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Momodou
Denmark
11828 Posts |
 Posted - 30 May 2006 : 12:36:59
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THE NATIONAL WOMEN’S COUNCIL AND BUREAU SILVER JUBILEE CELEBRATION
By Amie Sillah
The women’s Bureau was established in December 1980 to, amongst other things, oversee the formation of the women’s’ council and primarily implementing the National Women’s Council Act. It was to advise government on matters pertaining to women’s development and serve as the executive arm or secretariat for managing the business of the new women’s council.
The President of the Republic, Dr. Yahya A. J. J. Jammeh approved a meeting of 1,000 (one thousand) women on the 24th May 2006. The objective of the meeting was to discuss the challenges and achievements of Gambian Women and map the way forward for women’s effective empowerment.
I headed the NADD women delegation as a NADD Executive member and also as a gender activist in my own right. This was the presentation we wanted to make to the President.
Achievements during the 25 years
The number of women in parliament has increased from 2.0% in previous years to 13.0% in 2001. In a cabinet of 15 Secretaries of States, 4 are women. The Vice President of the Republic is a woman as well as the speaker of the National Assembly.
The constraints
Although women form 51% of the population and 55% of the electorate (2001 elections), they do not actively compete with their male counterparts in selection of National Assembly Members. The 13.0% increase still falls short of the recommended UN figure of 50% or the recommended 30% as the next level in accordance with international standards. Even the 13% are nominated by the President through affirmative action, meaning that less than one third of women Parliamentarians were actually voted into the National Assembly.
In a cabinet of 15 Secretaries of State, excluding the President, there are four Women Secretaries of State, meaning that this level is also dominated by men but not to the level of male domination in the National Assembly. In Local Government administration, all the eight Administrative Areas are headed by men, and of the 147 Area Councillors in the Local government Areas (LGAS), only 14 are women. There is no Woman District Chief and of the 1,873 villages in the country, only 9 have women Alkalos, thus women are not adequately represented in decision making at both local and national levels. The few women who find themselves in either national or local decision making processes (ward and village development committees) find it difficult to effectively contribute and influence decisions in a male dominated system. Thus, The Gambian women’s political and decision making participation in the country still remain limited. The low level of participation of women in decision making resulting in limited access to and control over productive resources is due to many interrelated factors, such as low levels of literacy, limited employment opportunities, and inadequate entrepreneurial skills and opportunities to improve their livelihood in general.
Women In Fashion Designs
- Need a centralize market outlet for their fashion designs.
- Need access to soft bank loans.
- They want to explore the possibility of attending trade fairs for exposure and business contacts.
- They want the President to organize a specific business trip for some of their members who will be part of the proposed federation who can come back and share their experiences with their members on a rotational basis.
Women On Food Processing
- Need a processing centre for their cereals; at the moment they are using their back yards.
- Need packaging and labelling facilities for their products.
- They lament the inadequate electricity supply.
-They support a federation, which can provide them with centralized processing and marketing centre for their products. Also a standby generator in such a centre can help to facilitate their work.
Women On Gardens
- Laments on poor fencing of their gardens, which cannot prevent animal intrusion, which leads to the destruction of their produce.
- Lament on the inadequacy of wells.
- Lament on the lack of seedlings and fertilizers.
- Lament on the high prices of farming inputs.
- Lament on discrimination in allocation of farming implements.
- They support a federation, which can strengthen their group and join them to other women.
Women On International Entrepreneurship
- These women need service passport to ease their work. But their trade has to be legitimate inorder not to tarnish the image of the country.
- They need international exposure to have business contracts and experience.
- The federation can enable such a category of women to help other women gain access to business contracts the world over. They can also organize Gambian Women in the diaspora.
Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 41/2006, 29-31 May 2006
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A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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Momodou
Denmark
11828 Posts |
Posted - 01 Jun 2006 : 17:00:30
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THE NATIONAL WOMEN'S COUNCIL AND BUREAU SILVER JUBILEE CELEBRATION
(Part 2)
Women from different parts of the country on Wednesday 24th May converged at the beach behind State House to submit the report on the status of Gambian Women, after 25 yrs of existence of the Women's Bureau and Council to President Yahya Jammeh.
