Expanding canvas of women's rights

Review: Mrs. C. Karunaratne, Former Chairperson, National Gender Committee 2002-2004

WOMEN: Dr. Carola Stein, Resident Representative in Sri Lanka for the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Germany bade "goodbye" end June.

Dr. Stein was sad to close a long chapter of 37 years service by KAF in Sri Lanka in the fields of Human Rights, Rule of Law, Community Development, Poverty Alleviation, Multi Ethnic Societies, Local Government et al.

KAF has carried out special activities to supplement the work of projects in SAARC counties.

While its partner organisations in Sri Lanka have made effective inroads to the grass roots level communities, the most important target groups have been members of the National Parliament, Local Government, Provincial Councils and the District Administration.

Over the years, public funding for KAF has decreased consequently resulting in closure of Projects and Project Funding. The Ebert Stiftung, however, will remain in Sri Lanka to provide extended services in the absence of the KAF.

Branches

Konrad Adenauer was the first Chancellor of Germany at 73 years age and re-elected 3 times. The Foundation in Germany and its 84 branches over the world bears his name.

Dr. Carola Stein and her predecessor Dr. Marlies Salazar of KAF will always be remembered for their unfailing services and commitment to awaken rural women to empowerment.

Thousands of rural women who attended workshops and Awareness Raising Programmes implemented by KAF said they had done so far the first time.

Shaping a politically enlightened citizenry was its long term goal, placing emphasis on community leadership, good governance and Women's Empowerment.

In a surprising historic move, before the curtain fell on KAF in Sri Lanka after 39 years Dr. Stein initiated a prudent move to get two books written in Sinhala on "Gender: Concept and Practice by Mrs. Indrani Iriyagolle former chairperson of the National Committee on Women, Ministry of Women's Affairs, woman activist, trainer and social worker and former vice president of the International Alliance of Women, and chairperson of its Civil and Political Rights Commission.

The book on "Human Rights: Concept and Practice" authored by Mrs. Kamala Liyanage, Professor of Political Science at the University of Peradeniya makes a significant contribution to the Sinhala reading public.

Awareness

The 225 packages each containing a set of the two books were delivered to Members of Parliament, to help raise awareness among them.

Dr. Stein and her predecessor Dr. Marlies Salazar were fully aware of the 'voice of dissent' whenever action was promoted towards protection of Women's Rights as Human Rights.

To many (including the fourth estate) Gender and Human Rights connote rivalry women in competition with men divisiveness and neglect of the family hearth! Others fail to understand that gender and human rights is all about human capacities, humanitarian values, understand the people of the country as belonging to one human family.

It is the crux of the human relationships since the Buddha's times.

The book on gender is a useful handbook to help understand the fundamentals of the concept of gender the easy way.

Etchings

An often confused subject is presented lucidly with etchings interspersed to break the monotony. The author says in the preface that it is a base book to start with. Terminology is further dealt with such as Gender Mainstreaming, Gender Budgeting, Gender Blindness etc. Gender within the Judiciary, Gender as setout in the Constitution.

Gender practice during natural disasters, Gender during armed Conflict, Sexual Harassment, Gender Attitudes in Politics and a gamut of other topics. A book to read in one run and set aside.

The subject of Human Rights currently gaining value in our country is intensively treated by Prof. Liyanage.

Human Rights tickled the public about two decades ago. It is of immense value in Sinhala for law enforcement officers, NGOs, schools and universities and those others into new concepts and subjects.

The author deals with Human Rights contained in the Sri Lanka Constitution and in the practice of Human Rights, International Law and Violation and Protection etc.

The Sinhala reading public needs more books of this category. Both books are easy to comprehend and grasp and truly readable.

Dr. Carola Stein was indeed happy to receive a few praiseworthy letters from Members of Parliament before she left the country.