Together We Are Stronger

Helsinki — By acting together across party lines, the women of Tanzania may gain more influence in politics. This was the general conclusion of a seminar held in Finland and attended by a cross-party delegation of women from Tanzania, aiming to learn from Finnish experiences.

The seminar, titled “Together We Are Stronger,” took place in Helsinki in May and was organized by Demo Finland, the Finnish National Committee for UNIFEM, and the Coalition of Finnish Women’s Associations. UNIFEM will work with Demo Finland in Tanzania to bring together women from different political parties.

The seminar was opened by Finland’s Minister of Environment, Ms. Paula Lehtomäki. The Minister said it had taken a long time for Finland to reach the current situation where 42 percent of the members of Parliament (MPs) elected are women and the President is also a woman. “The cornerstone of Finland’s success has been the universal right to education,” she added.

The Minister’s opening speech was followed by a panel discussion involving various actors from Tanzania, where 30 percent of parliamentary seats are reserved for women. The official aim of the Tanzanian government is to raise the proportion of women in parliament to 50 percent. The panellists stressed that this task will be demanding, as women in Tanzania face deep-rooted attitudes that hinder their participation in politics. “Women have traditionally been treated as objects, not as subjects,” summarized Ms. Ashura Amanzi, Chair of the Women’s Wing of Civic United Front.