Global effort to support women empowerment

I n the presence of Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife to the King, and President of the Supreme Council of Women, the Supreme Council for Women concluded the International conference on a high note promoting women’s participation in politics. The conference held under the patronage of HRH Princess Sabeeka Bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Wife of the King of Bahrain, President of Supreme Council for Women, focused on Global Developments in Achieving Equitable Gender Competitiveness and Women’s Participation in Public Life ‘Policy, Legislation and Decision- Making’.

Speaking to Tribune, Hala Al Ansari, the Secretary-General of Supreme Council For Women said, “We are so glad to have hosted this conference in this time in particular as we see a lot of women contesting in legislative and municipal elections where I believe it might be quiet interesting to showcase what is happening in the political field as well as how the women of Bahrain are performing in the same thing that their counterparts are going through.”

“In Bahrain, we are changing our language, we are changing our approach, where we are speaking of terminating the gap between men and women in the work field, thus how can we initiating quotas where our indicators prove that the women of our country are starting to create a balance.” “I believe how can we ask for quotas when we have the balance between men and women if we create a quota system we are just creating stereotypes of women and further creating imbalance situation.”

Al Ansari further stressed the importance of providing continual platforms through which ideas and experiences can be exchanged among all countries in the field of politics so that to accelerate the process of women in politics. Samira Rajab, Special Envoy of the Royal Court Bahrain further told tribune, “I believe we don’t need women empowerment anymore leave alone quota as women in Bahrain are in equal partnership with men.

We emphasize the fact of no more quota system or empowerment as it is downgrading. “Also, we need to work together to change the global perception of women in the Arab world. Our reality, our life is completely different, wherein Bahrain women have more rights, more rules and an advanced constitution for the rights for women, where even in the USA the constitution doesn’t mention the equality between men and women, so we are more advanced than them in term of laws, practising our life but instead portrayed in a stereotypical approach.”