Political Participation

On February 7-13, 2011, BAOBAB for Women's Human Rights held a political education training for young women in Kogi State, Nigeria, using WLP's political participation manual Leading to Action. The training promoted gender sensitive culture within academic institutions, shared the principles of horizontal leadership, promoted women's visibility and involvement in strategic decision making positions, and contributed to building the self-esteem and confidence of participants to act as leaders in challenging situations.

BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights views women’s public and political participation as critical towards reshaping the economic, political, and social landscape to allow for equality in opportunities for both women and men. We envision a society devoid of fundamentalisms of any kind where women’s human rights becomes an integral part of everyday life. We know that this can only happen with the active participation and inclusion of women in all spheres of development, for their own good and the good of society.

Political Participation Training
Abia, Nigeria

According to Nigeria's 2006 census, women are nearly half the country's population (48.78 percent) — a percentage that is not at all reflected in women's representation in government and decision-making positions.

But that could change, and soon. As part of its commitment to increasing women's role in all of public life, BAOBAB held a July 21-27 training session in Abia for a group of politically enthusiastic and ambitious young women.

Participants included members of the media, Abia state government officials, 30 young women undergraduates and 30 women political aspirants.

From 13 to 16 March 2009, the Association of Women Heads of Families (AFCF) organized a training workshop for trainers in female leadership in collaboration with the Democratic Association of Moroccan Women (ADFM) and with support from Women’s Learning Partnership for Rights Development and Peace (WLP). According to Ms. El Moctar, president of AFCF, female leadership is feasible in Mauritania. “We cannot wait for a favorable situation. One cannot expect that people give us the opportunity to evolve as leaders. It is up to us, women, to win and create this dynamic of leadership, whatever the political, environmental, economical, and social situation."

Today, Ms. Afkhami said, we "need to adopt new ways of looking at the forces that produce and control social and cultural power, and focus on strategies that increase women’s leadership and access to power." She went on to describe the connection between women’s leadership and reducing violence against women. "There is new scholarship that shows not only is there a causality between women in power and a reduction in violent conflict, but the original social conditions that allowed for the rise of democracy and greater gender parity included a significant reduction in violent patriarchy."