The Women Parliamentarians’ Caucus recently held discussions with the Westminster Foundation for Democracy (WFD) and the Law and Society Trust (LST) to explore ways of encouraging young women’s political participation and strengthening gender-sensitive governance.
The meeting took place under the patronage of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya and Caucus Chairperson, Minister of Women and Child Affairs Saroja Savitri Paulraj.
During the discussions, the WFD proposed technical support for gender-sensitive law-making, gender-responsive budgeting, and enhancing the Caucus’s role in increasing women’s labour force participation. They also pledged to assist with research and policy development to make Parliament more gender-sensitive.
Caucus members stressed the importance of focusing on grassroots-level activism, noting that meaningful political change requires mobilization and women’s participation at the community level, not just at the top.
They also raised current challenges faced by women parliamentarians and highlighted the need for structured support systems, such as counselling and mentoring, to empower women in politics.
