2015 marked the conclusion of the Millennium Development goals and also 20 years of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Today 21 years later, it is a particularly opportune time to convene dialogue and revaluate the commitment of the nation to protect and empower its women and girls.
The draft National Policy for Women 2016 has come after 15 years and will help in the paradigm shift that started to happen a few years ago. The new policy shall enable the government to recognise single women - "divorced, widowed and unmarried women" - as independent entities.
Very importantly, legislature reforms for equitable opportunities for women in the organised and unorganised sector shall also contribute towards women being able to contribute to the country's economy at par with men. Addressing the wage gap and satisfactory working conditions shall all contribute to increasing the women work force.
FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) welcomes the monitoring and evaluation of all financial inclusion schemes for women across all sectors.
In particular, FLO also supports the creation of suitable strategies to integrate unpaid work and the creation of an infrastructure for child/parental care services & child/parental leave.
