On May 14 & 15, thirty activists,
advocates, scholars and students from across South India gathered in Chennai for
EKTA’s two-day consultation on CEDAW. As the NGO Alternative Report for India
is currently being prepared for submission and presentation in Geneva before
the CEDAW Committee in July 2014, regional groups are working to finalise their
recommendations for inclusion. The focus for the southern group's recommendations was
primarily on women’s health, education, rural rights, and political and public
participation and how the Government of India (GOI) can better meet its
obligations under the Convention regarding these issues.
In preparing these
recommendations, participants analysed existing laws, schemes, High Court
judgments, and socio-economic and on-the-ground experiences to determine 1)
gaps in existing legislation or implementation, 2) need for further State
legislative intervention and 3) necessary adjustments to the GOI’s methods of
reporting and demonstrating its actions and achievements in its Periodic Report to
the CEDAW Committee.
