Kerala to Launch ‘Gender Park’ in Feb to Focus on Gender Equality

Claimed to be the first of its kind in the nation, the campus has been constructed at a cost of Rs 300 crore.

An illustration for gender equality.

(Photo: iStock)

The Kerala government’s three-towered campus of “Gender Park” will become functional in February. Claimed to be the first of its kind in the nation, the campus, which is situated in Kozhikode, has been constructed at a cost of Rs 300 crore.

According to a PTI report, Health, Social Justice and Women and Child Development Minister KK Shailaja, on Tuesday, 26 January, said that the launch will coincide with the second edition of the International Conference on Gender Equality (ICGE-II) scheduled from 11-13 February.

ALL ABOUT GENDER PARK

As per the official website of the Gender Park, the key focus lies on gender justice and it will serve as a platform for policy analysis, research, advocacy, capacity development, and `economic and social initiative.

“It is the first space of its kind in the world. Currently working under the Department of Women and Child Development, it aims to become a premier convergence point for gender-related activities,” the website mentions.

Built with an aim to establish an ecosystem for women entrepreneurs, the Gender Park will also see the launch of a Gender museum, Gender library, a convention centre and an amphitheatre which, according to KK Shailaja, will form the first phase of the park.

The Gender library is an attempt to educate the society at large about the myriad genders and its roles. It further aims to enhance research and learning, promote gender awareness and empower distinct gender groups.

The gender museum is an initiative to showcase the journey of women’s history and will function as an archive to put gender history in perspective.

The launch event, which is being organised in collaboration with UN Women, intends to highlight gender equality.

‘COULD NOT PAY ENOUGH ATTENTION TO GENDER PARK’

Former President Pranab Mukherjee had inaugurated the park in 2016, but the state government could “not pay enough attention to the Gender Park so far.”

“Serious financial crunch was the main reason why the state could not pay enough attention to the Gender Park so far. But now, it will change,” The Hindu quoted Gender Park CEO PTM Sunish as saying.

“To start with, it has revived the She Taxi project which did not go as it was initially envisaged. At present, we have 40 She Taxis in the State and more women are to join the fold soon,” he added.

She Taxi is the Gender Park’s flagship programme that focuses on the economic empowerment of women. “Women are the fundamental partners in this arrangement where they are owners, as well as drivers, of their cabs,” the website mentions.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who will be inaugurating ICGE-II and the Gender Park on 11 February, will also launch the International Women's Trade and Research Centre (IWTRC) that is aimed at creating a secure ecosystem for women entrepreneurs and a space in which they are able to market their products, the PTI report added.

"Already we have allotted Rs 26 crore for the Gender Park and earmarked another Rs 15 crore for the next financial year," PTI quoted Shailaja as saying.

The government has also approved an administrative sanction of Rs 172 crore," she added.

The first edition of ICGE was organised in Thiruvananthapuram in 2015 that led to the state witnessing its transgender policy, a first for any state in India.

(With inputs from PTI, The Hindu)