WUNRN
RWANDA - WOMEN'S STRONG LEADERSHIP
IN GOVERNMENT
Eunice Wanjiru interviews ODETTE NYIRAMILIMO, Rwandan member
of the East African Legislative Assembly
KIGALI , Jul 29 (IPS) - Fifty-six percent of Rwanda's
parliamentarians are women, a manifestation of the active role women have taken
in rebuilding the country since the 1994 genocide.
Odette Nyiramilimo, who was Rwanda's minister of state for
social affairs from 2000 to 2003 and a senator from 2003 to 2008, attributes
the strong presence of Rwandan women in government to an enabling environment
for affirmative action in Rwanda.
She believes the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing
in 1995 was a key influence for Rwandan women; as is the firm commitment from
President Paul Kagame that women's rights are human rights and that development
is not possible whilst leaving behind 52 percent of the population.
Excerpts of the interview follow.
IPS: Many countries have statements, laws, and quotas
designed to increase participation of women in government, but still fail when
it comes to implementation. What has motivated and sustained Rwanda's efforts
to achieve gender parity in the legislature?
Odette Nyiramilimo: I can say the thirst for development. If
more than half the population remains behind, you can be sure of failure.
Another reason is that in the aftermath of the genocide,
women played a great role in rebuilding the country. Women worked hard, took
care of the orphans, brought communities together, so everybody could see women
were key players. After that, the reality fell upon us that women's voices need
to be heard.
IPS: What are some of the major challenges you've faced
along the way and how did you overcome them?
ON: To have women participate fully in political positions,
the biggest challenge was women themselves. They were not trained to be
politicians; they were not even trained to be leaders in any sphere, which was
very clear during the electoral periods. You wouldn't see a single woman vying
for any position. But today women have realised that they too have to be part
of the development process.
The other challenge is men. They did not understand how a
woman could be a leader. They thought women are better at home taking care of
families or doing some social work as nurses, institutors... but today they do
understand, because they have seen what women can do. They have experienced the
leadership of women.
The other challenge is cultural barriers, where women feel
that they have to let men lead. A woman being the heart of the family has
limited time to spend in an office, to look for information by reading
newspapers or listening to news. They have other responsibilities of taking
care of the children and the husband.
But now there is some change of heart in men, who now
understand that they too need to be proactive in taking care of their families
as compared to a few years back.
I would say the challenge that women face today is balancing
careers and family, being leaders - especially as women - needs to start at
home. We cannot abscond from our duties as mothers and wives, and therefore
need to learn the delicate art of balancing. Failing at home will more often
than not be interpreted as weak or incapable leadership.
It is time men stop seeing women as competitors but as
partners. We still experience hostilities as women from some of our male
colleagues. Some of them started feeling threatened by the large number of
women in parliament and started advocating for a change in the law, saying that
women should not receive special treatment in the next elections.
But we are fighting for the same cause: and that is
development for our country. That is what they should understand.
These were the major challenges. We recognise that we are
still not yet there and there's a lot more to be done to achieve equality for
all. Our aim is to have 30 percent of women in every sector, commerce,
education, health, and so on.
IPS: How did you manage to achieve this? How were you
able to encourage women and convince men that women too can lead?
ON: First by drawing up laws that gave women more rights. In
1999, we passed a law on inheritance and for the first time women could inherit
land from their families. After that several other laws were passed that made
sure women too had a say.
In 2003, the new constitution allocated 30 percent to women
at any decision making position, which ended up having 48 percent of seats in
parliament held by women, an effort that encouraged women to participate in
politics, from local governments to highest level.
Women's associations like Unity Club, Rwanda Women Leaders
Caucus, Rwanda Women Parliamentary Forum, also played a big role at sensitising
women to take part. Their members, as women in leadership, also held
educational conferences for women and girls. We went to schools, talked to
associations, to public gatherings, to opinion leaders, and so on... It is
still an ongoing process.
A good example is an initiative by the first lady called the
Imbuto Foundation, which awards girls topping their classes in primary and
secondary education. Women in leadership positions are invited by this
organisation to encourage the girls not only to perform in class but also
outside class and it has had tremendous results in changing the mindset.
IPS: You and other women have been in a position of power
for a significant time now. What changes have you brought to parliament and
government and how have these changes translated into general improvement for
the Rwandan women?
ON: First and foremost is the change in the mindset that
says women should always play second fiddle. Rwandese culture - and African
culture - generally spells out a woman’s position as second to the man.
That has now changed. Women now have confidence in
themselves that they can be politicians, entrepreneurs, and scientists. A
significant number of them are doing quite a job influencing the rest of the
population.
Today it is easier for women to access bank loans - that was
unheard of a few years back. In my own personal experience I couldn't get a
bank loan simply because I was a woman!
The number of girls and women in higher institutions of
learning has increased; especially the number of those doing Sciences and
Technology has shot up significantly as compared to yesteryears.
IPS: At what levels would you say women have been able to
influence government the most?
ON: I would say at the national level, because that is the
level that has potential for most tangible results. A good example being
passing of crucial laws: inheritance law, law against gender based violence,
gender mainstreaming in budget, to mention a few.
Women in leadership believe that a continued advocacy for
gender equality is needed at all levels, particularly at the grassroots, and
educating our male peers on the importance of involving equally women for the
greater growth of our nation.
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