Inkline featured a Maldivian girl, Shafaath Ahmed Zahir, for her bravery and work.

INKLINE, an international media platform that features positive news, stories of young people living their purpose, and various sources of inspiration, featured about a story of a Maldivian for the bravery and work done for women empowerment. Shaafath Ahmed Zahir, who also found women & democracy in 2016, fought for equal representation of genders in government, business and other leadership positions.

With a vision to challenge the unequal representation seen in socio-economic and political spaces in Maldives, Safaath Ahmed Zahir founded Women & Democracy in 2016. - By Aisiri Amin

I:  You have been quoted by press stating that the real issue of inequality is the “matter of unequal power distribution” in Maldives. Can you elaborate on that?

The persisting imbalance of women in positions of power within the Maldives is a true problem. Recent statistics show that during 2014 parliamentary election, there were only 23 women against a total 302 candidates, five of whom secured seats. This was in turn an actual decrease in the proportion of women in parliament, with a fall from 6.4 to 5.8 percent. These statistics are quite depressing, when compared to countries like Nepal and Afghanistan, where approximately 33 percent and 28 percent of parliamentarians are women, respectively.