Minister of Gender, Community Development and Social Welfare Jean Sendeza has called on political parties to support and encourage aspiring female candidates to campaign vigorously for the September 16 General Elections.
She was speaking in Lilongwe on Thursday during a meeting organised by the NGO-Gender Coordination Network (NGO-GCN) which convened directors of women for various political parties with the aim of building a forum of women beyond party lines to push for equality and women’s participation in the political space and in decision making processes.
the meeting. | Nation
Sendeza, who is also director of women for the governing Malawi Congress Party (MCP), expressed worry over the number of women who have turned up to contest in this year’s election, saying most women have been hindered from participating due to a lack of or limited resources, among other challenges.
The minister hailed the meeting, saying it provided a platform for women to collectively pinpoint the challenges they face and identify unified solutions.
Said Sendeza: “Political parties must uphold their pledges to field more women candidates and support them so that we see more women being elected in Parliament and district councils.
“It is necessary that we must be united and strategic in order to promote womens leadership and participation. Let us build a political culture where women are not only present but their ideas shape policy.”
On her part, United Democratic Front (UDF) director of women Aisha Adams, who also served as Second Deputy Speaker in the recently devolved Parliament, said the challenges are surfacing during the campaign period where women are being bullied and called names during rallies.
She said it is, therefore, important that women are able to come together and find solutions to such challenges.
“We hope that this platform will help us find solutions and equip us on how we can navigate these challenges. We need a good representation of women across the country,” said Adams.
She added that another key challenge during the campaign is that while handouts have been banned, male contenders continue to give them out illegally, further putting female aspirants, who lack adequate campaign resources, at a disadvantage.
NGO-GCN chairperson Maggie Kathewera Banda urged women aspirants to report any cases of handouts in their constituencies, saying that the law does not allow such.
“Women should know and understand that handouts have been prohibited by the law. Political parties act prohibts handouts. So the women who are on the ground should report and the registrar is ready to receive such complaints so that action is taken,” she said.
Banda, who is also the Women Manifesto Movement coordinator, concurred that women in political parties continue to face challenges, hence the need for a forum that can bring them together so they speak with one voice.
Weighing in, UN Women deputy country representative Fatima Abdelkarim Mohamed said such platforms are crucial for women from different political parties to agree on common solutions to dismantle the patriarchy within institutions and serves their communities better.
The meeting is part of the Political Empowerment of Women in Malawi (PEW-M) project that NGO-GCN is implementing with support from UN Women. It is funded by the governments of Sweden and Norway.
