YWCA backs calls for promotion of women

THE Young Women Christian Association (YWCA) has applauded the call for more women to get into leadership in the country.

YWCA Northern Region Coordinator Sharon Chisanga said women need to take up decision-making positions which went with an education background.

She was speaking in an interview in Ndola yesterday.

Ms Chisanga said the call by Minister in the office of the Vice-President Sylvia Chalikosa for women to get into leadership was welcome.

The leadership role for women, Ms Chisanga said, should not have to just focus on political positions but on private and informal sector leadership roles.

She said there was need to promote skills training and education so that every person would acquire the minimum standards and be integrated in any field that would be fit according to their qualifications.

“With the current situation with women in leadership, there is a huge gap where we have especially the young people dropping out of school due to lack of support, high rate of fees and high poverty levels,” she said.

Ms Chisanga noted that even in the political arena, it was equally cardinal to empower women with leadership roles.

“Looking at the current political leadership, women are scared due to the high levels of violence in the country,” she said.

She called for the levelling of the field in the political arena so that women could take part in politics without being scared.

She said political violence intimidated women and that there was need to ensure that such issues were addressed in order to make women comfortable to hold leadership positions.