The Working Women’s Coordination Committee (CWCC) of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) on Sunday called upon women workers to unite and take up issues affecting them.
After inaugurating the International Women’s Day programme organised by the CWCC, CITU secretary A.R. Sindhu said the issues pertaining to women that were taken up during the formation of the committee had not been solved yet. “The issues are there where they were before. Emancipation of women is possible only through achieving economic independence,” she said.
ReservationShe expressed regret over the delay in passing the Women’s Reservation Bill. Though reservation for women could be realised in local bodies, it could not be achieved in Legislative Assemblies and the Lok Sabha.
President of the Karnataka Lekhakiyara Sangha Vasundhara Bhoopathi urged the Karnataka government to introduce the anti-superstition bill to protect the interests of women.
“Television, a product of modern science, is promoting superstition and exploiting women the most,” she said.
Ms. Bhoopathi urged the gathering to fight gender discrimination in the fields of science, literature, media, etc. Though child marriage and female infanticide are rampant, no concerted efforts are being made to address these issues,” she said.
Taking the government to task for not filling the post of the chairperson of the Karnataka State Commission for Women, which has remained vacant from the last two years, she said the government had least concern for women.
CPI(M) leader V.J.K. Nair and secretary CITU, Karnataka, S. Varalakshmi were present.
