President Michel Temer reminds measures adopted by the Governing Board to strengthen female participation at the Chamber

On Thursday (5), during a special session at National Congress, held to commemorate the International Women’s Day, the president of the Chamber, Michel Temer, criticized the poor representativity of women at the Legislative Power. “We have only 45 deputies, which is an insufficient amount, if we consider the female population in general”, he said.

Temer affirmed that it is necessary “not only to speak, but to go towards action”, so that the women are respected and occupy, in the several instances of power, the adequate space to their social importance.

The president of the Chamber reminded that, around 20 years ago, when he was the Secretary of Public Safety of São Paulo, he created the first Police Office specialized in women, and that he has also been adopting concrete measures for the female affirmation since he became the head of the Chamber, last month.

Some examples of those initiatives are the participation of a representative of the female caucus in the meetings of the Leaders’ College, and the creation of a special committee to analyze a proposal of Constitutional Amendment which ensures a position for women at the Governing Board of the Chamber and of the Senate. Moreover, the Board is elaborating a bill to create a Female Attorneys General.

The coordinator of the female caucus at the Chamber, Deputy Sandra Rosado (PSB-RN), also lamented the poor representativity of women in politics. She reminded that “in the last municipal elections, last year, only 9% of the mayoralties were conquered by women, in a country in which 52% of the electors are females.”

That insufficient representativity, according to the deputy, is due to the “shy political consciousness” of women, “who are not mobilized as agents of the political process”.

For the Deputy Thelma de Oliveira (PSDB-MT), it is necessary to ensure the financing for the preparation of future holders of public positions and to “create equal conditions of concurrence”, between men and women at the political scenario. For the Deputy Aline Corrêa (PP-SP), though, it is time to fight against the “mercantilism of politics”, by means of an electoral reform.

The deputies of the political party PT, Janete Rocha Pietá (SP) and Emília Fernandes (RS), also defended the increase of participation of women in politics. “We want more women in the power, and more power for women”, affirmed Janete Pietá.

Honored authorities
During the session, which counted with the presence of authorities such as the president of the Senate, José Sarney, and the Minister of the Special Secretariat of Policies for Women, of the Presidency of the Republic, Nilcéia Freire, the Prize Bertha Lutz was awarded to the following women:

- the Good Will Ambassador of the United Nations for Education, Science and Culture (Unesco), Lily Marinho;
- the judge from Maranhão, Sônia Maria Amaral Fernandes Ribeiro;
- the journalist, actress and poet Elisa Lucinda Campos Gomes;
- the General Secretary of the Federal Council of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB), Cléa Anna Maria Carpi da Rocha;
- the social assistant Neide Viana Castanha, who coordinates the National Committee against Sexual Violence Against Children and Teenagers.

The former first-wife and anthropologist, Ruth Cardoso, who passed away on June 24th, 2008, received the homage “in memoriam”.

Report - Edvaldo Fernandes
Editing - Natalia Doederlein
Translation - Positive Idiomas Ltda