Women's mock parliament aims to help grassroots activists

ActionAid India, an anti-poverty agency working in India since 1972, Thursday organised a women's parliament to give voice to grassroots women activists.

Over 80 women activists from across India travelled to Delhi to participate in the mock parliament organised under the Action Aid Beti Zindabad campaign.

The participants debated and discussed gender issues that affect most women in India.

Actor and activist Shabana Azmi, who was also present at the event, tweeted in support: "Strong vibrant voices of women from the grassroots need to reach parliament during the (current winter) session."

Seen as a tool of advocacy, the purpose of the event was to raise the consciousness of those grassroots women who might not even be aware of the issues affecting them, said feminist Kamla Bhasin, who presided over the session as its speaker.

Inaugurating the event, former Planning Commission member Syeda Hameed said: "It looks like the future is already here. I am glad that women from across India are here to raise issues that are real and important."

Co-terminus with the winter session of parliament, women Thursday found a platform to raise their voice on rural employment guarantee scheme, domestic violence, untouchability, unequal wages, property rights, female foeticide, and infanticide among a range of issues.

"These are issues for which parliament exists. But because of the nature of the members that we have in parliament in Delhi, we have lost sight of some of these issues," Bhasin said.

The participants underwent a two-day training programme, organised by the Beti Zindabad campaign, to learn the significance of parliament and its legislative proceedings.

Sehjo Singh, director of programme and policy at ActionAid India, said videos on YouTube served as a tool to help them deliberate over the design and structure of their own parliament.

They learnt about question hour, zero hour, and the speaker's role in parliament, she added.

According to a release by ActionAid, a team of parliamentarians including D. Raja and Ali Anwar would meet women representatives with the purpose of tabling some of these critical issues during the ongoing winter session.

The participants had already met them at their residences on the eve of the women's parliament to explain to them the significance of the event, the release stated.

"It was heartening to hear strong, clear voices from the ground, capturing issues of endemic violence and also proposing possible solutions. This event held as part of the Beti Zindabad campaign aims to highlight the need to politically empower women, so that these real issues are heard," Sehjo Singh said.