Addis Ababa, Feb. 3(ENA)--The Ethiopian Government was taking measures to enhance the participation of women in the parliament, Speaker of the House of Peoples' Representatives said.

Dawit Yohannes said that the number of women represented in the House has been augmented over the last few years.

Dawit made the remarks here on Monday while conferring with two Norwegian Members of the Parliament.

He said the number of women's seats which was 13 during the first tenure of the House has now reached 42.

The empowerment and participation of women would have an irreplaceable role in the development endeavors and democratization processes in the country, Dawit said.

The speaker has also underlined the need to launch an extensive awareness raising campaign to enhance women's participation and mitigate harmful traditional practices being imposed on them.

Norwegian parliament representative, Karin Andersen said on her part that she would do her level best to facilitate conditions to share experiences from the success of parliamentary systems in her country.

(ENA)