Before, to get even basic amenities, like electricity and water, you had to belong to the dominant castes, but now even us tribal women can access them. The Government now recognises us, because of what we have achieved ourselves with WOMANKIND's help.
A key part of WOMANKIND’s work is to promote women’s civil and political participation.
Throughout the world, the power relations that shape social, political, economic and cultural life prevent women from participating fully in all areas of their lives, whether it’s in the home, or in the public arena. While women’s dedicated efforts to challenge the status quo have allowed more women to reach positions of power in recent years, women
- continue to be under-represented in all areas of decision-making, such as religion, the media, culture and the law
- still face significant barriers to their full and equal participation in the structures and institutions which govern their lives.
WOMANKIND seeks to empower and enable women to overcome the obstacles which prevent them from participating on an equal footing with men, through a combination of education, training, networking and lobbying.
What do we mean by women’s civil and political participation?Women’s civil and political participation refers to women’s ability to participate equally with men, at all levels, and in all aspects of public and political life and decision-making. It extends to other arenas, such as family life, cultural and social affairs and the economy.
So, whether it’s deciding how the household income is spent or determining how the country is run, WOMANKIND believes that women have the right to an equal say in all matters that have an impact on their lives. This right is enshrined in a number of human rights instruments, as well as in national constitutions and laws.
Several human rights mechanisms, including the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights and the International Convention for the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, elaborate the nature of women’s civil and political rights and the steps required to promote greater equality between women and men in this area. The Beijing Platform for Action, the principal international action plan on women’s rights, contains a section on women in power and decision-making, which states that the empowerment and autonomy of women and the improvement of women’s social, economic and political status is essential for the achievement of both transparent and accountable government and administration and sustainable development in all areas of life.
Women’s participation in public life and decision-making depends on several factors, including:
- an awareness of their rights and how to claim them
- access to information about laws, policies and the institutions and structures which govern their lives
- confidence, self-esteem and the skills to challenge and confront existing power structures
- support networks and positive role models
- an enabling environment, meaning a political, legal, economic and cultural climate that allows women to engage in decision-making processes in a sustainable and effective way
What are the obstacles to women’s civil and political participation?
There are a number of factors which constrain women’s participation in public life and decision-making, including:
- economic dependency and a lack of adequate financial resources
- illiteracy and limited access to education and the same work opportunities as men
- discriminatory cultural and social attitudes and negative stereotypes perpetuated in the family and in public life
- burden of responsibilities in the home
- intimidation, harassment and violence
- lack of access to information
Women around the world have demonstrated the huge contribution they can make when given the opportunity to sit in public office or to participate in or lead the work of community and informal organisations. WOMANKIND supports the efforts of women, including the most marginalised, such as indigenous women, to challenge their unequal status with men and to bring the issues of concern to them to the decision-making table.
In Albania we support training for existing and potential women leaders in local and national elections. We work with a range of actors, including journalists and politicians, to change negative attitudes and to create an enabling environment for women’s participation.
In Afghanistan we provide training in basic health and literacy skills and human rights education to give women the practical skills they need to move out of poverty and to take part in the development of their communities and countries. We also support the lobbying of decision-makers to increase women’s representation at all levels of government.
In India WOMANKIND has supported education and training for women from the poorest and most marginalized dalit and tribal communities in Tamil Nadu state to give them the confidence and skills to speak out about the issues that concern them, such as electricity and water for their communities. Some of the women have gone on to stand for local council elections.
- In September 2004, WOMANKIND brought together partners from Albania, South Africa and Zimbabwe, for a learning exchange to share ideas and strategies for strengthening women’s participation in politics at local and national level.
- In March 2005, WOMANKIND hosted a panel discussion on the theme of ‘women and governance in times of conflict’ at the annual Commission on the Status of Women. Partners from Somalia, Afghanistan, Israel, Zimbabwe and South Africa were invited to share their experiences of working to increase women’s participation in conflict-resolution and peace-building with an audience of activists, including the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Wangari Maathai, and policy-makers.
How does this fit with WOMANKIND’s work to reduce violence against women?
The issues of violence against women and women’s participation in political and civil life are closely linked. Violence against women acts as a barrier to women’s participation in decision-making, whether it’s in the home or in the community. For example, domestic violence may affect the mental health of women and cause low self-esteem, anxiety and fear, which hampers their ability to travel outside the home and to get involved in public life. Conversely, women’s isolation from public and community life is known to contribute to increased violence, whereas increasing their participation in community groups and social networks has been shown to decrease their vulnerability to violence by helping them find support and solutions to the problem, such as legal protection, counselling and advice. WOMANKIND’s work to promote civil and political participation therefore seeks to complement the work that we do to reduce violence against women so as to maximise the impact and longer-term benefits for women.
