Media Release
26 November 2009
FRETILIN women MPs call for greater justice for women
On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, FRETILIN deputy leader in the National Parliament, Josefa Pereira, called on the President of the Republic, the de facto Government of Xanana Gusmao and the National Parliament to honestly accept that they have failed to practice what they preach on this issue, and to mend their ways.
Josefa Pereira MP is a woman of the national resistance against Indonesian occupation. The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, was established by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1999, just after the trauma of the independence Referendum conducted by the UN on August 30 that year.
President Dr José Ramos-Horta saluted the occasion: “Today we celebrate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. It is an opportunity for especially the youth to remember, but also men, that women – our mothers, wives, sisters, daughters – deserve greater respect and dedication in Timor-Leste, the world’s youngest democracy, in a way that serves as a reference of the social peace and stability of its citizens.”
Ms Pereira commented: “These are fine words but where has the President put this into practice in performing his function as head of state? It was after all he who pressured the de facto Prime Minister to illegally release the former militia leader Maternus Bere, who was indicted, arrested and awaiting trial for crimes against humanity including the murder, rape and sexual slavery of women and young girls. These are crimes of extreme violence against Timorese women and girl children. Are they not deserving of justice? Does respect and dedication not include striving for justice for women victims of violent crimes? Yes, they are deserving and yes, justice must be sought.
“As for the government, the de facto Prime Minister made himself clear before parliament, that he thought that the women victims of the rape and murderous conduct by Bere came a very far second place to diplomatic relationships with Indonesia, and his warped perception of ‘national interest’. In this he was supported by the women MPs from all political parties in the National Parliament, except for FRETILIN and PUN. The President of the Parliamentary Women’s Group and Vice President of the National Parliament, Maria Paixao, said nothing to advocate for justice for Bere’s victims. It seems after this week’s debate in parliament that the main focus of the Parliamentary Women’s Group is international travel,” Ms Pereira said.
“UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon also protested against ‘domestic violence’, referring to ‘unforgivable crimes’, that plague some parts of the world: such as the use of rape as a weapon of war, sex trafficking, 'honor' killings, and genital mutilation."
Ms Pereira said that this embodied the real meaning of how to celebrate this day - advocating the eradication of such violent crimes against women, by insisting on justice for the victims and prosecution of the perpetrators of such crimes, not their impunity, and hopes that the UN too lived up to their words.
For further information please contact
Media release
24 June 2007
Literacy and primary health care campaigns vital for women
Campaigns to promote literacy and primary health care in Timor -Leste
(East Timor) are vital elements of the FRETILIN government's drive for
greater female participation in the economic, social and political
life of the nation, according to FRETILIN parliamentary candidate and
current Vice Minister for Education and Culture, Ilda da Conceicao.
Ms da Conceicao, a former a guerrilla fighter and organiser of the
Popular Organisation for Timorese Women (OPMT) continued:
"This is why FRETILIN will fund scholarships and incentive payments to
assist women and young girls to complete their education from primary
school all the way to tertiary institutions," she said.
"Women are one of the three main groups we are targeting in our
National Literacy Campaign, not only as participants but also as
literacy tutors. It is well known that when women learn to read and
write there is a big improvement in their confidence and they are more
likely to assert themselves politically and economically.
"Improvements in literacy also reduce infant mortality and improve the
overall health of women and children."
Ms da Conceicao said the FRETILIN government has also focused primary
health care on improving the health of mothers and children and
improving reproductive health practices.
"Timor-Leste has the highest fertility rate in the world –7.8 children
per woman of child bearing age – and between 42- 80 per 10,000 women
die giving birth. A combination of primary health care and education
can help reduce these figures."
She acknowledged that FRETILIN still has more to do to promote women's rights.
"Some of our opponents have criticised FRETILIN for not passing
domestic violence legislation. However, we are preparing this
legislation to include in the new penal code, which is a long and
difficult process. Timor-Leste has a developing justice sector and its
inability to deal effectively with domestic violence is a legacy of
this.
"FRETILIN knows better than any party that women are the victims of
war, and that violence against women continues when the conflict
stops.
"FRETILIN has promoted women's rights and gender equality since its
formation in 1974. It pioneered the women's rights movement in
Timor-Leste and established OPMT in 1975, the first Timorese women's
organisation," she said. "FRETILIN promoted women's rights during the
resistance and the struggle continues up to the present. The FRETILIN
government set up the vulnerable persons unit in the PNTL (police
force) which combats crime against women and children.
"We must all redouble our efforts to change community attitudes. It is
the duty of men to work together with women on this. We call on all
political parties to make a commitment to campaign against violence
against women. We must demand the highest standards of our own
political leaders, who must set an example."
For more information, please contact:
Media Release
23 June 2007
FRETILIN advances women's participation in politics
The FRETILIN government has overcome enormous barriers to help women
in Timor-Leste (East Timor) achieve greater participation in political
life.
