a coalition of women’s organisations co-ordinated by the 50/50 group and now (sl), with support from enciss launches
WOMEN’S ELECTIONS WATCH PLUS – 9 DAYS TO GO
The issues!!
1. Women constitute 52% of the population of Sierra Leone but continue to be grossly underrepresented in elective and appointed offices – 14.5% women in parliament and 14.3% in cabinet, 9.68% in the civil service, 14.3 %in ambassadorial positions. There are no legal or constitutional barriers to women’s representation but social, economic and cultural barriers preclude women from competing on an equal level with men for representation in decision making bodies thus denying women the enjoyment of their civil and political rights enshrined in the constitution of Sierra Leone and international conventions to which Sierra Leone is a signatory such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
2. In 2004, a coalition of all women’s organisations, co-ordinated by the 50/50 Group, lobbied for a 30% quota in decision-making bodies. The Local government Act of 2004 provides a statutory representation of a minimum of 50% representation of women at the ward committee level. The coalition was advised to wait for the constitutional review to acquire a 30% quota for the levels of elective and appointed offices, including parliament, Local Councils etc. There is a constitutional review process in place now. During this process, even the Women’s Forum submitted a written plea still seeking the 30% quota. – Has a 30% quota for women been inserted?
3. The revised women’s manifesto launched by HE President Ahmed Tejan Kabba on the 20 March 2007 addressed the issues underlying women’s continued marginalisation and calls for their equal and active participation in:
• politics and governance - a demand for a quota of 30% women as candidates.
• peace consolidation and post-war reconstruction
• national and human security, especially education and health
• poverty reduction including especially access to and control of resources (e.g. land) critical to making a sustainable living;
• the media
• women with special needs
• human rights and the law
• adult education
4. The 50/50 Group in collaboration with the British Council went a step further by organising a two-day workshop on the theme: A women’s place is in cabinet, boardroom as well as in the kitchen. The aim of the workshop, which included female aspirants, political parties and civil society organisations, was to sensitise participants on the need for a 30% quota for female candidates. All representatives of political parties present showed willingness to give women a chance to contest.
5. With support from OXFAM-PACER, WFD and NDI, the fifty-fifty group and other women’s organisations engaged in intense and sustained advocacy and training of women and even the media to get them to accept the fact that it is their right to participate in politics.
In spite of the above,
• Political parties made promises but did not deliver on the demand for a quota of 30% women.
• Only 64 women out of 570 candidates for the August 11 elections!!
• Only 1 out of 7 political parties selected a woman as running mate
• Cultural and policy barriers still impede women’s participation in politics
• Women are still threatened by security issues during the election
• A gender analysis of the manifestoes of political parties does not reflect
the concerns of women with regard to their continued marginalisation in equal and active participation in decision-making.
The Advocacy Process
The launching of the Women’s Advocacy Campaign dubbed - WOMEN’S ELECTIONS WATCH PLUS last week signals the start of an intense and sustained advocacy process to redress the imbalance created by the lack of commitment demonstrated by the political parties with regard to the selection of women as candidates. The coalition wants to ensure that political parties understand that women can use their votes as a bargaining tool!
The Constitution Review Commission is commended for recommending the repeal of Section 27 (4) d of the Constitution to guarantee equal rights of women and men in line with Article 2 of the CEDAW. Women demand that the constitution must go further and apply temporary special measures in accordance with article 4, paragraph 1 of CEDAW. Such a measure constitutes a part of necessary strategy to accelerate the achievement of de facto equality between women and men in all areas of CEDAW, as well as the participation of women in political and decision making bodies. There is no legal reason why a quota system cannot be employed to get more women into parliament. We demand that the constitutional review commission include a quota of 30% for women in the constitution.
Women are looking ahead to the next Parliament’s agenda and call for placing high on their agenda the process of domesticating CEDAW as part of Sierra Leone law.
The Campaign started last week through:
• the institution of a special one hour discussion programme by UN Radio at 10.30 am every weekday:
• the airing of interactive discussion programmes on all radio stations all over the country including Radio Maria, Radio Mankneh - Makeni; SLBS FM 96, Bo; Eastern Radio, Kenema; Kiss 104; SLBS – Makeni and Freetown and Cotton Tree News.
During these discussion sessions:
• both successful and unsuccessful women aspirants described the challenges they faced in seeking their parties’ symbols.
• update on the gender bills passed into law
• the Constitutional Review process was reviewed as a legislative basis for inclusion of affirmative action of at least 30% quota for women
This campaign will culminate in a one-day conference which will take place on the 1st of August, 2007 at the Atlantic Hall in the Stadium for over 300 women delegates from Freetown and the Provinces during which:
• CEDAW Committee Concluding Report will be presented
• the findings from the gender analysis of the manifestoes of various political parties will be presented and debated with party leaders
• resolutions will be made as to the way forward
• the nine-days to go campaign will be launched
On the second of August, 40 women from Liberia will join the coalition of women in a peace march to deliver messages of no violence during elections to political parties. Various other intense advocacy activities will be carried out by the women during the nine days before the election to include picketing! Watch this space!!
