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By Nadia El-Ahmar.
Tripoli, 27 September 2013:
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and . . .[restrict]civil society held a workshop in Tripoli on 22 -25 September 2013.
The workshop addressed ways and steps that can be taken to reach a joint action plan to empower women and promote political participation through building a coalition to advocate for increasing women’s political participation.
The workshop brought representatives of civil society organizations and political parties together to facilitate exchanging views and to agree on an action plan to be submitted to legislators and decision-makers to involve women in the democratic transition process.
Around twenty five women and six men attended the workshop. The aim of the workshop was to reach a joint action plan to empower women through building a coalition to advocate and increase women’s political participation.
The workshop brought representatives of civil society organisations and political parties to facilitate exchanging views and to agree on an action plan to be submitted to legislators and decision-makers to involve women in the democratic transition process.
One of the women who attended the workshop explained that the reason why she is attending is to understand the political process and encourages the United Nation’s mission to get women more involved in that process.
“We women are slowly opening our eyes and trying to be part of the political process” one woman told the Libya Herald.
The lead speaker Doctor Moeen Shareem said that “debating is imperative for understanding each other’s point of view and in that debating process, women should take full part.”
After Gaddafi fell there was a national transitional council and now we have a government. This is the process of democratisation. However, many women in the room were complaining about the way politicians are acting. Doctor Shareem explained that it is natural due to being suppressed for 42 years under the Gaddafi regime.
“The problem now is how to change the way politicians are acting” Doctor Shareem said. It was agreed that there needs to be a political solution, without violence.
The parliament is supposed to make the laws and the government implement them. But both are doing the same thing, Doctor Shareem explained. The government and the parliament need to come to an agreement in order to get Libyans, including women from every city around one table. Libyans need to start talking to each other and reach an agreement. “If problems continue to be solved with weapons, Libya will not move forward and hinder the participation of women.” Doctor Shareem said.
During the workshop, women from all parts of Libya had a chance to ask questions and voice their opinion on Libyan politics. One woman stated that there is no democracy between the government and the parliament. “This is why we are in such a mess” she said.
Kameela strongly expressed that “each and every individual who has committed a crime, whether murder, rape or theft, must be punished accordingly before Libya can move forward.” [/restrict]
