Members of Parliament have urged for more participation and protection of women's roles in decision-making institutions. INNOCENT MANDA of Malawi News Agency writes
As women continue to push for a greater role in Malawi's political leadership, Members of Parliament have called for stronger representation and protection of women's positions in decision-making structures, saying sustained support is key to ensuring their voices remain influential in Parliament.
Member of Parliament for Zomba Malosa Constituency Grace Kwelepeta made the call while contributing to a report presented by the Parliamentary Women's Caucus in Parliament, where she commended Parliament, Oxfam and other stakeholders for supporting women legislators through leadership development and capacity-building initiatives.
Kwelepeta said the Women's Caucus has made notable progress in fostering unity among female legislators despite challenges that have affected women's representation in Parliament over the years.
"Today we have seen a sign of unity, and I am very sure that from now onwards women move together because divided we fall, united we stand," said Kwelepeta.
The legislator acknowledged Oxfam for its continued support towards empowering women Members of Parliament through various capacity-building programmes, including a recent training held in Salima.
"Almost every woman here knows what Oxfam is doing to us. They are there doing a recommendable job, they gave us capacity building on how women can handle things," she said.
Kwelepeta said women politicians face unique challenges as they balance their responsibilities as mothers, wives and Members of Parliament, making continued support from stakeholders indispensable.
"It is not easy to be a woman politician. We undergo a lot of things. We are mothers, we are wives, and we are supposed also to be Members of Parliament. We have to balance all those issues," she said.
She appealed to the Speaker's office to safeguard leadership positions currently held by women, saying such positions should continue to be headed by fellow women whenever vacancies arise.
"You should really protect the chairmanships or vice-chairmanships of all the women that are holding them right now. In case anything happens to them, those positions should really continue to be headed by fellow women," she appealed.
The Parliamentary Women's Caucus has been engaging key institutions, including the Ministry of Gender, the Malawi Human Rights Commission and the Malawi Police Service, through consultative meetings aimed at assessing the escalating gender-based violence crisis and recommending measures to strengthen the national response.