A motion to launch an inquiry into systemic gender discrimination, has been presented to parliament.

MP for Galolhu North constituency and the parliament’s Deputy Speaker, Eva Abdulla presented the motion during Sunday’s parliament sitting. The motion seeks to identify policies, laws and systems of relevant authorities that are detrimental to women and marginalize them further.

As per article 17 of the Maldives Constitution, all Maldivian citizens are entitled to all “rights and freedoms (described in the constitution) without discrimination of any kind, including race, national origin, colour, sex, age, mental or physical disability, political or other opinion, property, birth or other status, or native island.”

Highlighting that women make up 49% of the country’s population, the motion states that putting an end to gender discrimination and facilitating more opportunities for women ultimately contributes to the swifter development of the nation.

The motion goes onto note recent efforts to empower women such as the new amendments to the decentralization act which allocated 33% of council seats for women. In addition, the motion highlights the removal of reservations on sections (b), (e), (g), and (h) of Clause 1 and Clause 2 of Article 16 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) treaty as another notable effort as well.

Although the motion gives recognition to these recent efforts against gender bias, it also states that more work is required to ensure equal opportunities for women.

Hence, the motion calls for all necessary steps to ensure gender equality be taken in addition to calling for the facilitation of equal opportunities for women. This includes launching a parliamentary inquiry to compile a report on systemic gender discrimination in the country and presenting the recommendations to parliament.