19 young women from Edinet, Orhei, Cupcini, Leova, Iargara and Comrat cities were awarded today, June 1, for the most inspirational essays on the topic “Open doors for women in politics.” The national contest of essays was conducted during April-May months of the current year and was organized by the Parliamentary Constituency and Information Offices (PCIOs) in cooperation with the district education departments. The awarding ceremony took place in the Parliament of Moldova and was supported by the UN programme “Women in politics”.

Asked what was her motivation to write an essay that addresses the issue of women in politics and decision-making positions, Valentina Mihailciuc, 18, from Orhei city, winner of the first place, said that “it is unfair to judge a person by his or her gender”. “Women have equal rights with men, and gender of one person should not determine what will she or he do in life, his or her rights or opportunities. I believe in gender equality and we must remember that our society is not made up only of men, but also of women. And if we would have more women in parliament, they would take care to adopt more laws related to women's rights," pointed out Valentina.

Another winner of the essay contest is Livia Tarmazan, 17, from Leova city. Through her essay, Livia wants to arouse the interest of women to get involved into politics. “I think that this is not only a benefit for women, but also for the economic development of the country. And if there were more women in politics and in decision-making processes, the economy would develop, poverty will be eradicated and would be put more emphasis on education”, said Livia.

Diplomas were handed by Ala Popescu, general secretary of the Parliament, who welcomed the essay competition, but also the active involvement of students. “I wish you to be always on the first row and on the first place in all the activities you will perform,” stated Ala Popescu.

Felicia Lungu, 15, from Orhei city, who is also a winner of the essay contest, believes that, given the fact that women represent more than half of the population, they must be active in politics and not only. “I noticed that discrimination towards women starts from school, so that was my motivation to write the essay. We have equal rights as men. And many actions done by women have shown that they can do politics just as well as men,” said Felicia.

Finally, young women and men attended an information session about the MPs` activity and also participated in a guided tour inside the Parliament of the Republic of Moldova.

UN "Women in Politics" Programme is implemented by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in partnership with East-Europe Foundation and the Centre "Partnership for Development", financed by the Government of Sweden. Winning essays do not necessarily reflect the position and opinion of the UN Programme "Women in politics", other implementing partners or donors.