Qatar- IPU president seeks more women in lawmaking

(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The latest figures released by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) revealed a slight increase in the number of women in parliament, according to IPU president Gabriela Cuevas Barron.
'It is our duty to change the reality women are facing in all latitudes of the world, Barron stressed during her opening speech at the 29th session of the Forum of Women Parliamentarians held on the sidelines of the 140th IPU General Assembly, which concludes in Doha today.
Barron said from 2016 to 2017 the number of women in parliament increased by only 0.1%. In 2018, the figure barely climbed to reach 0.9%, she noted.
'It means that in two years, we only have 1% more women in parliament and that is not right. It is not okay to having only 24% of women in parliament. The world is now about parity, women empowerment, property rights, access to economy and the financial system, as well as subsidies.
'The world is about equal conditions. Women worldwide are not enjoying the same human rights as those enjoyed by men. That is why we are here and why this forum is very important because we have a responsibility, Barron explained.
Barron said several conclusions were made after releasing IPU's latest statistics to the UN.
She said it would take 50 years or at least two generations to reach parity if no 'better strategy is taken.
Barron also underscored the need to raise more awareness and more information, as well as the need for women parliamentarian to bring 'a common strategy back to their respective countries
'What has been working is affirmative action and having gender quotas…I decided to support affirmative action because it is not about me but all women that are in need to raise their voices, to have equal conditions for competition, and to have equal conditions to have a seat in parliament, said Barron, who encourage the audience 'to legislate in favour of other women in their own countries.
Another issue Barron raised was the various studies released on gender based violence.
'We used to think that parliaments were a safe place. But when we started a survey with our female MPs at IPU and then with the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, we found that 85% of female MPs have suffered some kind of violence or sexual harassment.
'Eighty five per cent means that we are really, really far from having parliaments as a safe space for women…so let us go back to our parliaments and establish a clear rule and accessible procedures to never allow a man to have disrespectful behaviour against women, she pointed out.
'In this assembly, we are going to speak about education. And education can be the most powerful tool that we have to fight against sexism and discrimination. We do not want education that is promoting misogyny. We want an education for equality, inclusiveness, and education for all.

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