"Representation of women in the Timor-Leste parliament is among the
highest in the world, despite very low education levels," said Ana
Pessoa Minister for State Administration and a FRETILIN parliamentary
candidate.
"It was FRETILIN who argued strongly for the inclusion of a specific
clause in the Constitution to guarantee equality," she said.
Ms Pessoa said, "FRETILIN has worked to build a legislative framework
to fulfil the constitutional commitment to equality since taking
government in 2002."
Ms Pessoa is a former provincial judge in
experienced civil law jurist. She has wide experience in legal issues
concerning women's and children's rights and had extensive input into
the drafting of Timor-Leste's Constitution.
"It was FRETILIN that ensured women were well represented in the
Constitutional Assembly and the first parliament by having 27% female
representation it is first parliamentary list. This has resulted in
the representation of women in the East Timorese parliament being
amongst the highest in the world, including the first world. In the
forthcoming election 22 of our candidates are women when the minimum
requirement is 16.
"The electoral laws developed by my Ministry require all parties to
ensure one in four candidates for parliamentary elections are women.
If given another term in office FRETILIN will work towards improving
on this ratio. My Ministry was also responsible for the local suco
(administrative level) council legislation which included a
requirement that two women representatives and a representative of
young women be present in each suco council."
Ms Pessoa said FRETILIN has also promoted women to senior positions in
government.
"Currently women hold senior positions in the Council of Ministers,
including the Minister and Vice Minister of Planning and Finance, the
Minister and one of the Vice Ministers of Education and Culture, the
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, the Minister of
Public Works and myself, as Minister for State Administration.
"We also appointed women to senior positions in the civil service. The
Permanent Secretary of Agriculture for example, is a woman. We
established an Office for the Promotion of Equality inside the Prime
Minister's Office and each Ministry has a focal point for gender
issues. These are some of the practical expressions of the FRETILIN
government's commitment to developing a modern society in which women
are treated as equals and with respect.
"I believe FRETILIN has been able to sustain women's rights as a
priority issue in our party because almost 50% of our members on the
National Political Commission and almost 30% of members on the Central
Committee are women. The National Political Commission and the
Central Committee are the highest decision -making organs within
FRETILIN.
"These legal and administrative measures are just part of the process
to improve the overall status of women. In a country with very low
education levels, and where 52% of women are illiterate, there are
huge barriers to women's equal participation in the economic, social
and political life of the nation." said Ms Pessoa.
For more information, please contact:
Media release
4 May 2007
Female literacy must be a priority, says Lu Olo
Teaching women to read and write is a proven way of reducing infant
mortality and improving the health of women and children, FRETILN
presidential candidate Francisco Guterres Lu Olo said today.
Lu Olo said he would establish a women's unit in the Office of the
President to help reinforce female literacy and other needs of women
on the national development agenda.
"Investment in female literacy will make a major contribution to the
health and well-being of current and future generations of Timorese,"
Lu Olo said.
"Literacy is not just about reading and writing, but about empowering
women to assert themselves politically and economically. It is also
generally agreed that literate women are less likely to be victims of
domestic violence, which is a major problem in all post-conflict
societies."
Lu Olo continued: "The women of Timor-Leste hold a special place in
our society. Not only are they the centre of the family and vital
members of the workforce, especially in the rural farming economy but
also they bore the brunt of the violence during the Indonesian
military occupation of our nation. Women actively participated in
the resistance in a decisive way by taking up arms, forming the
backbone of the clandestine movement and working tirelessly on the
diplomatic front."
Lu Olo said he fought alongside many courageous women during his 24
years in the resistance army FALANTIL. "I know from first hand
experience the sacrifices women made for our nation's independence. It
is our duty now to ensure that all women our wives, mothers, sisters
and daughters are respected and treated as equals."
Lu Olo said promoting gender equality and women's rights requires much
more than simply writing provisions in the Constitution and enacting
laws to establish equality with men.
"Improving the literacy rate is an essential beginning. There must
be a clear focus on developing policies and strategies which increase
women's participation in the workforce, provides opportunities for
them to further their education, improve their health indicators and
empower women with the skills and support to become key decision
makers in our society and share equally in the benefits of
Independence.
"I will build on the many achievements of the FRETILIN Government and
the hard work of civil society organisations since 2001. The needs and
goals of Timorese women, young and old will be a focus of my work as
your president during the next five years. I will set up a women's
unit as a mechanism to ensure the voices of all women are at the top
of the national agenda."
Basic Social indicator data:
The adult illiteracy rate in Timor-Leste is estimated to be 46%
nationally. For women, the rate is 52%, but rises to 90% in some
remote regions. Timor-Leste also has the highest fertility rate in the
world sitting at 7.8 children per woman of child bearing age. However,
42- 80 per 10,000 women die giving birth.
Infant mortality, meaning deaths before age one, is at 88 per 1000
live births and 128 per 1000 children die under the age of five. 45%
of children under the age of 5 are also underweight.
For more information contact:
No comments:
Post a Comment