The Ihsaan Foundation Inc conducted a seminar on women and their role in nation-building as part of preventing and countering violent extremism (PCVE) on May 6, 2022 in Sumisip, Basilan. Said seminar was attended by 15 women from Bgys Sahaya Bohe Bato, Look Bait, Manaul, Buli-Buli, and Basak, all in the same municipality.
Among the topics discussed during the seminar include women’s right to suffrage, emphasizing that “women’s voice is the vote of our future”. The Ihsaan Foundation Inc. reminded participants on ways to prepare before the day of the election like writing in a piece of paper their list of preferred candidates, wearing facemask, bringing vaccination cards, and voter’s ID. They also discussed the different laws for women which includes the Right to Suffrage, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Bill of Rights, and respect to the Philippine Constitution.
Another topic discussed by the group is women’s role in government office. Women constitute almost half of the population in the country which greatly contributes in the electoral process, thus should be given equal rights to hold public office since leaders, regardless of gender, are not born but made. Society should also create an enabling environment for women for access to education and relevant training to enable their full potential and maximize their contribution to the country’s national development.
At the end of the seminar, Ihsaan Foundation Inc. encouraged Muslim women to exercise their right to vote during theMay 9, 2022 national elections, keeping in mind that they play an instrumental role in nation building.
