RDFL workshop on reforming electoral laws from a gender perspective

The Rassemblement Democratique des Femmes Libanaises (RDFL) organised yesterday a workshop on parliamentary elections from a gender perspective.  This activity falls within the framework of the electoral reform campaign project funded by the European Union and aiming at influencing change in electoral laws and behavior including having gender aware honest and democratic elections. The project aims to achieve that goal through lobbying for a gender aware electoral law as well as raising the political awareness of the electorates on the importance of women’s access to decision making and strengthening the coalition for democratic and political reform in Lebanon.
The workshop coordinator, Caroline Sukkar, noted that there is no comprehensive development without the full participation of women, hence the need to find a strategy which addresses women and men’s interests and experiences and mainstreaming these in policies and programmes as well as monitoring implementation at all level to ensure gender equality.
On the issue of political quota, the coordinator of the women sector in the Al Marada movement, Mirna Zakharia, refuted the belief that men are to be blamed for not including women in parliamentary elections.  She added that there is a need to differentiate between the issue of quota and the laws as women are also to blame because they hesitate in coming forward as candidates whereas men are responsible for rejecting a number of laws related to women such as the law to protect women from violence and to grant women the right to transmit nationality.
Source: Al-Mustaqbal, Al-Nahar 5 February 2014