Friday, March 2, 2012

women's movement in Bhutan

The issue of night hunting has been raised time and again but nothing much done. Bhutan has for ages had lot of citizens without an official father because the custom to marriage was not really there. Many of the couples who have children did not have a marriage certificate until the child had to get admission in schools. It was only then that they processed for a marriage certificate when the child was six years old.

In Zhemgang there is a man who has agreed to be the father of 10 children born out of night hunting. He agreed to let the mothers use his name when the children were admitted to school. Similarly a woman recently in Kanglung found out that there were 178 children in Kangulang area who were without fathers.

She demanded that the government have a DNA bank of all men who have studied at Sherubtse College in the last 25 years so that fathers of illegitimate children in the east can be brought to justice. She had posted her written protest on the Facebook Pages of the PM and other ministers. She said they will be held responsible for a large number of illegitimate children in the east if the government failed to come up with an immediate solution.


She warned the government that, if it failed to say or decide on anything about this by March 5, the activists would come out on the street, beginning with stoning of Sherubtse College gate and protest on the Royal Thimphu College campus on March 8.


I do not think this is the way forward but I think there is a lot the government can do. I know the Government cannot fulfill the DNA bank but they can work on rules to avoid such things. 


This isn't a great start but it is a start of the women's movement in Bhutan


Women United will never get Defeated!

1 comment:

  1. Women Revolution is ON in Bhutan.
    But yeah, it is really concerning on how people are reacting to the situation.
    if government is idle or if they are not providing justice in time, women are left with no option than to fight for their rights.

    ReplyDelete