Bengaluru to host first meet of Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians‘ regional unit

A special convention of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians’ Indian Regional Unit will be held in Bengaluru on November 17 and 18.

Announcing this at a press conference in Bengaluru on Monday, Assembly Speaker G.S. Patil and Legislative Council Chairman Salim Ahmed said such a convention, which was being held for the first time in the country, would be inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

The convention is being jointly organised by the Indian Parliament and the Karnataka legislature, they said.

About 150 women MPs, women presiding officers of legislative Houses and women legislators from different States are expected to participate in the convention, they noted.

The theme of the convention is “Safe Foundations, Strong Voices: Cyber Safety and Mentorship Pathways for New Women Legislators.”

The convention aims to ensure the cyber safety of women legislators in the digital era, besides debating issues related to institutional support and mentorship for first-time members of State legislatures, Mr. Patil said.

The convention will deliberate on issues related to online harassment of women elected representatives, including false propaganda through fake accounts and cybercrimes, he said.

It will also discuss setting up a system through which senior members can mentor new women legislators on the functioning of legislatures, law-making, policy formulation, effective participation in debates and leadership, he said.

Mr. Patil maintained that the Bengaluru convention would be an important initiative in the country’s parliamentary history as it would bring together women MPs and legislators on a common platform to discuss issues related to their participation in the legislative process.

Mr. Salim Ahmed described the convention’s theme as relevant in the context of addressing the challenges faced by present-day women elected representatives.