Youth

For Theonila Roka Matbob, the pain in her distant past is deeply etched in her mind.

She grew up in the shadow of the controversial Bougainville mine, and her father, John Roka, was killed during the Bougainville conflict.

She still remembers that day when her dad was taken away by armed men from a faction in the conflict.

She was only three years old.

"They were starting to drag dad. They dragged him while he was still holding me and dad had to drop me onto the lawn and when I fell, I remember crying and then dad being taken away."

John was one of 20,000 people who died during the conflict.

It is a painful wound for the region and more than 20 years later, Bougainville is still working to mend itself.

As Theonila grew up, the painful experience lingered in her memory. She was fuelled by a desire to heal the hurt both her family and the region had gone through. 

She started first by setting up a community education centre with counselling resources.

"I kind of felt that there was no point in me continuing to pity myself and my siblings for what had happened. I wanted to take up a journey that would then be able to compensate in a more meaningful way," Theonila said.

And then, still in her twenties, she turned her sights to politics.

Read here the full article published by the ABC Australia on 27 August 2024.

Image by ABC Australia

In a landmark move, the Nigerian House of Representatives has taken a significant step towards empowering women in politics.

Spearheaded by one of the female lawmakers, Blessing Amadi, the House adopted a motion to establish a dedicated department within the Ministry of Women Affairs, complete with adequate funding to support and train women in politics.

The department will also work to integrate the importance of women’s political leadership into the secondary school curriculum.

The Speaker Tajudeen Abbas tasked the relevant committees with organizing training and seminars for women interested in running for office, particularly in rural areas, recognizing that politics begins at the grassroots level.

Amadi, a champion for women’s rights and a prominent member of the Peoples Democratic Party, highlighted the stark underrepresentation of women in politics at both national and subnational levels, emphasizing the need for change.

She said, “Women are holding less than eight per cent of seats in both National and state Assemblies. We are aware that societal factors such as cultural or religious norms, marriage, indigeneship etc., impede women’s participation and representation in politics.

Read here the full article published by Urban Woman on 10 July 2024.

Image by Urban Woman

Galloway, N.J. – Did you know that New Jersey has never sent a woman to the U.S. Senate? Or that New Jersey ranks 23rd among the 50 states in the proportion of women serving in its legislature?

To address women’s underrepresentation in politics, the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP), housed at Rutgers University’s New Brunswick campus, hosts the Susan N. Wilson NEW Leadership residential program, which introduces college women to the world of politics and successful women leaders in the field to encourage them to consider how the political process plays a role in their daily lives.

Two Stockton University students, Rachel Dunlap, from Newark, and Detty-Maidanove Exantus, from Pleasantville, were sponsored by the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy to attend the program this June.

“The William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at Stockton is pleased to support students who want to attend this unique leadership program designed to increase the representation of women in politics,” said Tina Zappile, director of the center. “In this powerful training, our students learn how to be more involved in the political process, whether through a career in public service, work in the private sector, or community involvement. The voices of Detty and Rachel, along with other Stockton NEWL alumni, are critical for a thriving democracy.”

For Dunlap, an Africana Studies major, the program was a “welcoming environment” that allowed her to experience perspectives different from her own in an empowering space.

“We were accepted from the moment we got there to the very end. It was an amazing opportunity to be surrounded by like-minded women who constantly encouraged and supported other women, even though we didn’t know each other,” Dunlap said. “To a certain extent, I believe that my personal experiences and background allowed me to have a different perspective on different political and global issues that we were discussing. But our differences in perspectives were unifying and understood on an intellectual level, allowing us to empower each other to be better scholars and activists.”

Read here the full article published by the Stockton University on 9 July 2024.

Image by Stockton University

Milica Borjanic is a vocal advocate for youth rights in Serbia and programme manager with The National Youth Council of Serbia (KOMS), as the highest independent representative body of the youth in Serbia. Last year, she was one of the participants of the UN Women's training for trainers on women's political participation and leadership.

"Doing politics means deciding on the socio-political context in which we will be living thus having a direct impact on the quality of our life. For this reason, it is very important that women play an active role in creating conditions for gender equality and opportunities for the development of conditions for a better and equal treatment of women.

More and more women are getting involved in political life albeit many of them, unfortunately, pro forma- for the sake of fulfilling a certain quota. We can prevent this kind of abuse of gender equality mechanisms by promoting and showcasing examples of women who fought for decision-making positions and paved the way for other women to follow in their footsteps. 

However, when we look at the percentage of women in the total population, and then on the other hand, we look at the percentage of women present in institutions and in decision-making positions, we will understand that these two percentages are not only not equal, but that there is a drastic difference and much smaller number of women included in the decision-making processes.

Read here the full article published by UN Women on 4 July 2024.

Women in South India have made significant strides in various fields, but politics remains a challenging arena. Despite the region's progressive reputation, female politicians face numerous barriers in their careers. This blog post explores the challenges and achievements of ladies in politics in South India, offering valuable insights into their journey and the ongoing efforts to enhance their representation.

Historical Context

Male leaders have historically dominated the political landscape of South India. However, women have gradually emerged as influential figures. The journey began with pioneering leaders like Janaki Ramachandran in Tamil Nadu and K. R. Gouri Amma in Kerala, who broke societal norms to pave the way for future generations.

Read here the full article published by The News Minute on 27 June 2024.

Image by The News Minute