Ashlin Sharma 
[Photo: Parliament of the Republic of Fiji/FACEBOOK PAGE]
Women leaders are calling for targeted political reforms and practical backing to dismantle barriers to leadership and boost female representation in Parliament.
The call follows a Mock Parliament initiative held in Suva yesterday, featuring 58 women leaders.
Mock Parliament Prime Minister Annie Rogers says key hurdles like childcare support, campaign funding, and political backing must be addressed to encourage more women to contest national elections.
“For this morning, they’ve raised the fact that women don’t get opportunities. There’s a lot of talk about it. They’ve also raised the fact that we do need temporary special measures to be pushed so that women can have the opportunity to have the playing field leveled and women can get it. Again, it’s going to be temporary. It’s to level the playing field, to give women the opportunity to get in and make decisions”
She added that the platform provided participants with hands-on experience and confidence in parliamentary debate.
Meanwhile, Mock Parliament Leader of Opposition Ema Dimila is calling on the government and political parties to introduce gender quotas and place women in winnable positions on candidate lists.
She says political parties must also make their candidate selection processes more inclusive.
“I advise government and the gatekeepers, this one important measure. One, legislate a gender quota for party candidates with women in winnable positions, not at the bottom of the list. This, I believe, has been tabled or suggested already in Parliament”
With only five women among Parliament’s 55 members, participants say stronger action is needed to improve women representation in national leadership.
