Women hold 48 percent Rwanda's legislative seats. The impact of this on public policy and reform has been profound.
Women and girls, who used to have no inheritance rights, now inherit equally with men. Rape, once rarely prosecuted, now is commonly punished with sentences of up to 15 years in prison. And if a girl drops out of school, social workers now show up at the family home to try to get her back in class."We are having a kind of revolution," said Sen. Odette Nyiramilimo, head of the Rwandan Senate's committee on social affairs and human rights.
Rwanda seems to be the leader in Africa with regard to women in leadership, but it is interesting to note that after the atrocities and genocide of 1994, Rwanda was left with a population that is 70 percent female.
The increase of women in leadership has called for serious reforms in laws. For example,
Previously, a woman caught in an adulterous relationship automatically was divorced from her husband and lost rights to her children and home, while a male adulterer received no punishment. Today neither faces legal sanction and "it's up to the couple to decide what to do," Nyiramilimo said.
Read more via Seattle Times.
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It's incredibly tragic that the war and atrocities left such a skew in the population, but also so inspiring that the women of this country could step up and make so many positive things out of it.
I wonder if their leadership will make an impact on AIDS infection rates there.
This is excellent news, but I'm curious about attributing the gender disparity to the genocide. From the reading I've done on the Rwandan genocide, Tutsi women were not spared--they were cut down as mercilessly as Tutsi men and children (and indeed, the Hutu Power radio station encouraged Hutu women to go out and grab their chance with the men now that the stereotypically taller and more beautiful Tutsi women were dead). So how did this figure come about? Were women more likely to flee earlier?
Wow, this is actually fantastic news. They've made massive strides in just about every area it seems. While EG and micheyd have mentioned it already, I just have to say these benefits definitely didn't come without obscene violence. Hopefully it doesn't take slaughtering men to get women the rights they're due.
There is no doubt, if you are not represented, your interests and needs are often ignored. So women's political particcipation and active involvement is absolutely crucial for the advancement of their rights and welfare.
Rwanda has set an example, what can the rest of us do about it.
Not necesarily because I think this will solve all the problems women or their societiess face, but first and foremost, because its their RIGHT to do so...