Three women non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in Zambia have requested the country’s constitutional court to compel government to include marginalised women and youths in governance.

The NGOs, NGOCC, Chapter One Foundation, and the Young Women in Action, said that the past governments had ignored the constitutional requirement to include women and youths in government positions.

‘The importance of equity and equality in the democratic governance of the country cannot be overemphasised’, a joint statement read by the Legal Advisor of NGOCC, Daisy Ng’ambi, read.

‘Everyone has the right to take part in the government and public affairs of the country – to vote and to be elected.

‘Beyond elective office, every citizen, regardless of any other consideration, has the right to participate in the governance at different levels.

‘However, over the years, women, people with disabilities and, indeed, the youths, have been systematically discriminated against participating in the governance of their country.

‘This is despite the fact that both women and the youths constitute the majority of the country’s population’.

She said that it was against the above background that they lodged a petition in the constitutional court.

The NGOs, according to Ng’ambi, want the court to compel the government to include the listed groupings of people in key government positions.

Source: News Diggers

Photo source: International Institute of Tropical Agriculture