In the end of September, regional civil society organizations (members of the Regional Civil Society Network – RSCN) embarked on a nationwide campaign to identify the specific needs of women voters in 10 regions of Georgia. For this purpose, 23 organizations set up banners with the campaign slogan “Women’s Voice, Women’s Votes” in the city centers and conducted a questionnaire survey among 1000 women. In the first half of October the participant CSOs will present the survey findings to local government election candidates and political parties to get them acquainted with the specific needs that women face in their regions. In the post-election period, selected CSOs will monitor how these issues are reflected in the local government policies and action plans. ACCESS and Civil Development Agency (CiDA) will provide additional support to local CSOs to carry out this task effectively.
Why do women priorities matter? Women represent 52% of the Georgian population, and 53,7% of all registered voters in Georgia. Despite being electoral majority, their participation in elections and political processes is very low. Therefore, the specific needs of women, determined by their traditional roles as mothers and main caregivers of the family, are often underestimated and ignored by male politicians.
The campaign is implemented by the Regional Civil Society Network with support from Civil Development Agency (CiDA) and EWMI ACCESS.
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