Absence of women in politics a big loss for society: Federica Vinci

KOCHI: Active participation of women and youth in politics is generally low in India. Since women, as per gender statistics, constitute more than half of the population, this is a serious shortcoming for our society.

Federica Vinci, one of the founders of the political party Volt Europa, a pan-European progressive political movement, made the observation while speaking to reporters here on Wednesday.

“The youth who are awaiting a change in the country should try and continue with their struggle for the same,” said Vinci the president of Volt Italia, a part of Volt Europa. She started Volt Italia in 2017 to bring concrete change in society instead of simply running for elections.

“Politics affects everyone, even homemakers. Hence, we decided to be the change. We did not want to be known as a party that works only for elections. There should be a party that unites citizens before politics steps in the frame,” said the 26-year-old.

She said she had to face severe criticism from male-dominated political parties and was silenced many times. “However, I did not stop fighting,” she said.

Arun P S, Public Policy Consultant at Governance Innovation Labs, also spoke.