Tuesday Commentary by Prasad Gunewardene:

Women's Annual Encounter

Come March 8, Women's International Day, we are bound to witness Women's Organisations coming out to scream for gender equality and to make other demands. The day glitters for some leaders of those organizations.

Diana would dress herself in the best saree with a mod cap her head. Jennifer would stand before the mirror, wear a cap to avoid sun burn and ask her daughter whether 'Mummy' looked pretty to lead the march.

Sandra would get into her best denim three quarter trouser for convenience, her organisation's printed T-Shirt as the top and ask her husband emotionally whether she looked like a 'kolla' to lead her demo.

They then board their luxury vehicles to be driven to the venue. All of them are the affluent leaders of those organizations, better called the "Colombo-7 type". All this fantasy is witnessed in the month of March, the month all annual school cricket encounters get off the ground.

The membership of these organisations comprises women from the other social strata of life. The yelling, screaming of slogans and carrying placards are their responsibility. Very few of them are fortunate to get caps from their organisations as the numbers available are limited.

The unfortunate brave the scorching sun. After a hectic demonstration before television cameras which are ready to click the glorious day of our women, these women go home. Some of them are at the receiving end of their husbands. Why? She had gone home late, no food cooked for dinner and other charges levelled against her.

These women are back to square one at home suffering, discriminated and abused by their partners. The children scream looking up the roof as the father and mother are battling. When we talk of women, the child is an integral part of the woman.

We have another group of women's organisation which emerges during election time demanding equality. They are politically painted by their Mentors. During the political campaign, we hear that at least one woman is stripped by male supporters of the other faction.

The organisations make a big hue and cry till elections are over. The victim's faction wins the poll. But, the issue of stripping or forced nudism dies a natural death. This is how women have been playing their annual encounter demanding gender equality and equal rights in the society so far.

Be that as it may, the attainment of a fully fledged democratic society would only look full and deeper in meaning, only if it is accompanied and strengthened and protected by the struggle for the emancipation women.

In that context, we should accept the proposition to measure the success of the progress towards such a social democratic transformation, through the struggle of women for a society of gender equality and other rights.

Over the years or decades, in the path we have traversed through, we have seen frightening scale of women abuse and domestic violence, where poor women have been at the receiving end.

In the recent past how many young women were strangled to death? How many were caught up in terrorist bomb explosions? It is opportune to raise the query as to what role was played by these women's organisations when such tragic incidents took place.

Was it not the men in the villages who led protest marches against the perpetrators demanding justice from the law enforcement authorities? Are these women's organisations only active on March 8 to mark International Women's Day? Certainly, the available statistics may quantify that the level of human anguish and suffering, by any standard is impermissible.

Now let us examine the nature and quantum of cases reported to the Institutions which maintain law and order. They are mostly domestic in nature. Some are violent in nature where women have been gang raped, raped and murdered.

A woman is physically, emotionally or sexually abused by her male partner. This is rampant at homes where the male partner is addicted to liquor or narcotics. As a result of abuse on women, the child too suffers. The number of child abuse cases has risen sharply over the years. What about child conscription and child soldiers? They also add to the woes of unfortunate women.

What have women's organisations have done on behalf of these suffering women and children during International Women's Day celebrations? Have they planned out a Women's Charter to seek and protect the rights of the women who undergo untold sufferings? The scale of violence and abuse against women and children demands our fullest appreciation to the fact that such a form of oppression is a terminal illness that affects all levels of a civilised society. Therefore, it is incumbent upon the authorities to address political, constitutional, social, cultural and economic issues which relate to the cause of abuse of woman and child.

Several concrete structures are essential and necessary to fight and eradicate abuse of woman and child. These women's organisations which scream much for gender equality should now walk that extra mile to battle against gender discrimination. They should demand a Women's Charter for effective equality.

Economic discrimination against women is another important factor. The woman is always placed in a condition of economic subordination as the man is accepted or perceived as the breadwinner of family livelihood.

In homes where the woman is the sole breadwinner with an unemployed husband, the society recognises the man as the Chief Occupant, though the ownership of even the house they occupied legally belonged to the woman.

That perpetuates a condition of economic and social oppression on women. Women's organisations must focus much on the plight of the illiterate women, the most downtrodden. That is the segment which should top the agenda of those organisations, if those organisations are the true defenders' of women's rights.

Social ills like rape, violence against women and child should not be allowed to spread or ignored by law enforcement authorities. Laws must be amended and strengthened to punish the perpetrators early. A number of such cases are pending in court for years.

The perpetrators are out on bail. Some have jumped the country. In such cases the suspects are tried in absentia. Does it serve any purpose? The victim suffers more as she cannot face the society. Rape and violence on woman and child have no limit in this country.

Let us not forget the brutal manner a doctor at a Negombo hospital raped and killed a young girl who came for treatment. Another innocent girl was raped and killed by a young man at Ja-ela for refusing to love him. How many under aged children are employed as domestic aides? How many of them are brutally assaulted or burnt by their cruel employers?

We only seem to record these tragic incidents. Why not we hurry up legislation and set up additional tribunals to speed up the pending cases for early execution of justice? If we talk of a future generation, we must protect the woman and child in our society. It is only then we could achieve a nation of civilisation and not otherwise.

We need to increase the social capacity to protect the woman and child from all social dangers and ills. More security for woman and child should be the priority of our society. If communities are allowed to be inflicted by political and criminal violence, it is the woman and child who are called upon to bear the brunt of such an ugly exercise under the guise of democracy.

We must build an environment for the affected woman and child to reconstruct their lives psychologically, socially and materially if we are to ensure the emergence of a strong woman and child for a better Sri Lanka. Women's organisations in this country must make a firm commitment on March 8 in that regard to seek better status for the woman and child in this country.