The Tribune

By FELICITY DARVILLE

Somewhere out there, a little girl dreams of becoming the first female Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. This lofty aspiration will not be out of reach if the Caribbean Women in Leadership (CIWiL) and Zonta Club of New Providence have anything to do about it. They have been assiduously working to change the narrative and place females at equal levels as males in leadership positions in every profession.

Most recently, they led a four-day training series called “Preparing Women in Leadership, Parliamentary and Public Office Training”. More than 400 women registered for the event, making it a history-making training workshop, proving the power of outreach in a digital space.

The steering committee was resolved to see to it that more women contest a seat in the next General Elections than ever before. They believe that without enough women in leadership in politics and governance, the needs of women, and even children, are not being met on the level that they need to be. This can have ripple effects in terms of social, health, educational, and other aspects of everyday life.

Policies must be put in place to support the advancement and empowerment of women and without women in key positions to present their cause, they run the risk of being overlooked. To this end, CIWiL and Zonta joined with the Department of Gender and Family Affairs (DGFA), Ministry of Social Services and Community Development with support from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to host the virtual seminar, which covered two weekends.

Participants included a number of women who are currently vying to represent the people of The Bahamas in the next General Elections. They include: Arinthia Komolafe, leader of the Democratic National Alliance (DNA); S Ali McIntosh, leader of the Bahamas Constitution Party; Pia Glover-Rolle, Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) Candidate for Golden Gates; Richa Sands of the Bahamas Coalition of Independents; and others. They were joined by several potential candidates who have yet to be named, as well as current political leaders.

Attendees also included numerous public officials as well as private sector leaders including CEOs, and a large number of aspirants seeking either political or public office, or corporate leadership. Current Free National Movement (FNM) Cabinet member Pakeisha Parker-Edgecombe and Bahamian-born city council representative for Miami Gardens Shannan Ighodaro brought their expertise to the table.

Each session was interactive and required participation, giving each individual a chance to take part in a notable event designed to turn the tides of national leadership in favour of women with a view to support and walk alongside men. Speaker of the House of Assembly D Halston Moultrie participated with his support, attendance and endorsement of the training. He expressed his honour in being a part and looked forward to the development and growth of women and their commitment to empower and advance the status of women in political and national service.

CIWiL pinpointed four goals for the training sessions: to provide leadership training for candidates in national or local elections; to improve the understanding of governance and identify approaches/opportunities to promote gender equality and women’s transformational leadership in governance; to formulate strategies to overcome barriers which may limit their involvement and active participation in political and decision-making capacities; and to identify opportunities for action to influence positive outcomes for women and constituents.

CIWiL Chair and former DNA candidate Charlene Paul said the workshops focused on preparing candidates and “providing women with the skills and knowledge to become agents of social change”. The training sessions, she added, are “key to building the skills, knowledge and values women need to participate in the political process”. CIWiL aims to achieve more just, poverty-free, violence-free and equitable nations throughout the Caribbean region, and women must be fully involved in the decision-making processes that impact their lives.

“Women in decision making roles are still the exception rather than the norm,” Zonta’s National Advocacy Chair Marisa Mason-Smith pointed out. Zonta seeks to empower and advance the status of women through service and advocacy.

“Without a critical mass of women in our Parliament or our boardrooms, women’s voices are still absent from the major decisions made in this country. More than ever, we are mindful of the importance of women’s leadership for the holistic empowerment of women as a driver of gender equality, social and economic progress in nation-building. ZONTA joins with the United Nations and the world in celebrating the social, cultural, economic and political achievements of women. Today there is more acceptance than ever before that women bring different experiences, perspectives and skills to the table, and make irreplaceable contributions to decisions, policies and laws that work better for all.”

CIWiL and Zonta first made history when, on December 11, 2020, they along with other NGOs organized the first-ever Women in Parliament session on the invitation of Speaker Moultrie. There were two resolutions presented: to eliminate gender-based violence by 2030; and to increase women leadership in Parliament and national office and to encourage and support Government, Official Opposition and all political parties deliver the requisite training and to establish quotas as follows:

Institute Quotas for all Political Parties to ensure that no less than:

• 30 percent of the constituencies in 2022 general election be reserved for women;

• 50 percent of Senatorial appointments by both government and opposition are women;

• 50 percent of candidates chosen to contest local government elections are women;

• 50 percent of Cabinet appointments be women; and

• 50 percent of the constituencies in 2027 general election be reserved for women, so that The Bahamas will achieve its obligations to the Bahamian people.

