WOMEN IN PARLIAMENTS GLOBAL FORUM (WIP)

Transcription

1 THE SPIRIT OF WOMEN IN PARLIAMENTS: ADVANCING SOCIETY WOMEN IN PARLIAMENTS GLOBAL FORUM (WIP) REPORT WIP WORKING COUNCIL ON HEALTH - REGIONAL MENA MEETING 28 NOVEMBER 2016, BEIRUT LEBANON

2 Overview The WIP Council on Health was launched during the 2016 WIP Global Summit in Jordan, with the support of Merck. The Council serves as a platform for female Parliamentarians to share experiences and best practices in advancing women s labour force participation through better health. The Women in Parliaments Global Forum (WIP) convened 13 female Parliamentarians from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in the Lebanese Parliament on November 28, This meeting, hosted by the General Secretariat of the Lebanese National Assembly, was the first regional meeting of the WIP Council on Health. The meeting focused on new strategies and policies to remove barriers to women s health in the MENA region. Participants were introduced to The Policy Toolkit, which represents a menu of options that economies may pursue in part or as a whole on key issues on which they want to focus within the Healthy Women, Healthy Economies objective. The discussion revolved around the proposed five toolkit areas: workplace health and safety; health access and awareness; sexual and reproductive health; gender-based violence; and work life balance. The outcome of this meeting Lebanon will lead up to the discussion during the WIP Global Summit Members of the WIP Council on Health from all regions of the world are expected to attend this highlevel Summit in The Members of Parliaments who took part in the WIP Council MENA meeting were the following: Bahia Hariri, Lebanon Gilberte Zouein, Lebanon Assia Kenana, Algeria Baya Djenane, Algeria Ibba Djamila, Algeria Ismahane Benguesmia, Algeria Ouahiba Zaidi, Algeria Rafika Kesri, Algeria Bohar Sulaymani, Iraq Intissar Alkhatabi, Iraq Luma Hilfi, Iraq Falak Al jamani, Jordan Olfa Soukri Cherif, Tunisia The meeting was followed by a reception at the Lancaster Hotel in Beirut, where representatives of local and international organisations, such as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL), United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UN ESCWA), National Democratic Institute (NDI), joined the female Parliamentarians.

3 PICTURES FROM THE MEETING

4 Meeting Agenda A.M A.M. REGISTRATION AND COFFEE A.M A.M. INTRODUCTIONS AND WHY WE ARE HERE HALA HANNA SENIOR POLICY AND STRATEGY ADVISOR AT WIP KHOLOUD WATTAR KASSEM MENA COORDINATOR AT WIP REMARKS BY A SPECIAL GUEST A.M A.M PRESENTATION OF THE POLICY TOOLKIT YASMINE ROUAÏ ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, GLOBAL HEALTH POLICY AT MERCK A.M A.M. COFFEE BREAK A.M P.M. DISCUSSION SESSION TOPIC 1: WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY TOPIC 2: HEALTH AWARENESS AND ACCESS BEST PRACTICES FROM THE REGION P.M P.M. NETWORKING LUNCH P.M P.M. DISCUSSION SESSION TOPIC 1: SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH TOPIC 2: GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE TOPIC 3: WORK LIFE BALANCE P.M P.M. COFFEE BREAK P.M P.M. CONCLUSION AND NEXT STEPS P.M P.M. RECEPTION

5 Introductory Remarks The meeting started with a brief introduction about WIP s mission by Kholoud Kassem, WIP MENA Coordinator, who explained the importance of the network of 9000 female Parliamentarians around the world. Hala Hanna, Senior Policy and Strategy Advisor at WIP, talked about the objectives and outcomes of the WIP Working Councils in general, which allow for real impact on global topics, given the unique position of MPs in society to formulate political priorities and vote on legislation. Special remarks were given by Ms. Bahia Hariri, Deputy in the Lebanese Parliament and President of the Hariri Foundation. Ms. Hariri highlighted the importance of the quota system as a provisional step that would allow women to reach the parliament. When women do reach the parliament, they do not represent women, they represent everyone, she stated, emphasizing that it is not only about numbers but about the abilities of women to do a good job. Women must be elected because they are capable of representing their nations and constituencies. Ms. Hariri shared her experience in the political arena which, as she stated, is not similar to others because her candidacy received support both from women and men. With now 52% of women in the new generation finishing their education, she hopes we will achieve more women in parliaments. Ms. Hariri stated that, while society changed both on local and national level, we still have a long path to go in allowing women to play a vital role in every sector. Topic 1: Workplace Health and Safety Participants discussed existing laws in their respective countries that address workplace health and safety concerns. Women and men face different occupational health and safety challenges. Occupational health and safety regulations traditionally focus on controlling jobs involving obvious dangers, which are sectors dominated by male workers. Women tend to work in less hazardous professions than men, and the prevalence of occupational mortality and morbidity is therefore in absolute numbers lower for women than for men. Ms. Rafika Kesri shed light on publicly owned companies in Algeria, such as in the Oil and Gas sector, which have special laws and regulations regarding health safety and hygiene. These companies have efficient practices given that they work with other multinational companies. The private sector, on the other hand, is faced with deficiencies and therefore vulnerable employees, especially women, are not provided with their occupational rights. Ms. Ibba Djamila mentioned a revision of labour law in Algeria, which obliges large companies to have a clinic equipped with general practitioners, specialized doctors and nurses. These clinics provide physical and psychological tests to workers to make sure they are safe and sound, she stated. Workers are provided with vaccinations and in case of illness, social security contributes in treating them.

