19 Apr 2013

NGO raises lack of women in Pacific parliaments

2:31 pm on 19 April 2013

A coalition of non-government organisations in New Zealand, Women's Rights and Advocacy in the Pacific, or WRAP, says the Pacific Parliamentary Forum on now in Wellington is an ideal opportunity to question the lack of women in Pacific legislatures.

The WRAP chairperson, Rebecca Emery, says Pacific parliaments have the lowest representation of women in the world, with some countries having no women MPs at all.

She says women's interests cannot adequately be addressed by men, so greater numbers of women in parliaments are vital.

Only a handful of the more than 60 MPs at the Wellington forum are women but Rebecca Emery says they are heartened that a lot of New Zealand's women MPs are boosting numbers.

"They are part of the Pacific region and I think that they have worked hard on these issues up to now with their Pacific women counterparts. There is a strong group of Pacific MPs there too, so I do think they have a part to play and I think their voices will be heard and I think this forum offers that opportunity."

The chairperson of Women's Rights and Advocacy in the Pacific, Rebecca Emery