Arab conference targets improving women's participation in politics

2008-03-21

Representatives from seven Arab countries conferred in Tunis last week on how to involve more women in political life, from increasing voter turnout to pursuing greater representation in local government.

By Jamel Arfaoui for Magharebia in Tunis – 21/03/08

[Getty Images] The quota system of allocating local or national seats to women was one subject of debate at last week's conference in Tunis on women in politics. Many argued that it imposes a ceiling women cannot exceed.

A regional seminar on "Gender and Local Governance" held March 14th in the Tunisian capital highlighted the close link between "economic and domestic development and women’s participation in local politics". Forum attendees from Tunisia, Algeria, Lebanon, Egypt, Yemen, Morocco and Bahrain also recommended organising an awareness-raising campaign for men concerning women’s right to play a significant role in local political affairs.

"The aim of holding this round-table meeting is to create an opportunity for exchanging experiences [and] to support women’s role in local governance among countries covered by the project and other countries outside the project such as Bahrain, Morocco and Kuwait," said Dr. Sekina Borai, head of the Center of Arab Women for Training and Research (CAWTAR), which held the seminar in collaboration with the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI).

Borai said, "As the Arab woman is currently incapable of participating effectively on the central level, at least, we aspire to achieve participation on the local level."

Allowing women to learn about what goes on within their region, she added, is "a straightforward route toward transparency and good governance".

Conference participants from Maghreb countries shared experiences and strategies about how the governance project is working. In Morocco, the Third Millennium Organisation is "working to open national dialog on democracy and assisting women to achieve broader participation on the national level", said Mohammad Balkoh.

Meanwhile, in Algeria, Faisal Bin Halilo of an NGO in Constantine, asserted that the country's legal and constitutional arsenal does not in any way hinder women’s participation in political life. In real life, however, women’s participation in local and central elections is slim and their voting turnout is on the decline, compared to the early years of independence.

Among the causes, he said, is an educational system that places women in an inferior position: "Our students still read in their textbooks, 'Father is in the field, and mother is in the kitchen'". Bin Halilo added that in Algerian politics, the fear of extremists has superseded women's issues.

The quota system, whereby a percentage of local council or Parliament seats is allocated to women, has been a bone of contention in countries represented at last week's conference. The majority of attendees rejected including such a provision in their countries' constitutions, arguing that it imposes a ceiling that women cannot exceed and is against Arab constitutions which emphasize equality among genders. "The quota system is part of positive discrimination," said Fawzeya Abdullah, a candidate in the 2006 Bahraini parliamentary elections.

To effectively boost Arab women's political participation, the general political environment and the status of freedoms in the Arab world must be considered, according to Tunisian economist Azzam Mahjoub. One of the first academics to compile a report on the subject, Mahjoub noted that in the Arab region, there is a high level of illiteracy among women and their presence in the workforce is minimal.

"The Arab woman," Mahjoub added, "is the victim of discrimination in male-dominated societies, and also suffers from the use of religion to justify such discrimination."

At the conclusion of the Tunis seminar, participants said they will work with decision-makers to set out strategic plans for improving women's participation in local governance.