Defending Children's Rights: The Legislative Priorities of Rwandan Women Parliamentarians
Publication Date: April 2008
Authors: Elizabeth Powley
Abstract: Inclusion of women in national legislatures has had positive policy outcomes for children and families. Global analyses, and the Rwanda case in particular, indicate that female legislators are more likely to prioritize issues such as family health and welfare, and the defense of children’s rights. This publication draws on extensive interviews with parliamentarians and others, as well as content analysis of local newspapers and participant observation research by the author, who directed a three-year women’s leadership project in the country. The publication both describes the role and progress of women in Rwanda’s transitional parliament, constitution drafting process, and 2003 parliamentary elections; and outlines the steps female parliamentarians have taken to address the needs and rights of children through three pieces of legislation. (24 pages plus endnotes)
Key Findings:
- Including women in national legislatures leads to positive outcomes for children: Female legislators are more likely than their male colleagues to prioritize children’s rights and family health and welfare.
- The more women in a legislature, the more effective they will be in advocating for children. As their numbers have risen, female parliamentarians in Rwanda have been increasingly assertive in their legislative agenda to protect children.
- Women’s cross-party parliamentary caucuses, such as The Forum of Rwandan Women Parliamentarians, are a valuable organizing tool, essential for increasing women’s strength and effectiveness in legislatures.
- Women parliamentarians have been vital in promoting children’s interests in Rwanda. In 1999, they led advocacy for legislation that established women and girls’ rights to inheritance and succession; in 2001, they helped pass the “Law Relating to the Rights and Protection of the Child against Violence”; and in 2006, they drafted and introduced a gender-based violence bill that places special emphasis on crimes against children.
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