An Exclusive Interview with women's rights activist, Ms. Safaath Ahmed Zahir

Women’s rights activist, Ms. Safaath Ahmed Zahir. Photo by: QYL Website

Following is an exclusive interview given to Adam Mohamed of Adamington Online by leading women’s rights activist Ms. Safaath Ahmed Zahir, via an email after a Direct Message (DM) session of Twitter. Safaath Ahmed Zahir has been awarded British Queen Elizabeth II’s “Queen’s Young Leaders Award” along with 45 other winners from all over the Commonwealth who applied for the honor this year. Queen’s Young Leaders Award is an honor bestowed upon young individuals from Commonwealth countries who take a leading role in transforming the lives of others and making a lasting difference within their community. She has also been recognized for her outstanding leadership to achieve the SDG’s & chosen among the 17 young leaders of United Nations member countries for the first time in UN’s history to promote the Sustainable Development Goals by youth leaders.

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Adam Mohamed: Many might have not been informed that you’re a financial analyst in profession. That field is known as the process of identifying the financial strength and weakness of a business along with company fundamentals to make business. Why did you choose this profession & which areas of this field are you most interested in?

Ms. Safaath Ahmed Zahir: Well, I’m not a fan of math’s per say but I have always had a lot of interest to build my career in the financial sector. During my bachelors, I majored in Banking and Finance which allowed me to develop a good understanding of theoretical and the practice of banking, and its prospects in the modern world.

I wanted a more in-depth understanding of financial instruments, markets, trading practices and institutions. Thus I decided to pursue an MSc in Finance & Investments. Having worked in the government recently I’ve also built interest in government finance and corporate finance (in particular with regards to State Owned Enterprises).

Give or take, I always thought to myself that after returning home I would work to bring innovations in the financial sector of the Maldives. I’m still surprised that it did not happen at all because I planned out my entire story long back. Life’s so evolving, it’s very complex most times and our passion makes us wanna achieve more (often the impossible). At this point all I can say is that, being a Financial Analyst, it’s a challenging profession that comes with great responsibility and I’m with great hope that one day I would have the opportunity to serve the financial sector of my nation.

  

Adam Mohamed: As a financial analyst, what are the most important elements that you’ll consider to make a decision about a loan & what is important to consider when reaching on a decision on an investment?

Ms. Safaath Ahmed Zahir: There are several things that you have to look at and at times they depend upon whether the loan is being taken for a personal use, or for a business or for the government. They all have different angles that we have to look into. For instance, from a government’s perspective taking on debt means great obligation. If for a personal use, you must always ask to yourself first whether that you really require that loan at all. Though, to overcome cash crunches such personal loans often come in handy.

One tip that I can give is that make sure you analyze the interest rate and the grace period for the loan you are undertaking.  Interest rate has significant effects on your monthly dues depending upon what kind of interest rate is applicable to your loan. So, make sure you get the best bargain on what you need to pay as interest. On the other hand, allow you self to prepare for your financial future burdens during the grace period. It’s an important period where you need to make a proper financial planning for future obligations that you have to carry on.

Adam Mohamed: You’ve served as the Secretary-General of Women on Board, a local NGO dedicated to inspire & empower the women of Maldives by unleashing their economic power & promoting gender diversity. What were your responsibilities as the Secretary-General of Women on Board & how have your role in the NGO helped woman empowerment in our present society?

Ms. Safaath Ahmed Zahir: I am proud of what I did at WOB as we became the first NGO in the Maldives to specifically advocate for gender diversity and equality. I initially focused to create awareness for gender equality and for women in leadership. I directed several events (including events to promote SDGs) to raise awareness for the importance of women in leadership and, both introduced and assisted several capacity development training programs within the Maldives.

In the Maldives, the real issue of inequality is the matter of “unequal power distribution.”  This means the under representation of women in leadership. I feel that the issue of under representation of women in leadership was less spoken of before WOB. Our awareness events allowed many to build confidence in women and young people are supportive of this notion even more. This became a huge milestone!

Whilst serving as the Secretary General of WOB, I also focused on creating awareness for the important role of Small Island Developing States. I also supported young people to connect with opportunities such as internships, scholarships and job opportunities; which is something that I even do now

Adam Mohamed: In Maldives, we have learned a lot about improving economic access for women through shifting from a gender approach. What institutional and societal changes need to be made for broader woman empowerment in our nation?

Ms. Safaath Ahmed Zahir: Women face little discrimination in basic aspects of life such as education, health, and survival; and yes, women’s labor force participation is high; but gender inequality still continues to exist in elevated levels of unequal power distribution where women are faced with greater handicap than men.

According to Inter-Parliamentary Union, as of 2015, Maldives ranked 128th out of 190 countries in the world with regards to female representation in the parliament. Gender inequality’s manifestation within the home is a prominent feature in the Maldives. Family arrangements often result in disproportionate sharing of burdens and household assets for women, leading to high risks for domestic violence and exploitation in the division of assets. Inequality is even sharply delineated and clear-cut in the atolls & islands, who are largely ignored in key policy making for over decades. Women represent majority of basket role jobs and are of little importance in decision making levels seriously hindering women’s abilities to engage in economic activities. Girls and women are also greatly influenced by the cultural factors and conservatism that has reared through gender roles and expectations.

