PWWSD conducts Workshop on Women’s Important Participation in Local Elections

Within the activities implemented by the Women Empowerment Program at PWWSD in Nablus, a workshop was conducted in Howara, in cooperation with the Woman’s Committee for Social Work, and in accordance with the program’s objective to empower women in the public and private spheres, and to encourage women to participate in the local elections in October. Representatives of several feminist and civil society organizations, as well as potential candidates joined the session.

Civic educator Subheyye Daraghmeh talked about the objectives of the meeting, which fall under the organization’s campaign to strengthen women’s participation in the elections, and develop women’s participation in the decision-making circles. Daragmeh talked about the figures announced by the Elections Central Committee for the electoral process which indicate that 48% women in Nablus have registered for the elections. The statistics show a positive change in women’s political trends, as they are relatively high compared to neighboring countries.
The previous women candidates shared their experience in the local council at Howara, including the failures and struggles, in order to assess their participation and encourage other women to run for the local councils. They also talked about the role of the society, the organizations and political parties, in mobilizing an effective women participation in the elections.

The main focus of the workshop was to highlight the importance of supporting women in the elections, in the negotiation process, and during the lists formation. The civic educator accented the respect of women’s rights as human rights, the obligation to conduct educational campaigns, and the commitment to benefit from women’s experiences, in order to build women’s capacities and enable them to join the local councils and make promising models for other women.