Lantoharitiana Ranoromalala – Madagascar

Lantoharitiana Ranoromalala – Madagascar


Date: July 1, 2015
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I work as a trainer with the ministry of decentralization, and that’s why I became connected to Gender Links. In the past, I had no particular interest in gender or GBV, but since I started working with GL, I have become more and more convinced that it is an essential issue. For so many people, including myself in the past, when people hear gender, they equate it to feminism. But now, with a stronger consciousness on gender, I see how important it is to understand gender, and incorproate it in all aspects of my work.

The participation of women in politics in Madagascar is very low at all levels. I was working with women who were interested in political engagement; for example, those who were planning to stand as candidates in local elections. That taught me how the participation of women in politics can really change society. In many places, women are intimidated by the idea of interacting with the local administration. Having women there makes everything seem more accessible. Women need to be involved in basic services; things like getting birth certificates and IDs.

Women in Madagascar, particularly in rural areas, face a lot of barriers. For example, many customs and traditions exclude women. But there are also many agents for change. I’ve worked a lot with the church, and very often, the church will promote gender issues, because they are about equality and human rights. Being able to inform people about the SADC Protocol adds an important element to this work.

In the COE process, I’ve seen that gender committees are playing a really important role in the commune. I want to introduce this model to people as something that can be used by all communes. As a trainer, I’m learning to mainstream gender in my work. When I talk about administration, budget, and so on, I now make these matters gender sensitive. Security needs a gendered perspective as well.

I hope to be a champion for gender in my work in the future. I hope to bring my colleagues on board to promote gender in their work. The more I learn about how to communicate on gender issues, the more confidence I have that I will be successful. We have a lot of work to do; you find very few women working in the civil service in Madagascar. And in other areas of government, representation is even lower. We need to see what we can do to change this.

 


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