By Ahmed Elumami.
Tripoli, 28 May 2013:
Congresswomen are threatening to boycott the vote on the law authorising the election of the new commission . . .[restrict]that is to draw up the new constitution. They are demanding that 35 percent of the seats on the body be reserved for women.
It was announced a week ago that the draft law, drawn up by a team headed by Benghazi Congressman Suleiman Zubi, was all but ready to be presented to Congress. The only delay was over the possible allocation of seats for women and other groups.
According to Benghazi Congresswoman Amina Magherbi, some members of the drafting team had proposed 25 percent, others 15 percent and some did not want any guarantees for women at all.
In an attempt to put pressure on Congress to agree the 35-percent reservation, a group of Libyan women activists and members of civil society organisations today protested in front of Congress’ headquarters.
“We consider that the draft law on the Commission of 60 election is unfair in regards to Libyan woman’s right and does not help women’s access to the Commission,” Shahrazad Maghrabi, director of the Libyan Women’s Forum told the Libya Herald.
The proposed law as it stands was based on individual canddates standing. It would probably mean that no women at all would be elected, she said.
Nadine Mohamed Nasrat, manager of the Tripoli branch of the Committee to Support Women’s Participation in Decision Making, told the Libya Herald that all Libyan women had to take the issue of the Commission seriously if women’s rights in the future were to be ensured.
She said that there were strong links between the protesters, from various organisations, and Congresswomen.
A meeting on Monday between the organisations and Congressman Zubi appears to not to have made any progress.
According to Hend Khaled, a member of the Libyan Women’s Forum, he had said that men and women were equal under the constitutional declaration and that therefore they should take part in the elections as individuals.
She accused him of being patronising.
”Zubi talked with us in a derisive way and I think that this is the Qaddafi’s mentality,” she stated.
Congresswoman Amna Emter told the Libya Herald that the protesters had the right to demand equality with men on the 60 commission.
She complained that seats were being allocated for the Amazigh and Tuareg but not for women, although they too were a group in society.
“Unfortunately, this is a patriarchal society,” she said, pointing out that Libyan women had to pay attention to such challenges”.
http://www.libyaherald.com/2013/05/21/draft-law-on-electing-constitutional-commission-expected-next-week/ [/restrict]
