PARLIAMENT - YOUTH from Commonwealth member states, currently in the country, have called upon the world to emulate Rwanda’s approach to empowering women.

They made the remarks during their tour of the Parliament where they were impressed by the high number of women representatives in the Rwandan Parliament.

Women hold 56 percent of parliamentary seats in the Chamber of Deputies.

"I am impressed by the role the Rwandan parliament plays in the social affairs of the country,” said Jean Paul Brice Affana Affana from Cameroon. "Women’s empowerment is one of the major areas the world should copy from Rwanda”.

"Also, the Rwandan Senate seems to be very vibrant unlike that of Cameroon which was set up but has never been operational.”

In a separate interview, Katrina Ma’u from the Kingdom of Tonga, also praised Rwanda’s policy of women empowerment saying that the country should be a global example.

"Rwanda’s quota system for women representation has been very successful and should be seen as a model for the rest of the world in getting women represented in the political arena,” she said.

Ma’u also said that in her country, women are very much underrepresented due to various factors, including culture.
"But with Rwanda’s case and the history it has gone through, I think it is very inspiring,” she said. 

"I have gained experiences that I will share with young people in my country. Rwanda went through a tragic history of Genocide but at the same time the country has worked together as a community which is very empowering to a lot of people”.

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