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Topic Discussion III
Participation in
Democratic Decision-Making:
The Vital Voices of Women, Civil Society and
Pluralism
Room 2
(12 of 21 pages)
Marina Ottaway: I have a long list, you are not next on the list, but I
have a long list of speakers, people who are seeking to be recognized, so please keep your comments short. You
have all been very good, but we need to be even better. I'd like to remind all of us that we are discussing an
issue, which is extremely important, but we are also leaving out other issues, which are equally important. Let
me point out that the most emerging democracies, nobody participates efficiently. In other words there are a lot
of obstacles to participation's in general and although women encounter more obstacles than men, I think in many,
many countries, to say women have the same right to participate as men is not enough because what is needed is
broadening the possibilities for political participation and I hope that in the next comment we can get to some
of those issues as well, in addition to continuing with what we have. The gentleman there was next on the list.
Speaker: I will have to summarize translation because there's no official translation for Mozambique, so
you will have to bear with me because I'm not an interpreter by profession, so I'll try my best. We apologize for
this which will take us time because there was no preparation. I'm Maria Enoque Dique, Member of Parliament from
the position party Rinamo (ph). I am also been task with an initiative to start the Women's forum in women's caucus
in parliament.
I would like to touch on some issues which are important and delicate, especially related to women's issues. Women
in my country are grouped, that is traditionally discriminated. We African women have mound responsibility than
they have rights. And this is how women are in a submissive position. With our assistance of international organization,
national organization and other, the women situation in Mozambique is improving. But this changes coming only is
affecting eben (ph) women, not rural women. 13 percent of women are part of the government in Mozambique. 28 percent
of parliamentarians are women out of 250 in number. Despite the fact that even in the region we have the highest
number of women in government and in parliament, our intervention is still at a very low rate, not quite effective.
Talking about democratic system automatically enforce the participation of women. Political parties, civil society,
have to begin to… Because the women is the one who has the sensitivities of the issues.
(not available due to technical difficulties)
Involvement of women is not with also involved in this policy issues and decision-making issues. Where they are
looking at economic, social or political spheres.
In cases of conflict, in cases of nature of disasters, it is the women that suffer most that carry the brunt. Both
the government and also the international communities, when they look at the resolutions of these issues, do they
take into consideration the women? This is where I think women have to have the equality in the resolution of conflict,
in the reconciliation process and towards peace. Women also bury themselves, have to begin to have confidence in
themselves and in confidence in other women. Like I said, majority of voters are women. Because of this lack of
confidence in each other, we don't even vote for each other as women. We end up being used by the men through faults.
Therefore there is a necessity for civic education amongst ourselves as women and within the public. I would like
to end my intervention by saying that women are a group that stand for peace. It's with peace that you live in
peace. Support women is to create a civil society worldwide.
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