A historic amendment to the constitution of the All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) to include transwomen in its membership was adopted by the association’s 13th National Convention here on Sunday.
As per the amended Article 4(c), any woman, including a transwoman, who is 15 years of age or above, who agrees with the aims and objects of the AIDWA, can become a member.
Vice President of the Association Vasuki said that by starting a membership for transwomen, problems and solutions can be studied in detail and demands can be raised together.
In the afternoon, the national conference deliberated on six papers which were earlier discussed at the state level. A paper on ‘Climate Change and Women’ sets out the urgent need for policy changes at the macro and micro levels. It added that the AIDWA had to engage its rank and file to bring home the significant challenge posed by climate change to women.
The paper ‘National Education Policy, 2020: A blow to women’s struggle for equality’ looked at the ‘anti-women’ NEP and its ‘patriarchal’ vision. In the paper, AIDWA put forward practical demands on expansion of pre-school education, ICDS, school education, higher education and public funding.
The paper on ‘Rights of the Girl Child’ discussed the important area of the girl child and her rights. It recommended pre-conception and pre-natal diagnostic techniques act, right to health and education, allocation of separate and adequate budget for welfare schemes for girls, and strict monitoring of child marriage and trafficking of girl child.
The letter on the ‘Question of Women’s Rights and Unity’ stressed the urgent need to unite all women against the imposition of a ‘Hindu’ nation based on the Manusmriti. It called for strengthening links between the struggle for women’s rights and the movements against the caste system. The paper on ‘Unemployment and Women’ put forth demands such as registration of women as workers in all occupations, equal pay for equal work, expansion of MNREGA, provision of social security, paid leave, maternity rights for all women workers, etc. has gone.
Another paper discussed was on ‘Women’s Movement and Freedom Struggle in India’.