Amity University hosts two-day conference on gender equality and women’s empowerment

Amity Women Help Desk, in association with different institutions of the university, has organized a two-day conference on “Strategies for Aatmanirbhar Bharat through Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Gender Equality” on March 8 and 9 as part of the International Women’s Day 2022 celebrations.

The two-day programme will have more than a hundred distinguished speakers from different walks of life, who will deliberate on various dimensions of gender-based issues leading to social change.

There will be various insightful sessions on varying themes, such as “Empowered women empower women — road ahead to gender equality”; “Women business leaders and entrepreneurs setting new benchmarks of success”; “Equity, equality and empowerment: Respecting ability of women with disabilities”; “Role of forensic science in safety of women”; “Changing global scenario: Role of women scientists”; and “Entrepreneurial opportunities and challenges for women in the hospitality & tourism industry” among others.

Shabnam Hashmi, social activist and founder of ANHAD (Act Now for Harmony and Democracy), shared her views during the session on “Empowered women empower women — road ahead to gender equality”, saying, “Women need to stand for their rights and raise their voice against injustice and discrimination they face at home, in society and at the workplace. Gender equality is imperative for securing peace and harmony. The dream of a peaceful India can only be fulfilled by emphasizing on gender equality and justice for all, irrespective of the caste, creed or gender. We must focus on the issues of women’s political participation, adoption, gender justice, democracy and secularism for the development of our country.”

Speaking about the issues faced by women in India, Meena Mishra, chairperson, Brain Behaviour Research Foundation of India, mentioned, “Girls who are loved and nurtured contribute a lot to the society. Female infanticide is still very common in certain parts of rural India. Even some educated families still consider the birth of a female child as a disgrace. Today, we have laws regarding sexual harassment and various initiatives are being taken by corporates to support working mothers, in the form of maternity leave and other women-friendly policies. Women should never be ashamed of making themselves a priority and taking care of their needs. Women are multi-taskers and can accomplish many tasks simultaneously, their tolerance and patience levels are very high. More women are voting now which is a welcome change and they are choosing their own leaders. Also, there is a need to have good mentors for women who can guide, encourage and motivate them in every aspect of life.”

Usha Roop Narayan, founder of Power to Empower, an advocacy and lobbying group to challenge the inequalities in society, stated, “Promoting women’s sense of self-worth, their ability to determine their own choices, their right to influence social change for themselves and others, is very important. It is also imperative that we educate women and make them independent in all aspects, including financial independence. Women’s socio-political empowerment is essential and they should be able to take their own decisions without relying on male members of the family.”

Highlighting the initiatives taken for women by the Amity Education Group, Amity University Uttar Pradesh (AUUP) vice-chancellor Balvinder Shukla said, “Today, we can see women at various leadership positions in different arenas and Amity has always believed in giving equal opportunities to all women. We have seen how women have excelled in various fields including education, sports, science and technology, research and innovation, politics, entrepreneurship, among others. “Amitasha”, a visionary initiative by Dr. Amita Chauhan, Chairperson, Amity Schools, focuses on providing education to the less- privileged girl child and the initiative is a step in the direction of empowering the girl child by providing her the invaluable tool of education. Amity supports working mothers where mothers can bring their small children along with them and leave them in a creche, in the Amity campus itself. The aim of this conference is to understand how various countries are developing strategies for working women and treating them with great respect and equality.”