PANAJI
The Comunidades are back in the spotlight and yet again, for all the wrong reasons. Not only these Comunidades are hell-bent on denying equal rights to women, but they have also failed to give any apology for their disgraceful comments at the Convention held exactly a week ago.
It was Attorney of Verna Comunidade Lina da Gama Martins' strong words that particularly upset the male attendees, a situation which led to chaos at the Convention followed by offensive remarks on women overall.
Her expressions indicated that the changes she anticipated on being elected to the post, were a complete disaster but she strongly vouched to stop discrimination in the Comunidade.
Getting elected to the managing committee was a progressive first for the Comunidade of Verna, and Martins expected it had set the ball rolling, but alas, it didn’t.
“This change, however, did not come without challenges both systemic and societal. This membership is exclusively for males (those acknowledged as legitimate and adopted). Evidently, women are left out at the entry membership stage itself. Here, I make a case for female descendants in the larger context of being equal in the eyes of the law. Centuries later, we’re still hesitant to amend the Code to include women/all genders,” she said while delivering her speech, which ultimately angered her male counterparts.
Her questions like 'Don’t they (women) belong to the same descent and lineage as their male siblings and/or father?', 'Why silence on inclusion?', 'Who decides that women don’t deserve entitlements?', 'What is the narrative stating that men, and only men, have this right by birth?' triggered heavy discussion.
The Goan has reliably learnt that Martins even stated that Gauncar has “no gender and clearly no religion” as she further questioned whether women don’t have the capacity to defend and bring justice to the affected.
As a result, she suggested 'and their male descendants by male lineage' be dropped and amended with 'and their descendants by lineage' in part I of Art 20 of the Code of Comunidade. Similarly, all descendants of Gaunkars, irrespective of gender, should be entitled to receive Zonn from their respective Comunidades.
The Attorney, who also identified herself as the daughter of a Gaunkar and a shareholder of Verna, claimed that while systemic challenges would mean more awareness, advocacy, and lobbying for favourable outcomes, the larger challenge remains societal, especially for those who vociferously campaign against women’s participation in Comunidades.
Martins along with the Treasurer of Chinchinim Comunidade Saadia and other women activists/ sympathizers of the issue led by NGO Bailancho Saad had in fact, held marathon meetings before the Convention to resolve women’s equality in this field.
The Goan has further learnt that noted personality Dean D’Cruz gave practical experience in the Comunidade of Saligao wherein daughters cannot inherit Gaunkari as he highlighted the positive role Comunidade can play to protect agriculture and community lands by the participatory method. The meeting discussed that the involvement of women and the right perspective will benefit the villages.
The meeting had resolved to demand an amendment to the Code of Comunidade by dropping 'male' from ' male descendants ', to give equal rights to all descendants instead of specific gender.
With the present situation creating an uproar, women's groups have condemned the manner in which women were heckled and humiliated at the Convention.
