Concerned group of NGOs wants reserved seats secured for women in all town/city councils and its committees

As Fiji prepares to hold its first local government elections after more than 15 years, a concerned group of NGOs is making an urgent call on the government to enforce provisions for temporary special measures for women in political party representation and ensure that reserved seats are secured for women in all town/city councils and its committees.

The concerned group made up of Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre, Fiji Women’s Rights Movement, Diverse Voices for Action (DIVA) for Equality, Citizen’s Constitutional Forum, Social Education and Empowerment Programme and Strumphet Alliance Network, says nationally, it is unacceptable that after three national elections under new electoral laws, there has been a drastic decline in women's representation from contesting national elections to being elected to Parliament.

They say it is clear from our history that cultural, social, economic and political factors have often stood in the way of women’s political empowerment.

The group reminds the Fiji government of its commitments to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), ratified in 1995.

They say Article 4 recognizes that temporary special measures may need to be implemented in the short-term to advance women’s equality.

The concerned group of NGOs says the term “temporary special measures” is used to describe affirmative action policies and strategies to promote equality and empower women. They urgently call for the Office of the Solicitor General to include the CEDAW general recommendation No.25, and reiterate that placing this for women is not discriminatory nor a breach of the Fiji Constitution.

The group says in fact, it is a direct and affirmative response to effectively promote women’s political participation.

They say the idea is that women will receive initial support to enter political life, but once women have gained sufficient experience, recognition and opportunity to engage on an equal footing with men, this temporary support will be removed.

The group strongly urges the Fiji government to conduct capacity building workshops on CEDAW for all members of parliament to understand the definition of discrimination against women, and how it applies to us.

They say in fact, all political parties will benefit from this as well given that there are no women in their executive leadership positions.