Quota for women
Rights activists call for greater participation in decision-making process
Titus Filio
Contributor
Rights activists yesterday called on the government to implement quota for women in ministerial jobs and the legislature to ensure more and more women are involved in the decision-making process.
The activists said Bahrain and the other GCC countries should provide quota for women and gradually increase it based on the increasing number of women in political affairs.
The call was issued by some 45 human rights and women activists on the concluding day of a three-day forum on women’s political participation.
Quota for women
Rights activists call for greater participation in decision-making process
Titus Filio
Contributor
Rights activists yesterday called on the government to implement quota for women in ministerial jobs and the legislature to ensure more and more women are involved in the decision-making process.
The activists said Bahrain and the other GCC countries should provide quota for women and gradually increase it based on the increasing number of women in political affairs.
The call was issued by some 45 human rights and women activists on the concluding day of a three-day forum on women’s political participation.
The quota system, they said, would be a drastic step to ensure more participation of women in the decision-making process at the government level in the region.
Women constitute only seven-eight per cent of those occupying top positions in the governments in the region.
“We want the government to adopt a quota system beginning with 25 per cent to ensure that women have more seats in the legislature and jobs in the ministries. Gradually the percentage can be raised,” said Abdulla AlDerazi, deputy secretary-general of the Bahrain Human Rights Society.
The activists also called on political parties to provide woman leaders with opportunities to contribute to Bahrain’s political development. Parties in the region remain to be male-dominated.
“The political parties should also make way for women and not just approve their rights in general in their by-laws. They should give more party positions to women,” AlDerazi said.
The activists outlined recommendations for the governments to strengthen woman power in the Gulf.
The recommendations include a gender equality clause in the Constitution and enactment of human rights laws based on international rights conventions.
They also called on the governments to ratify in full the CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women). The CEDAW guarantees that the state will eliminate all forms of discrimination against women, including acting on specific cases of violations of women’s rights. The six GCC states have ratified the CEDAW with reservations.
The forum at Ramee International Hotel was organised by the Arab Institute for Human Rights, the International Federation for Human Rights and the BHRS.
The delegates represented 42 non-governmental organisations from nine Arab countries.
Article from: Bahrain Tribune Newspaper
