WOMEN'S POLITICAL PARTICIPATION AT LOCAL LEVEL IN TIMOR LESTE Elda de Barros Alola Foundation Support district level Program coordinator

Timor Leste’s law to support women’s political participation Constitution RDTL: Article 17: Concerning equality between women and men Article 63: Regarding women and men political participation and citizenship Political party’s law Lei no 6/2006,artigu,12 alinea 3 partisipasaun iha lista kandidatura Article 3 /2009: About community leader there are 3 seats for women in suco council National Plataform of Timor Leste CEDAW Article 7: about the women’s political rights and article 14 about rural women development

Estadu Ratifika CEDAW Iha tinan 2002 tama iha Parlamentu Nasional Iha Tinan 2003 ratifika Iha tinan 2008 Konsultasaun ba halo relatorio alternativa Tinan 2009 aprezenta aprezenta iha Nasoens Unidas Hetan rekomendasaun bar-barak konaba assuntu feto nian.

WOMEN ARE KEY ELEMENT FOR POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT Women and men have the same rights. They have the same rights in political arena, in decision making area, in advocacy sphere and in development process.

Community Leader Women’s Rule in Suco Council Women’s task in suco council: Check women and children’s problems Find solution for women and children’s problems Make proposals to develop women and children’s life Eradicate violence against women Help victims of domestic violence

Quantity Local elections in (Suco level) Leader of village (Suco): female 7; male 435 Leader of sub-village (Aldeia): female 22; male 2200 Total member: female Total suco 442 Local elections in 2009 (Suco level) Leader of village (Suco): female 10; male 432 Leader of sub-village (Aldeia): female 28; male 2122 Total member: female Total suco 442

Capacity Building ‘s Program for Leader of Community Alola Foundation have already covered 8 districts, 28 sub-districts and 218 villages in order to improve the community leader’s capacity and in order to empowerment them. According to our observation, there are only 5% of women have good general knowledge and have decision making influence in suco council. After training, they already know about their work, duties or responsibility as a community leader.

Women’s Challenge in suco council Education level minimum Housework Patriarchal system Limited self-confidence Women’s pole in political parties list Lack of information about the law 3/2009 Insufficient family’s support Inadequate capacity building’s program

Observations Less human resource and financial resource in order to conduct women’s training Community doesn’t take in deep consideration the women’s role Women don’t have self confidence and their family and community don’t believe in their capacities Lack information about national development Lack of courage to speak in public and in privacy because men dominate.

Recommendations Sustainable capacity building program Advocacy to reduce women’s discrimination. Gender sensitive government's budget to promote educational program for women Creating jobs to promote women’s movements and women’s participation.

 Support from local authority

 Introduction

From 2009 until 2011 Alola Foundation promotes community leadership training in order to analyze stereotypes.

Rol game to check the power situation

During Alola Foundation takes on a new staff in District to work together with women’s groups Motivating women’s economic independence. Supporting with Finance Ministry and Development Ministry women’s knowledge about business Promoting together Agriculture Ministry rural women’s groups Supporting with Finance Ministry women’s economy in housework and in business Sustaining local product

Atauru Group Trainer from Belun while makes a colours mixture

Aileu Group Ermera Group

MANUFAHI GROUP Maliana group Manufahi group

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