Women lose foothold in Senegal government
May 28, 2007
(GIN)—An organization representing African working women has denounced
a decision to overturn a law guaranteeing a minimum number of female deputies in
Parliament in Senegal.
Rafet, the African Network of Working Women, said the recent decision by the
constitutional council to overturn the law was disappointing.
The council ruled that a law passed by Parliament late March violated the
constitution, which only grants rights to citizens and not to categories of
citizens. The law would have meant that at least 30 women would have been among
the 150 deputies of the parliamentary Assembly—20 percent of the total.
"Now the constitutional obstacle must be lifted," said Rafet President
Amsatou Sow Sidibe, a law professor at Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar. "It
is a question of human rights and democracy."
Senegal, in any case, currently has about 19 percent female representation in
Parliament, which puts it 13th on the list of African countries, and 56th
worldwide—ahead of Italy and France.
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