Date: 27 May 2020, Time: 3 pm– 4.30 pm (Nepal time)
An online discussion on “Protection of Women’s and Children’s Rights in COVID-19 Crisis: Responses from South Asian Countries.”
Hosted by : South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE) & FORUM-ASIA
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the crises in multiple spheres of our lives. In this context, FORUM- ASIA and South Asia Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE) are aiming to exchange information and learning from the efforts of State and the Civil Society Organisations to overcome these crises and enhance post-pandemic recovery actions by bringing a focus to human rights and development in the South Asian countries. For this purpose, FORUM-ASIA and SAAPE are hosting the webinar series, The State of Human Rights in the Time of COVID-19 Pandemic in South Asia starting from 20 May 2020. The first session of the webinar held on 20 May was on redefining and strengthening human rights activism and development work in the context of COVID-19 in South Asia.
The second session of the webinar series is going to be held on 27 May 2020 to discuss the measures to be taken to protect the women’s and children rights in South Asian countries in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has not brought only a public-health crisis, but crises in an economic as well as human dignity and quality of life. As much of normal life is suspended for three months or more, job losses are inevitable particularly for the poor and marginalised, most affected are the women and children. Women are responsible for looking after the self-isolating older people, children kept home from the closure of the school and all the household core works. With the severity of the pandemic that has impacted the normal life of people, South Asian people have witnessed how, at home, patriarchal, gendered norms of unpaid care work are being reinforced, as well as rapid surges in domestic violence across the region.
This session will attempt to present an overview of the current situation of South Asia where millions of women and children, especially the poor and marginalised sections, are impacted more by the COVID-19 pandemic. The webinar will take place from 03:00 pm to 04:30 pm, Nepal time.
GUIDING QUESTIONS
• What challenges and risks are there in South Asian countries the women and children are facing? What are the nature of the states’ responses and coping strategiesfor the most affected people?
• What measures should South Asian countries take in protecting the rights of women and children, particularly their safety, security, livelihood and dignity in short-term and long-term?
• What role could the social movements and CSOs play in this critical time to protect the rights of the vulnerable groups?
FORMAT
Online Zoom meeting, around an hour and a half, maximum of 500 participants can participate with 3 to 4 speakers. The session will allow a few discussants selected from the registered audience to comment (around 2 minutes) on speakers’ presentation to promote debate. There will be open forum (15-20 minutes) to make some interventions from the participants. The session will allow participants to share their comments through the chat box. As time allows, questions and comments will be transmitted to the speakers by the moderators. Speakers will present their deliberations in 8-10 minutes (each speaker) based on the guiding questions.
Members of the FORUM-ASIA and SAAPE will facilitate and moderate the session. Following the webinar there will be a summary report with presentations and issues from the chat box presented online with other webinar outcomes in the series.
AGENDA
Moderator :Netra Prasad Timsina-Regional Coordinator, SAAPE
03:05: Welcome Remarks: Sharmila Karki, SAAPE Core Committee member and member of Women Rights Campaign Group
Speakers Presentations and Moderated Discussion
03:10: Bandana Rana, Vice-Chair, United Nations CEDAW Committee
03:20: Rokeya Kabir, Women’s Rights Activist, Bangladesh Nari Pragoti Sangh (BNPS)
03:30: Pradip More, Deputy Director, Dalit Foundation, India
03:40: Moderated Discussion and Q&A
Wrap-up- Debendra Prasad Adhikari– South Asia Programme Manager, FORUM- ASIA.
04:20: Summary and reflection of the deliberation
04:30: End of the sessions
Registration and connection details:
The webinar will take place via Zoom. Click here to get registered to attend the meeting. Any interested individual can participate in the webinar however; the priority will be given to the registered participants if the quota of participants exceeds.
You can go directly through this link to join the webinar.
