Pledge for gender equality to be taken at gram sabha meetings in TN

Stalin, who has been holding these meetings as part of his poll campaign will himself participate in a meeting

For the first time, lakhs of people participating in the gram sabha meetings across Tamil Nadu on Saturday will take a pledge to treat everyone with respect regardless of their gender, caste, and religion, to respect women and shun dowry.

The Pledge for Gender Equality has been included in the agenda for the gram sabha meetings scheduled for October 2 on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanthi.

In a letter to Collectors of 29 districts, barring nine districts where local body elections are scheduled, the Director of Rural Development Department said pledges on zero tolerance, gender equality, and resolutions on removing hoardings, eradicating poverty, and preventing child marriage should be included in the agenda for the meetings.

Gram Sabha meetings will be held in Tamil Nadu after two years with the sessions in 2020 being cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions. Chief Minister M K Stalin, who has been holding gram sabha meetings as part of his campaign in the run-up to the 2019 and 2021 elections, will himself participate in a meeting at Paapapatti in Madurai district.

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Tamil Nadu will be the first state in the country to include a pledge for gender equality in the gram sabha meetings. The pledge will also be taken by government officials and school students.

“I solemnly affirm that I will respect women, treat them equally, will not indulge in sexual harassment or violence against them (women), will stand with the survivors of violence by complaining against the perpetrators, speak against female infanticide and foeticide and ensure that the society is free of dowry,” the pledge said.

“I will strive towards building a strong Tamil Nadu by treating everyone as equal regardless of their gender, caste, and religion,” the pledge further said.

Tara Krishnaswamy, founder of Political Shakti that bats for more women’s representation in state legislatures and parliament, said she mooted the idea of people taking a pledge for gender equality and ensuring women’s safety during a recent meeting with Tamil Nadu Social Welfare Minister Geetha Jeevan.

“Though our Constitution guarantees equality, the reality is something different. Women and transgender persons are viewed as lesser in the eyes of society, which is the gap between legislation and its implementation. We wanted people to embrace gender equality and that is how this pledge was conceived,” she told DH.

The pledge was proposed first in Tamil Nadu where the “social justice movement” has brought in tremendous changes in society. “Despite social justice being part of people’s gene in Tamil Nadu, there is a gap between what is said and what is being done. We hope the pledge ushers in a new era of equality,” she added.

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