What are the remedies eh? Real change is the remedy. At first, we need good leaders to bring fundamental changes at policy level. For instance, make laws to safeguard our women not for the sake of making laws. Second, quota is a long debated controversy in the Maldives, but in my opinion let us not waste time in debating on a quota system, rather appoint women who’ve been in the industry for this long and who have the capability to lead. We also need to bring change within us to get results. For example feminism in leadership is becoming increasingly acceptable across the world and often dubbed as the “new cool”. We need to change our perceptions, the differing beliefs that part us and build confidence in everyone around us that this is the way forward for a peaceful community.

Adam Mohamed: You’ve been awarded the British Queen Elizabeth II’s “Queen’s Young Leaders Award” this year. This award is dedicated to individuals who create positive changes in the lives of the people living in their community. In your opinion, what is the reason that you were qualified for this award & what were your efforts to empower & secure recognition of the importance of women in the Maldivian workforce?

Ms. Safaath Ahmed Zahir: I often feel very lucky and blessed to have been chosen as one of the recipients for the Queen’s Young Leaders award this year. I was recognized for my efforts to empower women economically and in leadership. Whether it was creating awareness, to assisting young people to connect with opportunities, to capacity development I always openly advocated for women in leadership.

For me this has never been my work alone as well. WOB created an impact with this meaningful advocacy. WOB’s work has enabled broader female participation in the economy throughout the country. We greatly influenced both businesses and the government to encourage more female participation in the country’s economy.

May I also add that more than a recognition, I have found it as a unique opportunity to link my small island nation with the world and to join hand in hand with those who will be leading the way on this cause.
 

Adam Mohamed: UN’s young leader initiative is to recognize exceptional young people who are leader’s in the effort to end poverty, combat climate change, & reduce inequalities. You’ve been chosen among the 17 young leaders of United Nations member countries to promote the Sustainable Development Goals. According to UN, the responsibilities of the young leaders include working with Youth Envoy Office appointed by Secretary-General of UN. How are you supposed to increase awareness among youth & promote the Sustainable Development Goals in that position?

Ms. Safaath Ahmed Zahir: The UN Young Leaders Initiative is a part of the Global Youth Partnership for the Sustainable Development Goals, led by the Office of the Secretary-General’s Envoy on Youth. As a Young Leader for the SDGs, I’ll be engaging in UNs advocacy efforts, such as provide support for efforts facilitated to engage young people in the realization of the Goals. Furthermore, I’ll be also promoting these ambitious goals via our upcoming NGO, Women & Democracy through our advocacy efforts relatable to young people.

Adam Mohamed: You’ve been recently seen criticizing the current regime in media & via some rallies of MDP, the biggest opposition party of Maldives. Could this be a signal of you joining local politics?

Ms. Safaath Ahmed Zahir: There isn’t anything wrong with joining politics. In any democracy the role of young people is crucial, especially in the Maldives’’ case given that 60% (or even more) of our population consists of young people who are below the age of 35. Ensuring their political participation and empowering them in political leadership is pivotal for democratic transitions and to sustain an efficient democracy for the generations to come. I also believe that giving young people a greater stake in our nation’s future will fast track our pace to lead the Maldives towards a developed nation.

Democracy holds a very special place in my heart and I am passionate about the development of free and democratic societies. When the Maldives elected our first democratically elected president it was like the dawn of a new era (it was sort of like a revolution!) and it gave a new soul to every hopeful citizen in our country. I passionately believe that democracy; it empowers people, it empowers me to be a good leader and to stand up for what’s right! I care about free speech, care to vote to express my passion and care about having a greater stake in the development and peace of my own community.

Adam Mohamed: In your opinion, under President Yameen’s administration are the institutions of governance of this country effectively guaranteeing the right to health, adequate housing, sufficient food, quality education, fair justice and personal security?
 

Ms. Safaath Ahmed Zahir: It’s rather very unpleasant to talk about the current regime given their brutal take to run our nation. I’m not saying this to simply criticize the president, but the realities are rather very bitter. The government continues to criminally prosecute people solely because of their political beliefs. Maldives’ first democratically elected president and other political leaders have faced imprisonment and prosecution as well. These events portray the state of our judiciary. How can we have a fair, consistent and neutral administration of justice when our judges are nothing but tainted in their jurisdiction.

After three-decades of an autocratic rule, we are still faced with an even more brutal regime show-cased by his younger brother. There is not much to really say about this my friend, except that how can a president have love for his people when he cannot understand what the meaning of family is after all.

Adam Mohamed: I’ve heard from local media that you’re now working on founding an organization to promote women’s role in policy-level and decision making positions. How far is that goal in reach & when do you expect to establish the organization?

Ms. Safaath Ahmed Zahir: Women & Democracy NGO has been officially registered and the NGO intends to promote women’s role in businesses, government, policy-level and at all levels of decision making positions. If we are to really think, the political arena is where we find the most evident proof of under representation in the Maldives and even in the world. W&D will give lime light to the importance of women to make a democracy work by launching creative campaigns to raise awareness for this cause.

Moreover, our Executive Board is composed of young people and we are proudly an exclusive gender-equal board. W&D will also provide a platform for young people to connect with opportunities and we will lead by example. Thus, our Executive Board will provide equal opportunity for everyone (given their abilities, gender and social status) in our job/advocacy/voluntary requirements. We will also interestingly support youth start-ups & small businesses in our recruitment process.

Note: Safaath Ahmed Zahir is a leading women’s rights activist elevating the role of women & women’s economic empowerment through her civil society activism in the Maldives. She holds a Bachelor of Business & Commerce in Banking & Finance from Monash University, Malaysia & a Master of Science in Finance & Investments from University of Nottingham, England.