Women culturally, historically are custodian of forests: NCW chairperson

SHILLONG: The chairperson of the National Commission for Women (NCW) Rekha Sharma has said that culturally or historically women are the custodian of the forests. She recalled the Chipko Movement in Uttarakhand where women were involved in stopping trees from being felled.

“In all tribal areas women are the one who are saving for forests and forest produce,” Sharma said while addressing the Capacity Building Workshop on Promoting Entrepreneurship among Indigenous Women of NER based on Non-Timber Forest Product held in the city on Monday. She said that whether gathering wood or going for fodder in the forest, women are basically involved in doing labour work.

“But when it comes to earning money or managerial jobs women are not there,” the NCW chief said even as she added that the commission has a vision that women should be part of every work related to forests especially when they are starting their own businesses.

Sharma envisaged that 50 percent of the women should be engaged in the managerial jobs. “Decision making should be in the women’s hands then only things will improve for those especially from the tribal areas,” she said. She said that Self Help Groups (SHGs) have small businesses and something should be done to expand their businesses through capacity building of the women.

Sharma said that women go to the forests to collect wood or fodder for their animals by risking their lives and still they don’t earn the kind of women that they should. “We should teach them how to use different products like the many herbal plants in the forests to make medicine or different beauty products,” the NCW chief said. She also said that the women should be taught to market and package their products. Sharma also harped on how women should be given easy loans for starting their own businesses.

 Also Read: Transformative role of women SHGs needs more development: Hari Ranjan Rao (sentinelassam.com)

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