Asian female lawmakers want more women in key gov’t posts
BAKU, Azerbaijan — Female lawmakers from Asia and Africa on Friday renewed calls for more women involvement in key government posts and policy- making bodies to reduce incidence of violence and bias against women and children, particularly in war-torn nations.
On the sidelines of the 7th general assembly of the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP) here, female parliamentarians held a special workshop on women politicians, whom they said remain a small minority in nearly all governments despite various international campaigns for gender equality. Mahalat Ibrahim qizi Hasanova of the Azerbaijan National Assembly said improving the status and condition of women can greatly help in promoting global stability, security and growth.
“While the United Nations Security Council had passed major resolutions on protection of women and children, implementation by many states are not satisfactory. We know that 90 percent of casualties in conflict are civilians, and most of them are women and children,” Hasanova said.“Current statistics show it’s more dangerous to be a woman than to be soldiers in modern war,” she said, adding the world badly needs the involvement of women in various security issues, including terrorism.
Dr. Park In- sook, a member of the South Korean National Assembly, said while respect for women’s rights in Korea have improved, their representation in government, business and academe is “seriously deficient.”
Only 15 percent of the members of the Korean parliament are women, she said.
“Korea is still a male-dominated society as in the rest of the world. There’s still a glass ceiling and a tall wall for women to hurdle,” Park said even as she expressed optimism that her country would have its first woman president next month.
She said more women should enter politics so the issue of domestic violence, sex crimes and trafficking of women and children could be better addressed.
“Violence against women cannot be understated. By simply being a highranking official in government, we can provide better access to education, health, protection and other opportunities and also inspiration to other women,” said Anoma Gamage, a member of the Sri Lankan parliament.
“We have issues that can only be understood by us,” she said, adding there are only 13 female lawmakers in the 225-member Sri Lankan parliament.
She said compassion, caring and understanding as well as sensitivity comes naturally to women that would make them very effective political leaders.
Dr. Anis Byarwati Burhanuddin of the Indonesian parliament said respect for women and children starts in the family, and women leaders should do everything to protect the integrity of the family.
“Security and peace issues are often approached with state actors. However, peace and security can be made more enduring through loving families. Our world will have leaders who will uphold values of humanity,” Burhanuddin said.
“I appeal to all women, women political leaders to strengthen our society and create a pro- family public policy and improve the quality of family so we can have peace and reconciliation in Asia based on family resilience,” she said.
Sujata Koirala, a member of the Nepali Congress, said most women in her country remain deprived of access to good health and education services. Also hampering the promotion of women’s welfare and rights in Nepal is the cultural bias against women.
Koirala said while the state has mandated that all young girls attend school, many are prevented by their own parents who just want them to work in the farm.
“Women must be in government to make decisions and make policies for women,” she said.
Founded in 2000, ICAPP includes 385 political parties from Southeast Asia, East Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East as well as from Australia and New Zealand.