Shahani earns plaudits for advocacy of women

Former Sen. Leticia Ramos-Shahani was recently feted by the Brahma Kumaris Philippines Spiritual Foundation Inc. for her invaluable contributions to advancing women’s rights not only in the country but worldwide.

The recognition came as Brahma Kumaris, a nongovernment organization which encourages the development of spiritual awareness, launched in early December its year-long Women and Spirituality Series, which has for its theme, “Celebrating the Greatness of Women.”

Brahma Kumaris-Philippines head Becky Ortega said it was only fitting to kick off their program by honoring Shahani, who advocated women’s rights in the international arena during her stint as secretary general of the United Nations  Third World Conference on Women and authored landmark laws at home when she was a senator, such as Republic Act No. 6725, strengthening the prohibition of discrimination against women in the workplace, and RA No. 8353 or the “Anti-Rape Law of 1997.”

“We wanted to use this opportunity to honor the former senator. She is known as one of the pioneers of the feminist movement in the Philippines,” Ortega said.

Ortega said the theme of the monthly series, to be conducted in partnership with various organizations, such as the Girl Scouts of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police, was close to Shahani’s heart as it aimed not only to empower women but also to raise one’s self-respect.

“Women [must] recognize that to be able to be more effective [in what they do], they will have to know how to take care of themselves. We’re promoting spirituality and well-being since these are very important in making women more resilient and maybe even in gaining more self-confidence,” she said.

Ortega added that it is important to empower women not just because it’s a human right but because women have certain intrinsic qualities that can help solve issues in areas such as business and climate change.

Shahani lauded the organization’s initiative saying that by doing this, Filipino women could contribute more to  society. She noted that it was also one way of honoring the legacy of our forebears, who have made the country a better place to live in for women.