In presenting the report, Mrs. Ida Fye-Hydara, the Executive Director of the Bureau revealed that the report entails the mammoth progress made by woman, and also the challenges and the way forward for Gambian women. In his reply, the president promised to study the report with his cabinet.
During the ceremony, several women groups from the various administrative divisions and municipalities donated in cash and/or kind to the Bureau.
Women from the taskforce also collated some of their constraints which are not mentioned in the report which was given to the president, but due to the arrangement of the programme it was never done. As a gender activist, I found it prudent to share with you these issues.
Women On Stationery Supplies- They lament the competition between them and big businesses that get their supply from the manufacturers.
- They lament gender discrimination in the award of contracts.
- They envisage a federation that can provide them a conducive environment, a printing press which can provide most of their office stationeries, text books, exercise books at a cheaper rate.
Women in the Parastatal
- Lament gender discrimination in the award of scholarships by development partners.
- There should be equality and equity in scholarship awards.
- To them the parastatal can adopt and sponsor wards as is already being done.
- The parastatal can also engage in fund raising for the women federation.
- The 25 plots of land to be allocated to women by the SSHFC can be developed into an estate which can be rented out to strengthen the finances of the federation.
- They call on the parastatal to form a task force to facilitate communication.
- They call on the Gender Unit at the Department of State for Education to offer equal access and opportunities to boys and girls.
Women And Rights
Problems- Gender-base violence
- Security personnel ill-equipped to deal with gender issues
- Stigma and discrimination on HIV/AIDS sufferers
Way ward-
The proposed women's. Bill to be hastened;
- 1995 HIV/AIDS policy to be enacted to fight against discrimination and stigma.
- The need to enforce gender budgeting.
- The federation can engage in sensitisation and advocacy.
Women On Tourism
- That hotel shops spoil their business
- That heavy taxation disturbs them
- That the unauthorized street vendors spoil their business.
Way Forward
- That a federation can provide a centralized multi-purpose market to accommodate everybody.
Women On 'Compins'
Problems
- Small businesses undertaken by female wings of political parties have a lot of constraints in terms of materials, capacity building, water and electricity.
- They encounter marketing problems of their products.
- The selection committees of political parties are dominated by men.
Way Forward-
A federation can bring together female wings of all political parties to be trained to see one Gambian, one nation, one people and one voice.
- That capacitated females should occupy decision making positions at all levels of governance.
Women on Import/Export
Problems
- Gender discrimination in bringing in containers.
- High cost of the containers.
- They need ice plant transports for their products
- Dryers for their fish products
- Lamented the high cost of fish
Way Forward-
They support a federation that can help them ameliorate their problems and address their concerns.
Women and Markets
Problems
- They called for a better organized market
- They need an ice plant transport to carry their fish products, meat products and other organic items
- They call for markets for their products
Way Forward
They want to be part of a federation that can help articulate their concerns and help solve their problems.
Conclusion
These were the concerns of women which are not part of the report presented to the president. One thing that stands clear is the need for Gambian women to form a federation. This proposed federation should deal with issues that go beyond partisan, ideological, religious, ethnic, tribal and other parochial considerations. The federation have to consider the conditions of all women and state institutions, which are our collective prosperity, must rely on such a federation to hear the voices of women in unison. The federation will fill the gaps that may not be filled by both the Bureau and the council. The federation will help women come together as a whole to make recommendations to government, international community and NGOs.
We want all women to be considered without discrimination. We want the full participation of women at all levels of governance to achieve gender parity. Men should not be afraid. We have not come for their jobs. Infact, we count on gender sensitive men, boys, girls and women. We demand for equal access and opportunities. A society is two winged, masculine and feminine gender. The Gambian bird cannot fly on one winged, the African bird cannot fly on one winged, the world bird cannot fly on one winged.
Gender is not a war between the sexes. Gender calls for partnership, recognition, visibility and a voice. We agreed with the president when he said women should unite on a common platform irrespective of political affiliation.
Source: Foroyaa Newspaper Burning Issue
Issue No. 42/2006, 1 June - 4 June, 2006 |
A clear conscience fears no accusation - proverb from Sierra Leone |
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