CHAPTER THREE: DEMOCRACY AND POLITICAL GOVERNANCE __________________________________________________________________________ and human rights laws – there is no strategy or action plan for the elimination of domestic violence, or an appropriate budget in this regard16. Box 3.10: Women and politics Beninese women make up over 51% of the population but are poorly represented on the political scene. A study of the situation shows that, beyond the rights conferred by legal instruments at national, regional and international levels, there are very few women in decision-making bodies. In fact, political responsibilities are considered to be the private domain of men and the state, embodied by the president of the republic. Yet a female lawyer, Marie Elise Gbedo, ran twice for president in 2001 and 2006. The president of the Association of Women Jurists in Benin (AFJB), Gbedo had to face a number of cultural and material obstacles and different forms of violence at the hands of both men and women. “In politics, women are often treated in a diabolical manner. Almost all women who try to work their way up in politics are referred to as women of low morals especially when they succeed. The discriminatory and untruthful remarks sometimes relayed by the press or radio and television are often weapons used to destabilise women in politics. The numerous attacks against the few women leaders in our countries are tangible proof of the means used by men to fight them in the field … Our African societies are rife with such practices owing to the influence of certain outmoded traditions, which have to be rejected at all costs, the repugnant illiteracy, the ill-digested religious concepts, the disguised poor moral and material standards.” Extract of an article by Mrs Ramatou Baba Moussa, President of the Network of African Women Ministers and Parliamentarians (REFAMP) Benin, presented at the seminar ‘Role of Women in the Consolidation of Democracy and Peace’, Cotonou, 28-30 January 2003. 284. With regard to the ministerial department responsible for women and gender promotion, the CRM has revealed that this structure has undergone several name changes since its inception. Today it is known as the Ministry of the Family and the Child, a name devoid of the word ‘woman’. The removal of the term ‘women’s affairs’ and ‘woman’ has received varied reactions. Some consider it to be retarding the promotion of women, while others explain it by the fact that the woman is a full member of the family and must not be dissociated from it. Many participants at the Forum on Women, organised in collaboration with the CRM in July 2007, criticised the removal of the word ‘women’ from the new name of the ministry. They also mentioned the weaknesses and inadequacies of this structure. 285. Most of the personnel of the MFE are just implementers, and the very few staff who draw up programmes are highly mobile. The number and level of staff, the change in personnel (which occurs after each ministerial reshuffle), and the very low budget allocated to it, all account for the very little clout the department has in government. “Gender equality in Benin is still perceived as a technocratic objective and the woman is not yet considered an essential agent of change. The State does not invest enough in the promotion of women although they constitute a crucial factor (nearly 52% of the population) in its 16 UNECA, March 2007. Benin’s report on IDISA, 114