National 6 (Spotlight Weekly)

Women In Uniform

The historic decision by the Royal Nepalese Army (RNA) to open its door for women has been hailed by women rights activists in this traditional Hindu Kingdom

By SANJAYA DHAKAL

When the RNA last week called for applications from women in non-technical – meaning services that require armed operations – positions, it effectively terminated the long-held positions about the status of women, who are generally looked down as not being able to work in tough jobs.

And the response to the call was equally encouraging. For the vacancies of around 100 positions, 1375 women applied.

“It is a giant leap towards the actual empowerment of Nepalese women,” said Dr. Durga Pokharel, chairman of National Women’s Commission (NWC).

Women applicants : Encouraging response

Sapana Malla Pradhan, president of Forum for Women, Law and Development (FWLD) and a leading feminist, also termed the decision as being positive. “This will prove that women do not lag behind men in any spheres of activities,” she said.

For the first time in its history, the Royal Nepalese Army has opened its doors for women even in non-technical positions including in the military police. The RNA headquarters has asked for applications from women in different positions in military personnel, military police, office employee, computer/signal operators and drivers.

The cabinet had recently approved changes in the military police regulations to open the doors for women. In the changed regulation, there is a provision for women to be promoted up to officers’ level. “We believe it marks the beginning,” said Colonel Deepak Bahadur Gurung, spokesperson of the RNA.

At present, few women are employed in RNA in technical positions like health and legal fields. This time around 100 women will be recruited – eleven of them in military police.

Currently, there are less than 500 women working in technical services within the army. One woman officer, a doctor, has been promoted up to the brigadier general level.

The women were recruited in the health service of the military during early 1960s. The legal service was opened to women in 1999.

The army officials say that for the time being they cannot recruit large number of women as they lack necessary infrastructures. “After building necessary infrastructures like separate toilets and hostels, we are considering increasing women’s participation,” said an army source.

The women’s rights activists had been demanding for recruitment of women in army for a long time since the restoration of democracy in 1990. “The National Women’s Commission, in particular, had been actively lobbying for this,” said Dr. Pokharel. According to her, the decision was important even to counterbalance the claims made by the Maoists that 40 percent of their cadres are women. “The decision (to induct women in the national army) will smash the traditional thinking that women are fit only for household chores,” she added.

The army officials have said that they took the decision to induct women in the army because, of late, they were severely feeling the lack of women soldiers in the operation against the Maoists as well as in conducting security checks in roads and highways. “For instance, in absence of women soldiers, there were difficulties in conducting even routine body searching of people, particularly, women,” said the official.

“We have been calling for women’s recruitment in the army for long. As such we welcome the recent decision. But the army should also give serious thought to recruit widows of the slain soldiers – this will not only help them regain social confidence but also provide them with means of livelihood,” said Babita Basnet, general secretary of Sancharika Samuha (Women Communicator’s Group), a prominent women’s right organization. She, however, criticized that only unmarried women have been asked to apply.

At present, the women’s participation in civil and administrative services is very low. Data show that women constitute only 8.5 percent of total civil service (bureaucrats) and 3 percent of police service. To improve the situation, the government is considering introducing 25 percent reservation in civil service, health and education sectors for women. The government is planning to implement this decision beginning mid-April 2004.

“We are advocating for 33 percent reservation for women. And this reservation should be time-bound,” said Dr. Pokharel. Agrees Basnet, “For the time being when women are very weak, we need reservation to strengthen their status.”

According to Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat, former finance minister, Nepal’s overall Gender Empowerment Ratio (GEM) is 0.385 - their participation in political process is one-fifth of men, and similar pattern is observed with respect to professional and administrative jobs, and their share in earned income is one-third of that of men. The GEM measures the women participation in economic, social and political decision makings, which is derived from women participation in elections, and their shares in administrative, managerial and technical jobs.