse backgrounds and specific forms of exploitations experienced by
different vulnerable groups needs to be kept in mind.

Members of Task Force

India Women 2000 for Beijing plus Five
 - a focal pointfor India.

Neilem Gorne
Stree Aadhar Kendra, 
Silversides N.K. Mandir Pstm, 
Model Colony Pure 411016 M.S. India
91-20-5520976 (fax) 5652172 (fax)
91-20-5531017 (phone)