Women leaders back ‘Right to Pee’

Keeping aside differences of opinion, women politicians from across party lines came together on Thursday to extend their support to the Right to Pee campaign. Nilam Gorhe from Shiv Sena, Vidya Chavan from NCP, Shalini Thackeray from MNS and BJP’s Shaina NC assured the campaign convenor that they would aggressively raise the issue via their party platforms and get toilets built for the women.

A one-day convention on the campaign was held at Y.B. Chavan Centre on Thursday, with participants from across the country.

Ms Gorhe, who has been working on women’s issues for the past 16 years, said people have a notion that women’s issues are trivial.

“There have been some measures taken at the government level after voices were raised for the Right to Pee campaign. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is searching for locations to build toilets for women. I will also write a letter to the petroleum minister to open toilets for women at every petrol pump,” she said. Her party has been ruling the BMC for more than 15 years.

Ms Chavan talked about the efforts she has made to set up toilets in slums and state transport bus stands. She praised the Right to Pee campaign for advocating women’s rights. “We should all forget party differences and campaign for the cause,” she said.

Expressing surprise over women not having toilet facilities at public places, Ms Thackarey said that the same was a basic right. “To pee or not to pee — that is the question for women today. Why are women deprived of this basic right to hygiene and health ” she asked.