Jean D'Cunha looks like a symbol of tradition. Her make-up isn't
obvious and her earrings have an antique look. She has a
conventional, but beautiful Indian shawl drapes around her dark-red
suit. The only thing non-traditional in this loving wife, caring
mother and attentive friend is perhaps her black curly hair cut
short.
But don't let the look of this Indian woman fool you, for she is a
busy career woman, dealing with as delicate a subject as gender
equality.
D'Cunha is the regional program director of United Nations
Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) for East and South-East Asia,
and has a very good impression of Chinese women.
"Chinese urban women are extremely articulate, confident,
resilient," she says.?
"They occupy very important places in the public sphere,
contributing significantly to society both in private and public
life."
China signed the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1980. It has a 10-year
national program for gender equality and women's empowerment that
runs till 2010, and has issued laws, policies and legislations to
protect women's rights.
D'Cunha has contributed significantly to the Chinese
government's efforts to improve policies and legislations on gender
equality and women's empowerment.
But she says like other countries, the situation in China is not
perfect.
"China needs more solid implementation and accountability to
address the whole question of gender in HIV-AIDS, domestic
violence, trafficking of rural women and other problems."
For better and strict implementation of the policies and laws,
the country should have a adequate national budgets to allocate
funds to enable gender equality and women's empowerment goals to be
met, she says.
It's important that women are promoted to decision-making posts
at all levels. "It can reflect women's interests, rights and gender
equality."
Even ordinary women need to be aware of the fact that they have
rights equal to those of men. D'cunha had "a very interesting
discussion with senior officials at the All China Women's
Federation", which is a key partner of UNIFEM in China, on how to
tackle gender issues.
The United Nations will hold a conference with the Chinese
government in May on how can CEDAW programs be better implemented
in the country.
Apart from a healthy work atmosphere, support of family and
friends plays a very important role for women in balancing their
life and work, she says.
(China Daily March 23, 2007)
