Women parliamentarians invited to join the call for rights
By LÉANDRA ROLLE
Journalist of the Tribune
A LOCAL organization called on the seven women elected to the House of Assembly to join its advocacy for the promotion, protection and expansion of all human rights of women.
In a statement released yesterday, Equality Bahamas also encouraged all parliamentarians to create a culture of gender sensitivity and publicly recognize the diverse and specific experiences of women and girls – including LBTQ + women, women with disabilities, women in poverty and women engaged in unpaid care. work – and the gender-specific response needed.
The seven Liberal Progressive Party candidates – Leslia Brice, Patricia Deveaux, JoBeth Coleby-Davis, Glenys Hanna Martin, Pia Glover-Rolle, Lisa Rahming and Ginger Moxey – were elected to parliament last week.
“We call on women in Parliament to recognize women and girls as their common constituency,” said Alicia Wallace, Director of Equality Bahamas.
“A gender-sensitive approach is necessary at all levels of governance. This includes voter engagement, drafting laws, formulating policies, designing and implementing programs and activities, and contributing to the national budget. ”
The group said that the advancement of women and the country does not depend on the seven women, but requires that all parliamentarians consider the gender dynamics and the specific impact of each action on women and girls and commit in favor of gender equality.
Equality Bahamas said the two main political parties in The Bahamas “have contributed to a dismal representation” of women, especially as they have each ratified only seven women – 18% of their candidates – for the general elections of 2021.
Equality Bahamas called on the government to implement a 50 percent quota, requiring gender balance on all political party candidate lists.
“The 2021 elections clearly showed the correlation between representation on party lists and in parliament, especially when there is a landslide. Both parties had seven women candidates and we now have seven women in Parliament. We can set a higher standard and get better results, ”said Ms. Wallace.
The group said that in accordance with CEDAW and the CEDAW Committee’s Concluding Observations, the CARICOM Preparatory Declaration for CSW 65, the Convention of Belém do Pará and the Sustainable Development Goals, the new administration must take measures to create an environment conducive to the full participation of women in political life.
Equality Bahamas said it looks forward to appropriate Cabinet and Senate appointments, as well as adequate resources from the Department of Gender and Family Affairs, including qualified staff with a demonstrated commitment to human rights. and gender equality.
The group added that it is developing a set of feminist standards for governance 2021-2026 drawn from the community, which will be handed over to the government and shared with the public in October. He looks forward to engaging with representatives, participating in legal reform and policy development, and ensuring that women, girls and LGBTQI + people are able to participate in advocacy processes. decisions that affect their lives.
Equality Bahamas is a feminist, volunteer-run organization that promotes the rights of women and LGBTQI + people as human rights.