Source: The Daily Observer
A four-day capacity building training workshop for women and political representatives organised by West Africa Network for Peace-Building (WANEP)-Gambia ended on Thursday at the Jenoi Agricultural Farmers Training Center, Lower River Region.
Sponsored by the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF), the forum brought together representatives from four political parties in the country namely; the Alliance for Patriotic Reorientation and Construction (APRC), National Reconciliation Party (NRP), Peoples Democratic Organisation for Independence and Socialism (PDOIS), and the United Democratic Party (UDP).
The synergy availed the women the opportunity to express their mind on challenges confronting them in participating in politics and decision-making. Among these identified challenges are the male dominance of party selection committees, lack of political confidence and grassroots sensitisation with limited education, limited network skills, financial constraints and selection processes, amongst others.
During one of the presentations, Dr. Alieu Badara Saja Taal, a senior lecturer at the University of The Gambia, dwelt on democracy and good governance and exposed the participants to a wide range of issues including the creation of human society, political community and state; the concept of society down to the natural and social/legal rights that is known to be human rights, politics and democracy, amongst a host of other relevant topics.
Dr. Taal's presentation, which was done in a local language for the participants to have deep knowledge of democracy and governance attracted a lot of questions and answers.
For his part, Magistrate Dawda A, Jallow,dilated on the legal framework for enhancing women participation in democracy. He explained that political participation of women offers a new way of thinking about development as it embodies ideas that women can help themselves, articulate their own needs and find solutions to address them.
He noted that in The Gambia, women constitute 51% of the population but their numerical strength is not reflected in the number of positions they hold in the public sphere of decision-making. He further noted that women constitute 21% of the Civil Service of whom majority are employed in the administrative and support positions rather than in managerial positions. He also noted that women constitute 58% of voters and exercise their franchise during elections.
Jallow recalled that in the March 2012 National Assembly Elections, only four women contested, three were elected, one lost, whilst two were nominated. At the local government level, he said that out of the current 114 elected councilors, only 15 are women while there is no female chief. He added that out of the 1,873 villages, only four have female Alkalo's.