Mangaluru, March 18: Mother Mary Aloysia A C Endowment Lecture 2015 on ‘Women in politics – Prospects and challenges’ was organized by Agnesian Alumnae Association at St Agnes College conference hall here on Wednesday March 18th.
Margaret Alva, Former governor of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttarakhand and Goa along with other guests on the dais paid homage to the portrait of Mother Mary Aloysia A C.
Margaret Alva addressing the gathered said, even today, women are economically exploited, educationally neglected, undernourished, and denied justice. They are neglected emotionally and physically, serving as silent suffering wives, mothers, daughters-in-law who are bound by duties than rights.
She said, deep-rooted patriarchy is the biggest obstacle in the path of women to rise to success. This patriarchy forces the woman to marry a rapist, decides girls should not use cell phones, and decides boundary lines for clothing and behaviour.
Margaret Alva said, women too played active roles in the freedom movement. The National Commission for Women was born in 1992 and the Constitution was amended to provide reservation for women in local bodies. Despite of having a lot of successful women in the country, still there are various factors which obstruct women’s growth in politics. The Bill in the parliament which will provide 50 percent reservation to women is not yet tabled – men speak about women reservations but they not interested in initiating action. If they were determined to pass women’s reservation bill, women would have got their rights, she said.
Women are growing in various sectors. Crimes against women in home, work place, in society are no longer acceptable. Laws have to be tightened and police have to be more responsible and have to change the lethargic attitude towards such issues, she said.
There are many changes today, but we have a lot to achieve. Women have ventured are rising in all the fields today. The image of the ideal woman as one of weak and subjugated woman in the past has reformed today. There is a need to take many steps for empowerment of women, she said.
Professor Dr M Supriya, principal of St Agnes College, Usha Fernandes, vice-president of the Agnesian Alumnae Association, Dr Devi Prabha Alva were also present on this occasion.