Minister of Social Services and Urban Development Frankie Campbell opened the event, throwing his full support behind the resolutions and the efforts to train women to be ready to take up more positions in governmental leadership.

On Friday, March 19, the sessions began with: “Understanding the Bahamian Political Culture: A Historical Overview”. Dame Janet Bostwick, first female Member of Parliament and first female Attorney General for the FNM, left participants in awe as she laid out the Bahamian political landscape from then to now. She placed it all in the context of where the nation needs to go in her address, “Breaking the Glass Ceiling”.

Former PLP Cabinet Ministers the Allison Maynard-Gibson and Melanie Griffin spoke on “Women in Political Transition” and “Women and the Legislative Process” respectively. Senator Jasmin Dareus looked at “Women and the Preparation Process”. Attendees benefitted from not only hearing from our women political leaders, but being able to put questions to them and gain sound advice for their own way forward.

United Nations Committee to End Discrimination Against Women and Girls (CEDAW) member Marion Bethel put the Bahamas’ issues in a global context. She spoke on the international and regional mechanisms on human rights and gender equality. She also shared on research close to her heart – the vision and activism of the Women’s Suffrage Movement in The Bahamas. The following day, UN representative Gaynel Curry expanded on the UN Resolutions and goals and what guided on what is necessary to meet them.

Dr Rosina Wiltshire, CIWiL Founding Member and Gender Specialist, led the Saturday session on: “The Importance of Transformational and Gender-Responsible Leadership – Repositioned”. This included understanding Human Rights, democracy and political participation; and identification of the relevant core international conventions, treaties, platforms and goals that shape women’s rights and state responsibilities (CEDAW; Beijing Platform for Action; Belem do Para; SDGs). CIWiL also addressed good governance and government responsibilities, while breakout sessions allowed women to discuss these issues in smaller groups. Dr Wiltshire focused on the qualities of a transformational leader versus a transactional leader, noting that there is a greater need for more transformational leaders as it touches to the core of humanity.

Daniela Carrera-Marquis, Country Representative for Inter-American Development Bank Country Office Bahamas encouraged participants and reminded them that organisations like the IDB give women the support and in some cases, the funding necessary to achieve national development goals. During the Friday, March 26 session, Lady Anande Trotman Joseph, CIWiL Board President explained how to build partnerships and allies that could last women leaders for a lifetime.

With media and communications playing such an important role in women getting their message out, professionals in this area gave their expertise, including: Felicity Darville; D’Asante Small; Heather McDonald; Kim Welcome; and Dr Deborah Bartlett. On Saturday, March 27, the IDB’s Natalie Bethel tackled “Gender – Data and Development”. Former FNM Senator Tanya McCartney gave a riveting presentation on “Leading in a Patriarchal Society”, while Joanne Massiah laid down the rules and provided the tools, mindset and expectations in “Preparing for Representation”.

Participants gave high marks for the four-day training session, with special thanks to steering committee members Marisa Mason-Smith and Charlene Paul (Co-Chairs); Dr Jacinta Higgs, Director DGFA; UN representatives Bethel and Curry; Senate President Dr. Mildred Hall-Watson; and CIWiL board members Jewel Edwards, Sharon Martin and Sheena Culmer.

The Women in Parliament session set out a list of objectives, and the steering committee found the need for training and retraining as vital to achieve these objectives.

They include: prioritize and enact laws to address intimate partner, gender based, domestic and sexual violence, marital rape, sexual harassment, cyber violence, and online stalking; establish a statutory National Non-Violence Council empowered to provide grants for non-governmental organizations to implement non-violence programmes, public education, capacity-building training, projects and research relative to eliminations violence against women, men, boys, girls, children and families; reform constitution, laws and regulations to allow a mother to transfer her citizenship to her child; implement a gender sensitive national budget and enact a National Gender Equality Bill, to ensure the equity, equality, parity and empowerment of women and men; strengthen the national statistical system to fund and conduct surveys about gender-based violence, asset ownership, poverty, disability and migration; and promote equal participation of women in leadership matters of environment, climate change, gender mainstreaming, disaster reduction and recovery.