National Parliament has approved $2.606.000,00 from the State General Budget (OJE) 2014 to go to the Secretary of State for the Promotion of Equality to combat discrimination and violence against women as well as to promote the women’s participation in Timor-Leste’s development. 
Secretary of State for the Promotion of Equality (SEPI) Idelta Maria Rodrigues said SEPI had carried out activities such as advocacy to ministries and had taken action on women’s problems, though it was not yet enough.
“We gave $300.000,00 to consolidate women within the economy, supported the planned implementation of a national action plan against gender-based violations as well as $300.000,00 to civil societies including the UNTL gender studies centre as well as the IV National Women’s Congress of Timor-Leste,” SE Rodriguez said in National Parliament.
As well as the efforts to consolidate the place of women in the economic sphere, SE Rodriguez said there also an important program to build management capacity within the districts, especially in relation to preparing women to take part in municipal governance.
She added that SEPI would this year hold a campaign in schools and families to teach about reproductive and mental health as last year, many young girls committed suicide.
The 2014 SEPI budget of $2.606.000, together with last year’s $2.900.000 budget will be used to consolidate the place of women’s groups in the economy and to build the capacity of employees.
MP Josefa Alvares Pereira Soares called on SEPI to fix the supervision system for the program to consolidate women’s place in the economy as currently the program has no supervision from SEPI.
“It doesn’t mean that we do not want to support women’s economic activities, but that we want those efforts to continue and be sustainable,” MP Soares said.
MP Paulo Moniz called on SEPI to implement activities in rural areas to give motivation to women.
“Many commemorations held by SEPI are in Dili city. We are not considering the suffering of rural women and we are not developing them,” MP Moniz said.
