India, Brazil to strive for women welfare

The India, Brazil and South Africa (IBSA) is all set to assist one another in formulating strategies to curb gender violence. IBSA Women forum on Tuesday started its three-day deliberation in New Delhi to articulate them.

 The process that the three countries have started relies on people-to-people consultation and sharing of best practices and experience among member countries. “Partner countries are continuously striving to combat the war against gender discrimination and violence and accelerating the mechanisms that would lead to the empowerment of women in a holistic manner,” said Krishna Tirath, Minister of State for Women and Child Development, while inaugurating the meeting.

The meeting  will discuss some of the best practices, including “Stop Rape Campaign” in South Africa and Bolsa Familia (models of financial benefits to poor families). The “Stop Rape Campaign” is being appreciated for its intrinsic value of gender-sensitising among schoolchildren. Similarly, social programs in Brazil like Bolsa Familia have popularised models for effective delivery of financial benefits to poor families. “The commonalities between our countries are striking. We are large, pulsating democracies, we have enormous diversity—ethnic, cultural and religious.

And above all the women in our countries often face the challenges of development,” said Tirath. Minister for Women, Children and People with Disabilities of the Republic of South Africa Lulu Xingwana and Secretary of Evaluation of Policies and Economic Autonomy of Women of the Brazilian Secretariat of Policies for Women Maria do Carmo Godinho Delgado are attending the deliberations.