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Botswana: Too Few Women in Politics
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The Voice (Francistown)
15 April 2008
Posted to the web 15 April 2008
Gontse Gareebine
Francistown
There are not enough women in Botswana's parliament, cabinet and other high offices today. The newly appointed Minister of Labour and Home Affairs, Peter Siele, confirmed this during a UNDP-organised workshop, going under the theme: an Assertive Training and Gender Sensitization Workshop for Aspiring Women Politicians in Gaborone.
"There has been a public outcry and concerns have been raised about the low numbers of women in politics," said Siele. "Women have trailed behind in many spheres of life and haven't been able to make it even where opportunities were available."
There were, however, steps being taken to remedy the situation, said Siele, pointing out that the introduction of laws, such as the Matrimonial Act, now gives spouses equal power.
The workshop was co-organised by the Botswana Caucus of Women in Politics, Emang Basadi, Media Institute of Southern Africa Botswana chapter and Women's Affairs and was attended by women representatives from different political coalitions and non-governmental organizations. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) came through and shed some light on election procedures while Emang Basadi representatives spoke on democracy, gender and developmental issues. Other presentations covered good governance and campaign management that looked into fund-raising techniques and public speaking.
UNDP HIV&AIDS Programme Manager, Lydia Matebesi observed, "Women need to position themselves strategically in political circles instead of joining the political party choirs or delegating themselves to the kitchen. I would also like to remind women that it is okay to vote another woman into power. Gender inequality is a roadblock to human development."
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Some of the Millennium Development Goals discussed included the eradication of extreme poverty, improvement of maternal health, promotion of gender equality and empowering women to mention but a few.
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