The Sunday News
Robin Muchetu in Victoria Falls
THE number of women’s representation in Parliament across Africa remains significantly low despite the presence of regional instruments meant to improve the participation of women in politics.
This is despite women constituting more than half of the electorate in most African countries.
Women’s Political Participation (WPP), a Pan African gender project on different facets of Women and Politics in Africa, is aimed at advancing the goal of gender equality in politics and governments, in line with the Maputo Protocol of 2003, various associates sub-regional protocols and standards and the United National Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
African leaders from Governments, Electoral Management Bodies, Women Rights and Civil Society Organisations from across Africa are gathered in the resort town of Victoria Falls for a symposium to deliberate, reflect and rekindle their resolve to advance women’s participation in electoral processes.
The symposium is also aimed at the sensitization of participants on proposed Pan African Model Gendered Electoral Law (The Model Law) for the purpose of providing minimum benchmarks to achieving best Practices for the promotion of WPP and Gender Equality in Africa.
Advocate Choice Damiso from Women and Law Southern Africa said the symposium was aimed at also improving the status of women while taking note of the barriers that exist which are largely legislative.
“We have been doing a lot of work in enhancing political participation of women in Zimbabwe having noted that women are still far behind their male counterparts in participation in politics. One of the barriers that have been regarded as a hindrance to the effective participation of women have been the lack of adequate legislative framework that can make it possible. We know that there are also other barriers such as culture, power dynamics, gender roles but the legislative framework has been the largest,” she said in her welcome remarks.
She added;
“So, for that reason we have a symposium today on where we can discuss a regional Model Law like this one on electoral issues which is coming in at a key time. We hope this model law will become a useful tool in the arsenal of all the tools that we have already in advocating for the equal participation of women,”.
Ms Helen Dingani the deputy Clerk of the Parliament of Zimbabwe said more still had to be done to implement gender equality provisions.
“The representation of women in decision making remains very low despite the gender equality provisions in the constitution of Zimbabwe (2013) sections, 17, and 56 and 80. The electoral law framework is not adequately gender responsive and as it stands, women’s electoral participation and political inclusion as candidates and voters is often hindered by a variety of gendered political, legal, social, economic and cultural barriers,” she said.
She said while it is acknowledged that achieving gender equality is much more complex than passing laws, this reality does not undermine the significance of an environment characterized by inter-alia, appropriate and enabling legislative and regulatory framework which effectively facilitate women’s full participation and representation in public political office.
Ms Dingani said the symposium therefore, seeks to create a collective understanding of the Pan African Gendered Model Law framework whose purpose is to reinforce an electoral system that facilitates the equal representation of women and men in line with the foundational principles, values and fundamental rights, as well as the relevant international law norms and standards relating to gender inequalities.
“The legislative framework, governs all stages of the electoral cycle, and shapes the degree to which women are treated on a non-discriminatory basis through gender responsive legislation and as such provide for their full and equal participation in the electoral processes,” she said.
The two-day symposium is being attended by delegates from South Africa, Zambia, Tanzania, Malawi, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
@NyembeziMu
