In many countries, parliaments have so called women’s caucuses: networks for women MPs. They are meeting places for all the women MPs from all the different parties to come together to learn about themes that matter for them, as women. Someone from the civil society may e.g. come to a meeting of the caucus and tell about the United Nations Security Council 1325 – Women, Peace and Security. After that, the women MPs can discuss and think of how the parliament that they are members of could act to alleviate women’s suffering in conflicts, and what could be done to increase the number of female peace negotiators.

Perhaps there is a women’s caucus in your parliament? If you as a caucus really want to achieve goals and write policies to improve the situation of women, then the important thing is to find issues and to talk of policies that you can all agree on. If you all think that gender based violence is a great problem, you can agree on a policy to try to combat it, whether it is legislation, employing more policewomen, training the police, justice sector actors and social workers to help victims, establishing women’s shelters and legal and health services, or starting information campaigns. After you have discussed it together at the caucus, each one of you can bring the matter to their own parties and initiate a discussion on the need to take measures to alleviate the problem.