The Women Legislative Caucus of Liberia has recently ended a one-day strategic roundtable discussion on the equitable participation draft Act of 2016 with a call for women to unite in support of the bill.
The Bill seeks to create 21 additional seats in the House of Representatives, but exclusively for women, youth and persons living with disabilities.
According to the draft Bill, 15 seats will be created for women, while the other six will be exclusively occupied by three youths and three physically challenged persons.
The draft Bill divided the country into three regions from which youth and physically challenged persons will be elected in a process provided and guided by the National Election Commission (NEC).
In her keynote address, gender activist and chair of the Constitution Review Committee (CRC), Gloria Scott, recalled that women have been marginalized for too long, stressing the need for new action.
She emphasized the need for women to make use of the opportunity provided by the international attention that has been given gender issues and support for the equity bill.
Scott pledged her technical and unflinching support to ensuring that the Bill meets acceptable standards and that it is passed into law.
In remarks, Senator Jewel Taylor, chairperson of the Women Legislative Caucus, said though there have been similar bills, most of which still are on the shelves due to their critical nature, she is hopeful that the equity bill of 2016 will be the final to all previous bills.
