Rwanda – Women Parliamentarians

Rwanda – Women Parliamentarians

Context: We cover this article on Rwanda based on its higher women parliamentarians. (Women’s reservation Bill is in discussion in the Indian parliament at the moment. We will cover that in later topics)

Why does Rwanda have many women parliamentarians?
• Rwanda has a high representation of women in its Parliament due to several historical factors. The aftermath of the Rwandan genocide in 1994 left a majority of the population composed of women. This tragic event led to women’s active political participation in Rwanda.
• To address this, Rwanda implemented gender equality initiatives, including a 30% quota for women in decision-making organs, such as Parliament. This has led to progress in political representation and laws on issues like education and gender-based violence.
• As a result, Rwanda has the highest percentage of women legislators in its Parliament, with 49 of its 80 Lower House seats occupied by women (around 61%)

Few Facts about Rwanda:
• Rwanda, located in Central/Eastern Africa is a landlocked country bordered by four countries - Uganda to the north, Tanzania to the east, Burundi to the south and Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west.
• Rwanda’s longest river is the Nyabarongo, which rises in the southwest, flows north, east, and southeast before merging with the Akanyaru to form the Akagera.
• The Nyabarongo-Akagera eventually drains into Lake Victoria.
• The country’s largest lake is Lake Kivu.
• The entire country is at a high altitude: the lowest point is the Rusizi River at 950 meters above sea level. The capital, Kigali, is located near the center of Rwanda.