The Tribune

By FELICITY DARVILLE

THIS is a glorious time for women in The Bahamas. History is in the making! Seven women are about to be sworn in as Members of Parliament. For the first time, more women will have a say and will be able to represent voters in the House of Assembly than ever before.

This win for women can be attributed to the advocacy of NGOs that have been working for years to bring the country to this point.

For years, Zonta Club has been helping to promote the advancement of women. The women of Zonta have held workshops, walked the streets in inner city communities and promoted their cause through the media. We may know them well for their very visible campaign in tandem with the United Nations to “Say No to Violence Against Women and Girls.”

But Zontians have done much more than that to agitate for the advancement of women. Their goals have always included seeing more women in leadership and in policy making. They insist that women’s advancement in society is crucial, while pointing out the role of men as leaders remains vital. They believe that with mutual respect and support, men and women must work together to take the country forward.

Through the years, Zonta’s advocacy took shape in many ways. Zontians worked closely with the Department of Gender and Family Affairs (DGFA), which hosted Women in Politics sessions during National Women’s Week in November of 2018. History makers in politics took part, including former Deputy Prime Minister Cynthia “Mother” Pratt; MP Glenys Hanna-Martin; former Speaker of the House of Assembly Italia Johnson; and the first woman to serve as acting Prime Minister, first female Attorney General and the first female Member of Parliament in the Bahamas, Dame Janet Bostwick. A host of other women Senators, MPs, political party representatives, and civic leaders attended. They spoke about the need for the perception of women in politics to change, so that young girls could begin to aspire to be policy makers. They spoke about the need for equality in campaign financing, and the need for family support.

Women in Leadership sessions were also held through the years, designed to embrace a broader spectrum of current and aspiring women leaders, including politicians.

But it was the Women in Parliament session held in December, 2020 that really foretold of the historic days to come. Leading up to Women in Parliament, Zonta held its “16 Days to End Violence Against Women and Girls” from November 24 to December 10, International Human Rights Day. Zonta focused the campaign in the Nassau Village community last year. Former Speaker of the House of Assembly and MP for The area Halson Moultrie gladly welcomed Zonta to the constituency. A number of NGOs took part, including Families of All Murder Victims (FOAM), which was born in the heart of Nassau Village.

Then on December 11, he welcomed the first-ever Women in Parliament session to the lower chambers. In that special Parliament sitting, a Resolution for women’s rights was presented by the DGFA under the Ministry of Social Services and Urban Development, Zonta, Caribbean Women in Leadership (CIWIL) and other NGOs. The theme of the Resolution: “Accelerating the Empowerment and Advancement of Women in Parliamentary Representation, Economic Development, and Protection Against Gender-Based Violence.” The session was held in tandem with the observance of the 58th anniversary of the Enactment of the Right of Women to Vote and the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. Women representatives from around the Bahamas and from different walks of life had their say.

“The Resolution called for, in part, the country to Institute Quotas for all Political Parties to ensure that no less than:

“30% of the constituencies in 2022 general election be reserved for women;

“50% of Senatorial appointments by both government and opposition are women;

“50% of candidates chosen to contest local government elections are women;

“50% of Cabinet appointments be women;

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

Today, that Resolution bears a bit of fruit as we are gearing up to welcome seven women MPs to Parliament out of just under 40 seats. Also, the number of women in Cabinet has increased. MP Lanisha Rolle was the only female Cabinet Minister in the previous administration. Her leave paved the way for Pakeisha Parker-Edgecombe to join the Cabinet, still meaning just one woman had a seat at the table, among 18 men. The newly elected administration has five female decision makers in Cabinet, and they will serve side by side with 17 men.

Nearly all of these women, and most of the women who offered themselves in the General Elections, participated in a four-day virtual symposium, which took place this past March. CIWIL led the session, in partnership with Zonta, the Inter American Development Bank and DGFA.

The Parliamentary and Public Office Symposium brought together women from across the political divide, and was held for women aspiring to political office and public service as well as those already leading the way. Topics included: understanding the Bahamian political culture; good governance and Government responsibilities; transformational and gender responsible leadership; strategies for running an effective political campaign; and communications for effective public and political leadership. I had the honour of being one of the presenters and I brought the topic: “Ten Golden Rules for Media Relations.”

Marisa Mason Smith has been Zonta’s International Advocacy Chairperson for the past nine years, and she is the current and three-time President of the Zonta Club of New Providence. She has been an advocate for women fulfilling in quota under the CEDAW Convention signed by successive Bahamian governments for the advancement of women to public office and to Parliament.

Following the results of the recent general election, she said the Zonta Club of New Providence (ZCNP) was encouraged by the many women elected to represent constituencies in the country, winning 7 out of the 39 seats in the House of Assembly (18 per cent).

“We look forward to engaging in discussion with these new MPs and we thank them for offering themselves as candidates to serve the country,” she said.

“While the number of women still hits below the international 30 percent minimum for political participation, our organisation is confident that this step will go a long way in achieving critical mass of representation if we want to see equality and progress for women in the nation.”

The ZCNP believes that having more women in political positions are key to ensuring policies that support the advancement and empowerment of women are put in place. The ZCNP encourages Instituting Quotas for all Political Parties to ensure, among other targets, that no less than 30 percent of the constituencies in the next general election be reserved for women and 50 percent of Cabinet appointments be women.

The Zonta Club of New Providence is member of Zonta International and is committed to empowering women through service, education and advocacy. Zonta International advocates for the rights of women and girls to be recognised across the globe and for every woman to reach her full potential.