SHILLONG: Women have joined the anti-corruption campaign launched by Anna Hazare in Meghalaya which is perhaps one of the few places in the world where women are not only held in high esteem but are also the heads of their families.
In fact, children in this hill state take the surname of their mother, a feat unknown in the rest of the country. Nevertheless, women here, too, have to bear the brunt of 'male chauvinism' like their counterparts all over the globe. "Yes, we too are an exploited lot like our sisters elsewhere in terms of economy and most importantly in the political sphere," said a student at a city college. "Even in this modern era, there is no provision for representation of women in the traditional tribal grassroots administrative organizations, which are the basic decision-making bodies. Is this empowerment of women," she added.
"Though the youngest daughter becomes the custodian of family property, she is not given a free hand as many would think," she said. "We, too, face corruption in its many facets in our day-to-day lives and we are determined to root this out," said a tribal girl from Nagaland, who is pursuing her studies in the Pine City. She has been taking active part in demonstrations supporting Anna. tnn
Voicing protest against rampant corruption, president of Civil Society Women's Organization (CSWO) Agnes Kharshiing added, "Our organization urges all right thinking Parliamentarians to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill and not the Jokpal Bill made for the corrupt".
Said Evangeline Thabah, the general secretary of the women's body, "This is the voice of people and parliamentarians are public servants. The CSWO will support Annaji and his team all the way to root out corruption from the country."