APWLD's Women's Participation in Political Processes Programme supported the Conference on Women's Political Awareness organised by Tamil Nadu Dalit Women's Movement, APWLD member in India, on April 17, 2006

Over 2,500 women from 24 districts of Tamil Nadu State convened for the Conference to discuss local politics and women's issues in the forthcoming Assembly elections. Speakers of various walks of life stated that the State has failed to protect women's human rights and women human rights defenders: increasing atrocity on Dalits, violence against women, open discrimination and underrepresentation of women in national and local politics is on the rise. Women's self help groups are being exploited and misused for political advantages of the ruling political party and diverted from the goal of economic empowerment of women. The

Government promoted liquor shops are further ruining the lives of women adding misery to the families' financial situation and increasing domestic violence.

The election manifestos of all the political parties announce only welfare schemes to attract voters but they do not address the core issues of poverty and inequality. The political parties which rely on the women's votes have not bothered even to conceptually accept the 33 percent reservation for women in Assemblies and Parliament constituencies. The fact, that except the Communist Party of India (Marxist), no political party has given 33 percent representation for women in their candidature list, shows the lack of political will among the political parties and their discriminatory attitude towards women's participation in politics.

The meeting encouraged women to exercise their franchise with free will. The conference proclaimed support to a political party that addresses issues of women's landlessness, unemployment, migration of women in search of work and abolishes "two-glass" system of untouchability in Tamil Nadu. The Party which will ensure equal wages for equal work for women in the informal sector and stop female infanticide and foeticide and support the development of girl children shall be supported by women, the Conference conculded. With no political party having even a glimpse of

women's agenda in the upcoming elections the Conference participants wondered if the time came to start a women's political party…..