the launching of women’s elections watch plus: nine-days-to-go campaign and the atlantic declaration
On Wednesday 1st August 2007 over 300 women from all districts met at the Atlantic Hall, Freetown to launch the Women’s Elections Watch Plus, Nine Days to Go campaign. The keynote speaker was Dr. Talabie Aisie Lucan who launched the campaign. Other speakers include the National Electoral Commissioner Dr. Christiana Thorpe, who carried out voter education. Speaking from the high table Paramount Chief Shebora Kasangha ll called for greater women’s participation in the electoral process and politics in general. He stated that there are no legal barriers preventing women from taking chieftaincy positions and also being part of decision-making processes for women in any region especially in the North. Haja Memunatu Koroma Deputy Minister of Social Welfare Gender and Children’s Affairs presented the concluding comments of the Sierra Leone’s combined initial to fifth periodic country report to CEDAW.
Among the issues the women deliberated upon extensively was the continued marginalisation of Sierra Leonean women. Out of 574 candidates vying for parliamentary seats, only 64 are women. The absence of a level playing field for women in the upcoming 2007 elections clearly implies an under - representation of women in Parliament.
The women of Sierra Leone developed an updated Women’s Manifesto as an accountability tool and made it available to all political parties for use as a guide. The women made a gender analysis of the available political parties manifestoes to assess how responsive they were to women’s issues as raised in their manifesto. The findings of the gender analysis were presented and debated. Two issues that emerged were that no political party had anything in their manifesto about the implementation of the three gender bills, two of which have now become Acts. Also no explicit reference was made to women’s demands with regards to taking affirmative action on the 30% quotas for women recommended by the Beijing Platform for Action forum, the commonwealth women Caucasus and the Sierra Leone Truth and Reconciliation Commission recommendation.
The Conference ended on a high note with the adoption of the Atlantic Declaration, Freetown Sierra Leone, which is as follows:
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• All the women present were to join in a solidarity march on August 2, to the office of the Constitutional Review Commission where a Position Paper entitled, 30% Women’s Representation in Parliament and decision making positions would be presented to the Constitutional Review Commission Chairman Dr. Peter Tucker and members,. A summary of the Paper was to be read in their presence.
• The first Bill to be discussed in the new parliament should be the one to domesticate the CEDAW. We demand 30% quota as affirmative action in our national constitution.
• The new Government should appoint more women as ministers, ambassadors and other decision-making positions
• The Government and all the political parties must implement the TRC recommendations.
• The Government and all Political parties must implement everything they have for women in their manifestoes
• The National Budget should be gender responsive.
• Women should join political parties, build constituencies and work in the mainstream of political parties and not wings.
• Women must support other women who are aspiring to hold public office and stop the pull her down syndrome.
• There is urgent need for women to collaborate in the production of the data base/Directory of women professionals.
• Women’s Elections Watch Plus should ensure that women who were denied party symbols but are qualified, should be considered for positions in decision-making at all levels.
• Young people who want to contest as candidates for elections should not be discouraged, especially by their mothers
• Women have the right to be Paramount chiefs. We want women, who would speak on our behalf
• A special fund will be launched for support to female candidates for the 2012 general elections.
• It was declared that women who are interested in the local councils election should come out now, as local councils constitute a training ground for political participation.
• Women’s Elections Watch Plus campaign should ensure that all parties commit to violence-free elections at all times
• Local and international NGOs must increase their visibility in more remote communities in the country.
