Muscat: Oman's only elected body — Majlis Ashura — is without women's representation despite the government encouraging women to take part in nation-building and walk shoulder to shoulder with men.
None of the 20 women candidates could win a seat in the 84-member elected council in the last (2007) Majlis Ashura elections. To address the situation, this year, seminars have sought to highlight women's role in the Shura council ahead of the 2011 elections.
Only two women were elected in the first open elections held in Oman in 2003 — one of them didn't contest the last time and another lost in the male-dominated field in her old constituency.
The country's ruler, Sultan Qaboos Bin Saeed, has been encouraging women to take active part in nation-building. A ‘Symposium on Omani Women' was held last October to appreciate women's role in Oman's achievements.
Platform
In this context, a group of young Omanis have launched a first-of-its-kind campaign called ‘2010 Omani Women' to create a national platform showcasing women's achievements.
"This campaign will acknowledge and celebrate the achievements of Omani women while further motivating them ahead on the road to success," Eman Bint Akbar Mohammad Rafay, chairperson of the campaign, said.
She added that besides focusing on women's education and encouraging them to take up a career, the campaign will also create awareness about the need to get women elected to the Shura.
Muntaha Bint Mohammad Al Zarafy, Vice-Chairperson, said: "The campaign is entirely initiated and spearheaded by the youth and seeks to highlight the significant strides that Omani women have made as active players in the shaping and making of modern Oman during the last four decades, under the wise leadership of Sultan Qaboos Bin Saeed."
Aisha Bint Mazin Al Stoby, Creative Director, said: "Further, it [the campaign] also endeavors through its not-for-profit programme to enable other talented Omani women to discover their strengths and fulfill aspirations through capacity building activities to help them believe in them selves and realise their full potential," added
Sharifa Bint Mohammad Al Zarafy, Operations Director, pointed out that this youth-led initiative, 2010 Omani Women is essential, and a symbol of pride.
Role models
"We want to illuminate the achievements of women in our lives: the icons, role models, and the silent heroes, which exist in every household," she added.
2010 Omani Women is non-profit awareness campaign.
Wessam Bin Abdul Munem Al Asfoor, Finance Director and the only male board member, said: "The campaign calls for men and women to collectively work towards the goal of helping women recognise their potential."
He added that Oman has always subscribed to and implemented gender equality, affording women equal participation in all sectors and recognising their capabilities, thus setting a regional precedent.
Al Asfoor said that the campaign strives to emphasise how crucial it is to foster a woman's self awareness of her capacity to achieve; she is the one who plants and nourishes seeds of success within her family, household, and community, thus translating into greater achievement for the nation.
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