By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, FEB 21: The Central Tibetan Administration would formally observe March 12, already being observed as the Tibetan Women’s Uprising Day, as Tibetan Women’s Day, said the Tibetan Prime Minister Dr. Lobsang Sangay at the first ever Tibetan Women’s Empowerment Conference at Mentsekhang hall today.
“The Kashag has decided to observe March 12 as Tibetan Women’s Day and we have disseminated its notifications to the respective Tibetan settlement officers,” said the PM at the opening ceremony attended by over 340 participants including nuns, college students and settlement officials.
The Tibetan administration earlier this month announced the revised policy on Tibetan Women’s Empowerment ahead of the conference. The Tibetan PM said that having a dedicated day to the Tibetan women would prompt more focus on the issue and initiate debates in the community on implementing the policy.
Organized by the Department of Home’s Women Empowerment Desk, the Minister of Home Sonam Topgyal Khorlatsang said that it falls on the idea envisioned by the Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama to encourage women to be empowered and also the path laid out by the 13th Kashag under former Prime Minister Kasur Samdhong Rinpoche.
Speaking on his administration following the advices of the His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Lobsang Sangay said, “His Holiness has often commented on the standard of education, need of well-off Tibetan entrepreneurs and empowering women. Therefore, it becomes our duty to follow through and facilitate opportunities and platforms to fulfill them.”
“It’s highly encouraging that the Kashag is serious about bringing changes to the dialogue and work around gender issues in exile, which is unprecedented. I’m excited to see the positive results this has the potential to bring about,” said Kalsang, Program Associate for Education and Women’s Empowerment at the Tibet Fund.
The present administration under PM Sangay through the revised empowerment policy and platforms strives to make Tibetan women equal partner in all aspects of the society through equal participation in socio-economic and political activities.
The seven-point revised policy announced earlier this month covers women and human rights in Tibet, education, health, economics, governance and leadership, social and sexual and gender based-violence.