6 Topic 2: Health Awareness and Access Participants discussed the importance of health awareness, particularly about how disease and illness affect women, and how the symptoms and risk factors, both biological and social, might be different for women than men, are poorly understood. Non-communicable diseases (NCD) are the leading cause of death for women. Women are at a higher risk for certain NCD and are more susceptible to certain risk factors for NCD, notably smoking. NCD have considerable ramifications for the labour market because premature death, absenteeism, and reduced productivity have significant economic consequences. Women also face challenges in accessing medical care and treatment, especially affordable, gender-sensitive health care services. Women migrant workers and workers in the informal economy in particular lack access to services. Ms. Bohar Sulaymani stated that in Iraq, there are numerous campaigns for health awareness raising, but not up to standard. Iraqi women do not know how to speak with the doctors about the symptoms she continued, confirming the issue of stigma; people do not ask for psychological help, worrying about what society will think. Mr. Hassan Bibi from Merck concluded that public-private partnerships, such as WIP and MERCK, are the main drivers to ensure awareness on diseases but in some countries this initiative fails because of the political culture. Topic 3: Sexual and Reproductive Health Women s access to and awareness about comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services are critical for women s health and their abilities to participate in the workforce. Participants highlighted the importance of access to affordable sexual and reproductive health services, which leads to greater educational and employment opportunities for women and create greater economic security for women and their families. Furthermore, women s ability to plan whether, when and how many children they wish to have is an important factor for women to pursue education and enter, remain and advance in the workforce. Preventative care for women s reproductive health is also important for women to make informed choices about their health and to stay healthy. Ms. Rafika Kesri provided statistics related to the age of marriage in Algeria, which is 30 years for women and 34 for men. These numbers have increased due to social reasons related to work, housing etc. women prefer to live alone, she claimed. She also stated that the health services are of good quality, except in some regions where there are not enough gynaecologists to follow up with women. Ms. Luma Hilfi from Iraq on the other hand underlined the importance of education which focuses on men and the need to raise awareness about STDs, in order to have healthier pregnancies which should be monitored.

7 Topic 4: Gender-Based Violence Certain groups of women workers tend to be at greater risk of being subjected to sexual harassment, notably girls and young women, domestic workers, women with little job security, migrant women and women in male-dominated occupations, as well as women in work environments where a large number of women are supervised by a small number of men (International Labour Organization 2001). Participants discussed gender specific legislation in place for gender-based violence. Ms. Rafika Kesri informed that, in Algeria, 8000 cases of gender-based violence lead to death in Ms. Intissar Alkhatabi brought up cases where violence is justified, encouraging women not to report. Laws that allow, for example, a rapist not to be prosecuted in case he proposes to marry the victim. We need to raise awareness of such practices and such laws in order to change the tradition and the mindset of the society, she stated. Ms. Kholoud Kassem, WIP MENA Coordinator, emphasized that the issue does not only entail physical violence but also verbal and political violence against women in many places. Topic 5: Work Life Balance In many economies, women face challenges in balancing caregiving, household responsibilities, and employment. Participants debated the provision of wellness programs, paid sick and holiday leave, pregnancy discrimination, parental leave, and flexible schedules, that affect women s ability to participate in the workforce. Supportive programs and policies in these areas can not only help women stay in the workforce while they are raising a family, but also advance in their jobs. Ms. Yasmine Rouai from Merck introduced the topic by highlighting the dual role that women play in businesses and homes. She stated the importance of cultural change where the role of a woman, both as a mother and as a worker, is accepted. This allows businesses to be more flexible in terms of working conditions. Ms. Olfa soukri raised the issue of non-remunerated work of women in Tunisia, claiming that 40% of university graduates are unemployed, the majority of whom are women. Given the skewed balance in hiring, women graduates are pushed into non-remunerated because they are less likely to be hired. Ms. Beya Djenane highlighted that sustainable development needs to be presented on a long-term vision, through which women would be able to activate their work in the private sector. She emphasized the need for a strategic vision, helping women who are faced with obstacles. Ms. Falak Al Jamani from Jordan stated: women have bigger burden than they can carry, highlighting yet again the need to raise awareness about the gendered allocation of time in the home.

8 Ms. Gilbert Zouein raised the issue of maternity leave in Lebanon, where women used to have only seven weeks of maternity leave. A new law in 2014 now entitles women to ten weeks of maternity leave, which she claimed is an achievement of the Lebanese Parliament. Conclusion There are common health issues in the MENA region but also very different ones. It s interesting to tease out those differences and similarities in such discussions, and see the glaring gaps in laws in regard to access to health, legal age of marriage, nationality rights (women s ability to pass citizenship to her child) etc. All these factors have enormous impacts on health. Obviously, there is no one size fits all approach. The Merck Policy Toolkit, which represents a menu of options that economies may pursue in part or as a whole on key issues on which they want to focus within the Healthy Women, Healthy Economies objective, could be useful. However, laws and policies are not enough. Culture plays a crucial role. Especially in the MENA region, women should be given confidence. Identifying and sharing best practices among different countries is a crucial step towards the efficient implementation of better policies. Achievements such as the recent Algerian law against violence or the establishment of quotas in Iraq should not go unnoticed. MPs from all around the region have been playing major roles, pushing forward change. There is no faster way to implementation than putting women like you in power. Working together always makes us stronger. WIP will continue bringing this network to the table. We want to hear from you, we want to see you again! Hala Hanna, Senior Policy and Strategy Advisor at WIP. Next Steps To keep the conversation and information sharing going, WIP, in cooperation with MERCK, will launch the new digital platform which provides an improved digital experience for council members. Through the platform, members will have the opportunity to exchange ideas and participate in virtual meetings and conference calls. In preparation for the Council's Global Meeting during the WIP Summit 2017, members are invited to log in to the platform, create their profile and start sharing best practices on policies related to women s health!