Human rights activist Ljubka Mikhailovska believes the quota system is a good first positive step, as it doesn’t require much effort to motivate women with disabilities to take part in “a race that is already lost.” Photo: Courtesy of Ljubka Mikhailovska
Ms Ljubka Mihailovska is a politician and human rights activist with a special focus on women with disabilities. She served as a member of the Serbian Parliament until 2020 and is currently Programme Director for the non-governmental organisation For Accessible Environments. Last year she was one of the participants in a UN Women’s Training of Trainers on Women’s Political Participation and Leadership.
“Participating in the political process, where change happens and decisions are made, whether at the local, regional or national level, is the most powerful platform for change. Representative institutions must reflect the demographics of the population. We collect gender-disaggregated population data, so we need to do something with it to ensure that everyone can exercise their human rights equally. The right to political participation is a fundamental right and a good reason not to deny it to women. Political participation in itself does not guarantee power and influence, but it is a basic prerequisite.
In the Serbian political scene, women are generally not competing with men. As if there is an A-list or first league for men and a B or second league for women. I believe that no man, whatever his qualifications, would ever see a woman as a competitor, because men always perceive themselves as being in a more advantageous position. On the other hand, women with disabilities, because they face a double discrimination, may end up seeing other women as competitors, even though they are in the third league. Women with disabilities, as women and as disabled people, are at a disadvantage compared to men for at least two reasons:
When I was a member of the National Diet, I proposed an amendment to the National Diet Election Law, which would have required political parties to nominate at least one disabled person who would be guaranteed a seat if they exceeded the minimum prescribed threshold. Although no one objected to this proposal, the proposed amendment was ultimately not accepted. A quota system is a good first positive step, as it is difficult to incentivize women with disabilities to participate in elections that they have already lost. In addition, we should also consider amending the law on financing political activities to provide additional financial resources to political parties with disabled representatives.
Being actively involved in politics is more than simply exercising the right to vote, it is a job or a profession, like any other job or profession. It requires the full commitment of those involved in politics. In a patriarchal society like ours, women face gender-imposed roles. All the household and family responsibilities fall heavily on women, this work is unpaid and there is not much room for career development. Women with disabilities further face physical and communication barriers as well as attitudinal barriers among the general population. Moreover, they lack basic things such as accessible public transport, accessible facilities, accessible information, support services and active programs to promote the participation of women with disabilities in politics and public life.
On the other hand, in the context of women’s political activism, violence in the digital sphere is extremely prevalent because we live in a culture of low tolerance. Many people post things that they would never say in person. In some countries, there are efforts to enact laws banning hate speech on the Internet. In addition to changes in the law, there needs to be a continuous campaign to draw attention to all the dangers that cyber violence poses to both perpetrators and victims.
Moreover, it is crucial what message the representatives of the highest state institutions are sending. In this regard, there are two very important and positive things in Serbia: the adoption of the Law on Gender Equality in the Republic of Serbia in 2021, and the establishment of a Ministry for Gender Equality in the newly elected government. This sends a strong message that the state not only recognizes the importance of this issue, but is systematically working to create the conditions for full gender equality.”