NEW DELHI: Women’s mental health, geriatric care of single women, and sexual abuse, especially in new media will be the focus of the reframed National Policy for Empowerment of Women, which is expected to be out by the end of next month.
The policy, which was proposed in 2001, is being reformulated, taking into account the changes that have happened in gender discourse over the last one-and-a-half decades, a senior official in the Ministry of Women and Child Development said.
The mandate of the policy is to evolve appropriate policy interventions based on a contemporary assessment of women’s needs.
According to a draft of the policy being formulated, the gender perspective will be included in all environment policies and national disaster management strategies.
The draft policy also calls for ushering in changes in the societal attitude towards women and behavioural changes in men and boys and institutions of family and women’s organisations.
The gender perspective will also be used to specifically address the discrimination faced by marginalised and vulnerable sections such as migrant, SC/ST and disabled women. It also aims to ensure that their development and empowerment requirements are met through inclusive strategies.The draft policy also calls for encouraging gender-sensitivity in the media portrayals of women and recruitment. It also called for new media applications to be harnessed for the benefit of women.
The goal of this policy is to adopt a rights-based framework for the advancement, development and empowerment of women and create a conducive social, cultural and economic environment to enable women to enjoy fundamental rights and realise their full potential, an official involved in drafting the new policy said.
The draft policy also called for particular attention to be given to the emerging forms of sexual abuse in public and private spaces, including those arising from the growth of technology, social media and growing urban spaces.
It also calls for steps to increase female work participation in the organised and manufacturing sectors and upgrading the skills of women in traditional and unorganised sectors.
Apart from this, the draft also calls for increasing “feminisation” of agriculture, to recognise the critical role played by female farmers and ensure their land entitlements, land rights and provide gender-friendly inputs in terms of credit, training and equipment.