NARISHAKTI observed International Working Women’s Day on 8th March 2025 by submission of their Charter of Demand to the Block Development Officers of 8 Community Development Blocks spreading across 5 districts of West Bengal and 1 Community Development Block of Dumka district of Jharkhand. Few leading representatives of NARISHAKTI have voiced their demands, explaining it’s background and expectation along with submitting the Charter of Demand to the Director of Social Welfare Department, Govt. of West Bengal on 10th March, 2025.
NARISHAKTI is a federation of councils of marginal women mostly engaged in informal works. Women members of this council works on their legitimate rights to entitlements, engagement in economic activities and to participate in the local governance. They are trained to become capable of realizing their rights including gender equality.
Women councils of NARISHATI are capacitated and supported by SPAN – Society for Peoples’ Awareness working for building sustainable and resilient communities in West Bengal and Jharkhand state of India.
Commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action NARISHAKTI members framed their Charter of Demand focusing on Rights, Equality and Empowerment for all Women and Girls.
Low participation of women in workforce, high prevalence of child marriage and teenage pregnancy, prevalence of regular harassment at workplace marked gender discrimination in West Bengal and Jharkhand particularly among marginal women of rural areas. Thus, the charter of Demand strongly focused on the following points.
- Ensuring Quality Education and Safe Environment of Education for all girls.
- Gender equality as a subject should be included in school curriculum for both boys and girls.
- Inclusion of mental and physical health of girls as a subject in school curriculum.
- Strong enforcement of minimum wages Act and Equal pay for Equal work in both formal and informal sectors.
- Proper implementation and enforcement of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (prevention prohibition and redressal) Act 2013 to ensure workplace safety for women workers.
- Ensure participation of women in Development planning process of Panchayat and Municipality to ensure planning for the protection, development and employment of women.
800 women from 20 women councils of NARISHAKTI spread across 8 Blocks of 5 districts of West Bengal and 1 block of Jharkhand framed this charter of Demand and submitted to the respective Block Development officers on the occasion of International Working Women’s Day 2025. The Blocks where the Charter of Demands were submitted are given below.
West Bengal
- Patharpratima and Basanti Blocks of South 24 Parganas District
- Jhalda 2 and Baghmundi Blocks of Purulia District
- Matiali Block of Jalpaiguri District
- Madarihat Block of Alipurduar District
- Dinhata 1 and Dinhata 2 Blocks of Coochbehar District
Jharkhand
- Sikaripara Block of Dumka District
Charter of Demand was also submitted to the Director of Social Welfare Department, Govt. of West Bengal on 10th March, 2025.
