FjYWF Day 2
9th November, 2013
Saturday
Journal log of being a participant at the Fiji Young Women's Forum (2013)
The bright morning is good for a fresh start to a brand new day.
ACCOUNT ACCOUNTABLE ACCOUNTABILITY
Personally I feel that being accountable is a lot to do 'start with my self'.
I, as an individual, need to be accountable for my action(s).
I, as an individual, need to hold others accountable for their action(s).
I, as an individual, need to promote accountability.
I, as an individual, need to provide solutions for those who I am holding accountable.
I, as an individual, need to justify and have a valid reason for holding someone accountable.
Accountability takes place in all levels of the community.
The self.
The family.
The neighborhood(s).
The religious organization(s).
The educational institutions.
The work organizations.
The friends/peers/social circles.
The Media organizations.
The Non-Government organizations.
The Government.
Any other sectors in the community also need to be held accountable.
We hold multiple identities in our lives. We are members of our families. We belong to faith-based groups. We belong to youth groups. We belong to work organizations. We belong to interest groups.
When given the opportunity to participate in a discussion we must make the most of these spaces. We must push the agendas (from our different organizations) and make the most of any spaces that we can access.
In fact - we need to start CLAIMING spaces.
We need to DEMAND for spaces and opportunities.
Panel Discussion:
First of all this was the first time I put the face to the name of Mr. Richard Naidu. (Laugh A Little: lal)
Yeah I have heard so much about him but never knew who he was (by face).
Now back to business.
I am going to admit Tara Chetty is very inspirational. To see a young woman sitting on the panel inspires me :-) And I want to congratulate her for being simply awesome.
So some of the tings that stood out for me in this discussion were:
Laws are not decrees.
Laws are governed by principles that are fair and logical.
Democracy is the rule for the people by the people.
Your right to vote means nothing if you don't have the right to participate.
Citizens have the ability to take their Government to Court (still need to understand how this even happens).
2012:
95% of head of state - MALE
93% of Head of Governments - MALE
12.4% Pacific States - WOMEN in Parliament.
Our current constitution does not include TSM.
End of this year or early next year the Elections decree should be coming out and this will steer most of our plannings and strategies.
Governance is a work in progress.
If your Organization is well Governed you can grow it.
In 10 years time when someone asks you what you were doing during our darkest hour - you better have an answer.
Barriers (for young women to participate in Political Spaces).
There were numerous barriers discussed but some of the discussions on our table were -
1) Older women do not support the younger women - this can be due to; lack of education/information, bound by culture and tradition and lack of interest.
2) Unwelcoming environment - The political spaces are not very welcoming for young women. for instance meetings taking place late in the evening with more male members and around grog bowls. Also the language used the members might not be welcoming (using swear words and discriminating slang).
Some of the solutions discussed were:
1) Inform the political parties (in writing) of these barriers and discomforts so they can address it.
2) Young women could attend the meetings in numbers (inclusive of other young/older women and men).
3) Use existing networks within the political spaces (women or young women who are already members of Political parties).
Temporary Special Measures:
This is often a very debated topic. Some people argue that anyone should be able to/allowed to enter parliament based on merits. However, women do face a separate of challenges and are not as privileged as men when i comes to Politics.
TSM:
-> is Temporary.
-> is Special
-> It is a measure
to ensure more women are able to enter the National level decision making space in the country. By having a decent amount of women in Parliament we ensure that women's needs are echoed at the National Level and that women too are included in this level of decision making.
In my (personal) opinion WOMEN need some more motivation and help to get into more decision making spaces!!
Panel Discussion:
First of all this was the first time I put the face to the name of Mr. Richard Naidu. (Laugh A Little: lal)
Yeah I have heard so much about him but never knew who he was (by face).
Now back to business.
I am going to admit Tara Chetty is very inspirational. To see a young woman sitting on the panel inspires me :-) And I want to congratulate her for being simply awesome.
So some of the tings that stood out for me in this discussion were:
Laws are not decrees.
Laws are governed by principles that are fair and logical.
Democracy is the rule for the people by the people.
Your right to vote means nothing if you don't have the right to participate.
Citizens have the ability to take their Government to Court (still need to understand how this even happens).
2012:
95% of head of state - MALE
93% of Head of Governments - MALE
12.4% Pacific States - WOMEN in Parliament.
Our current constitution does not include TSM.
End of this year or early next year the Elections decree should be coming out and this will steer most of our plannings and strategies.
Governance is a work in progress.
If your Organization is well Governed you can grow it.
In 10 years time when someone asks you what you were doing during our darkest hour - you better have an answer.
Barriers (for young women to participate in Political Spaces).
There were numerous barriers discussed but some of the discussions on our table were -
1) Older women do not support the younger women - this can be due to; lack of education/information, bound by culture and tradition and lack of interest.
2) Unwelcoming environment - The political spaces are not very welcoming for young women. for instance meetings taking place late in the evening with more male members and around grog bowls. Also the language used the members might not be welcoming (using swear words and discriminating slang).
Some of the solutions discussed were:
1) Inform the political parties (in writing) of these barriers and discomforts so they can address it.
2) Young women could attend the meetings in numbers (inclusive of other young/older women and men).
3) Use existing networks within the political spaces (women or young women who are already members of Political parties).
Temporary Special Measures:
This is often a very debated topic. Some people argue that anyone should be able to/allowed to enter parliament based on merits. However, women do face a separate of challenges and are not as privileged as men when i comes to Politics.
TSM:
-> is Temporary.
-> is Special
-> It is a measure
to ensure more women are able to enter the National level decision making space in the country. By having a decent amount of women in Parliament we ensure that women's needs are echoed at the National Level and that women too are included in this level of decision making.
In my (personal) opinion WOMEN need some more motivation and help to get into more decision making spaces!!
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