Promoting Women's Rights and Leadership

From the first Presidential Election Day - April 30 2007 - near Tutuala on the Eastern tip of Timor-Leste. The indelible ink prevents people from casting their vote twice. Photograph by Tim Budge.

Women's Participation in Elections - Campaign

Read the report published with UNIFEM in English or Tetun

Alola, in close association with Rede Feto (Women's Network), UNIFEM, UNMIT and Irish Aid, has developed a campaign program to encourage women's participation in the Timor-Leste 2007 Elections. As well as encouraging women to become candidates, the program encourages women to lobby for policies that benefit women and children in Timor-Leste (TL).

The culmination of all of the activities described below was a special ceremony hosted by the President of Timor-Leste, Dr. Jose Ramos Horta, to congratulate all women who stood as candidates in the parliamentary elections and to celebrate their contribution to political life.

This creative and exciting program included:

1. Postcard Campaign

Two designs of postcards - one for the first Presidential Elections and a new design for the Parliamentary elections. The cards encourage women to think about how their vote can make a difference for their lives. The cards were translated into four local languages (Baikenu, Fataluku, Makasae andn Tetun) and also encourage women to ask political parties and candidates to outline their policies and programs which will benefit women and children.

2. Women's involvement in the Election Statement

In April Rede Feto and Alola released a statement encouraging all women to actively pariticipate in the elections and calling on all political parties and candidates to outline their programs which promote women's and children's rights, enshrine laws against domestic violence, increase employment and development opportunities for both women and men and to resolve the crisis and end violence in Timor-Leste.

A press conference was held and the statement was aired on TVTL news and radio. A short version of the statement was then recorded in four languages and distributed through community radio around the country.

3. Film and Radio Plays

Following the success of this campaign Alola and UNIFEM worked closely with Bibi Bulak - a theatre arts program in TL - to produce a short film and a radio play encouraging women to speak up and make a difference in their communities. The films are being shown regularly on TVTL but also distributed throughout the community as part of a travelling film exhibition to the districts. The film and radio plays will continue to be relevant beyond the elections.

4. Debates

UNIFEM and Rede Feto and the TL Office of Promotion of Equality (OPE) were instrumental in holding Presidential and Parliamentary debates with questions focusing on issues of justice, human rights, domestic violence, community violence and the future development of TL. These debates were broadcast in entirety on TVTL.

5. Women's Platform signed by all female political candidates

More recently UNIFEM, Rede Feto, Alola and other agencies convened a two day forum for the women candidates in the parliamentary election. All candidates agreed to sign a Platform declaring their commitment to work for women's rights into the future. The Platform addresses women's participation in education, economic empowerment, health, politics, justice and security, culture and the media.

(All these programs were vetted and approved by the Commission for National Election to ensure no political bias)

Go to Womens Resource Centre Go to District Support Workers Project Go to Gulbenkian Health Promotion Small Grants Project Go to Widows Support Program

Actors in the Bibi Bulak film 'Together Women Will Make a Difference' Photograph by Chris Parkinson.