Women Now Hold Top Three Positions in Government\u00a0<\/p>\n
Namibia has made history by becoming the first African country to have its top government positions held by women. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah was recently sworn<\/a> in as Namibia\u2019s president after winning 58 percent of the vote. With her election, she becomes Namibia\u2019s first female head of state but as well as Africa\u2019s second-ever directly elected female president. Nandi-Ndaitwah promptly expanded the number of roles held by women upon taking office, appointing<\/a>\u00a0Lucia Witbooi as vice president and Saara Kuugongelwa\u2013Amadhila as speaker of the National Assembly. This is also the first time these roles have been held by women. Nandi-Ndaitwah also made history with her cabinet appointments. For the first time, women hold the majority of positions. Sixty percent of Namibia\u2019s fourteen ministers are now women and hold offices<\/a> in finance, foreign affairs, health, education, and gender equality. The new president said her election should encourage other women because \u201cI was not elected because I\u2019m a woman, but on merit. Women are capable members of society.\u201d Her priorities in this new administration are to diversify Namibia\u2019s economy and reduce the country\u2019s debt. \u00a0<\/p>\n Significant Rates of Violence and Sexual Harassment Against Women Parliamentarians in the Asia Pacific\u00a0<\/p>\n An Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) report<\/a> published on Tuesday illustrates the serious problem posed by sexism, harassment, and violence against women in parliaments in the Asia-Pacific region. Over a nine-year period, the IPU carried out confidential interviews with 150 women parliamentarians and parliamentary staff from 33 countries in the Asia-Pacific region. The study found that 76 percent of women members of parliament (MPs) experienced psychological violence and 25 percent endured sexual violence, with more than half of the incidents taking place on parliamentary premises and committed by their male counterparts. The abuse also extended to parliamentary staff, with 63 percent of women reporting that they had suffered physiological violence and 36 percent reporting sexual violence. The report concluded that such acts represent efforts to delegitimize women\u2019s presence in politics and force them into silence or invisibility. The author of the report, Brigitte Filion, said the risk of attacks against women in politics affects their ability to fulfill their roles and shows \u201cthe dangers for the future generations are obvious: this can discourage young women from getting involved in politics.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n International Olympic Committee Elects First Woman President; DNA Sex Testing Mandated for Track and Field\u00a0<\/p>\n More on:<\/p>\n \n Namibia<\/a>\n <\/p>\n \n Women’s Political Leadership<\/a>\n <\/p>\n \n Demonstrations and Protests<\/a>\n <\/p>\n \n LGBTQ+<\/a>\n <\/p>\n \n Sexual Violence<\/a>\n <\/p>\n Kirsty Coventry, a seven-time Olympic champion for Zimbabwe, has been elected as the new International Olympic Committee (IOC) president, making her the first woman and African in the role. Upon taking the position, Coventry said that her goal is to make the Olympics \u201ca bridge between countries and cultures, a source of hope and a force for good.\u201d Coventry is expected to face challenges in the role, including increasing scrutiny on including trans athletes in the games. She has previously endorsed an overall ban<\/a> on trans women competing in categories for women within the games. \u201cI want to ensure that front and foremost, we protect (the) female category. I don\u2019t believe that transgender female athletes should be competing at the Olympic Games,\u201d she said during a European Olympic Committee meeting in February. It is currently up to each individual sport to determine eligibility requirements for participation. To that end, track and field recently announced<\/a> that it would require mandatory DNA sex testing for athletes to be eligible for women\u2019s category competitions. Coventry has said she will set up a task force to assess the current policies and did not rule out the requirement of sex testing, which the IOC has declined to implement to date and has been deemed a harmful practice by several human rights organizations.\u00a0<\/p>\n Women Around the World<\/p>\n Women Around the World examines the relationship between the advancement of women and U.S. foreign policy interests, including prosperity and stability.\u00a01-2 times weekly.<\/p>\n Diya Mehta is the intern for the Women and Foreign Policy Program<\/p>\n More on:<\/p>\n \n Namibia<\/a>\n <\/p>\n \n Women’s Political Leadership<\/a>\n <\/p>\n \n Demonstrations and Protests<\/a>\n <\/p>\n