At pedestrian crossings in Cyprus, gender equality will be implemented

Cyprus plans to install traffic lights featuring images of women in green and red colors at pedestrian crossings. The final decision will be made in March, after receiving approval from the EU and forming a "gender budget" of 470,000 euros.

The installation of "female" pedestrian crossings was discussed at a meeting of the House of Representatives on Human Rights within the framework of the national gender strategy.

In particular, a representative of the Ministry of Transport informed the committee that by 2025, as part of the strategy, traffic lights will feature female and possibly child figures.

Additionally, for safety purposes, new bus stops will provide adequate lighting in waiting areas.

A representative from the Ministry of Finance stated that the most important of the six actions in their portfolio is to address gender issues in state policy through gender budgeting.

"In October of last year, we submitted a request through the Directorate-General of the European Commission for support. We have already received preliminary approval, and the final response is expected in March," the representative said.

According to EU estimates, the amount will be 470,000 euros. The program will last for 30 months and is expected to start in June 2024 and conclude in 2026.

Furthermore, a representative from the Ministry of Labor stated that five measures need to be adopted, including increasing maternity leave from 18 to 22 weeks.

"A draft law on amendments has been formulated, which we will discuss in February," the Labor Ministry representative said.

According to the Commissioner for Gender Equality, Josie Christodoulou, the national gender equality strategy was formulated through dialogue with society, scientists, businessmen, and other stakeholders based on both European and international legislation.

The aim is to ensure the relevance of gender issues, and for this purpose, each ministry/deputy ministry has appointed an equality officer to ensure that all decisions made by the executive authority have an equal impact on men and women.