PARLIAMENT AND DEMOCRACY - Inter-Parliamentary Union

■ a public record available on line of all submissions made.
An accessible parliament I 87
■ public hearings arranged in local centres, with written summaries of oral
evidence.
Further online reading about m odes of civil society participation
in legislative processes:
Krafchik, W (nd). Can civil society add value to budget decision-making? A description
of civil society budget work. International Budget Project
National Democratic Institute, Parliament of the Republic of Namibia (2001).
Public participation in the legislation process.
The Scottish Office (2000). Involving civil society in the work of parliaments.
Women and legislation: a sectoral example
of NGO-parliament cooperation
Among the most effective examples of NGO-parliament cooperation, especially
in developing countries, have been those involving women and
women’s groups. One of the consequences of more women entering
parliaments has been their ability to use their established contacts with
women’s NGOs to help leverage progressive legislation. For example, as part
of its outreach programme, the South African Parliament conducts women’s
workshops in rural areas to train leaders of local communities in the understanding
of parliament and the law-making process. These sessions can also be
used to obtain submissions on legislation currently before parliament, and on
the implementation of existing legislation, as was done on the implementation
of the Domestic Violence Act of 1998 and on possible amendments to the
Recognition of Customary Marriages Act of the same year. In 2002 the
Parliament published a book, Women in Lawmaking: A Study of Civil Society
Participation, which presents a historical perspective of the role of women in
influencing laws in South Africa, and sets out concrete steps for their effective
participation in the lawmaking process.