Civil Liberties Monitoring Committee. India

Women Rights are in fact Human Rights
Revamp the Struggle for Women’s Rights

Government should be made Accountable for the Violence on Women

Demands for equal rights, equal opportunities and progress in all walks of life. Demands for share in women reservation

On the occasion of 1ooth year of International Women’s Day, Nisa Research and Resource Centre for Women organized a programme and stressed that that the struggle for the protection and achievement of women’s rights should fasten. Women’s rights are in fact Human rights towards which

The chief guest for this programme was Dr. Ameena Tahseen, Assistant Professor of Department of Women Education, Moulana Azad National Urdu University, Hyderabad. The other guests were Dr. Suneetha, vice-president, Nisa; Dr. Rafat Sema, Gen Secretary Nisa; Dr. Fareen Pervez, visiting professor, USA; Kaneez Fathima, Civil Liberties; Mandakini Advocate, Civil Liberties and Rayees Fatima, Nisa.

Kaneez Fathima, while welcoming the guests and audience spoke about the importance of International Women’s Day and the reason of celebrating it. She said that International Women’s Day is being celebrated since early 1900s demanding right to vote, education, work, equal pay etc. And in the year 1910, an International Conference took place in Copenhagen, where hundred working women took part from almost 17 countries. In that conference, Clara Jetkin proposed to have a Women’s Day that too in all over the world every year and all the other people welcomed the proposal and the first International Women’s Day was celebrated in the year 1911 on 19th February. And later after discussion it was shifted to 8th March. Then from that time onwards this day has been celebrated all over the world to press the demands of women. Few countries also declared this day as official holiday. United Nations declared the year 1975 as “International Women’s Year”.

Dr. Ameena spoke about ‘The condition of Women in Hyderabad: their Past present and future’. While speaking on this topic she said it is the efforts of common women who have brought out the changes in society, it may be of right to vote, right to education, equality etc. lot of change has come in women in these hundred years, even though their awareness has increased whereas even today educated Muslim women are unaware of their religious and constitutional rights.

Dr. Suneetha while speaking said that there is need of Muslim women to write about themselves, about their problems etc, otherwise other people, other men will only write about them and why should someone else write about you, you yourselves should address your own problems and solutions for it.

Dr. Fareen Pervez on this occasion said that women should strive against the practice of dowry and domestic violence and there is lot of need for Hyderabadi women to get into activism and fight against all the bad practices.

Dr. Rafat Seema expressed deep concern for Irom Sharmila, a women of Manipur who is on hunger strike since ten years, demanding to remove the draconian Act i.e. Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which is applicable in all the Northeast states. Sharmila is forcefully given liquid food through her nose with the help of pipe. She is arrested on the charges of attempt to suicide and forcefully imprisoned in the hospital. It is a matter of shame to the whole civil society and the government of India that no action has been taken to remove the draconian act for the north east states and Jammu and Kashmir and the police forces are not accountable for any of their act.

Advocate Mandakini spoke about the importance of Women’s Reservation Bill which was to be tabled in the parliament today, she welcomed the bill but also said that the reservation for the BC, SC, ST and Minorities should be clearly mentioned and tabled in the parliament otherwise there is no meaning to pass the bill because again the beneficiaries would be the upper caste women and the common women will not at all be benefited, they will be as backward as they are today.

Kaneez Fathima
Joint Secretary.NISA