Women of the World Celebrating a Decade of Progress by Lance Greyling
2006-01-05. It is my firm belief that liberating women from an oppressive system also liberates men. All of us need to understand that any system that prevents a person from achieving their full potential holds the whole of society back.
Progress has certainly been made in
the legislative and policy realm at removing the barriers to women’s
development. We can celebrate the fact the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women is the second
most widely ratified human rights treaty.
In Africa we can celebrate the development of regional declarations and mechanisms on gender and development over the last ten years. It is also indeed a fact to celebrate that the First Speaker of the African Parliament is a woman and that at least one in five members are also women. The world has also witnessed a steady increase in the representation of women in parliaments and decision making bodies. Africa, in particular should be proud of the fact that it is Rwanda that has the highest percentage of women parliamentarians in the world.
Has all of this led, however, to a tangible improvement in the lives of the majority of women. Although overall life expectancy for women has increased, in Southern Africa life expectancy has decreased dramatically as a result of HIV/AIDS. 55 percent of those infected with HIV/AIDS in Africa are women, and it is also women that have to bear the greatest burden for caring for people who are infected. We have to do more to prevent the spread of this virus, particularly given that the infection rate is 5 times higher amongst girls aged 15-19 than of boys the same age. On that note I would urge the government to ensure that every rural hospital has adequate supplies of female condoms. Until women have complete power to insist on safe and responsible sexual practices, ID will blow the vuvuzela for the female condom.
ID is also extremely concerned with the continued violence that is perpetrated against women. Conflict situations lead to women experiencing the brunt of men’s violence and sexual violation. In South Africa, we have to do more to end the continuing violence against women and children, and we have to make the justice system more accommodating to the victims of such actions. On an international level, the trafficking of women is becoming a major illicit industry and all countries of the world need to unite in opposition to this.
The true liberation of women, however, will come through liberating them of the huge burden of poverty and providing them with economic opportunities. The first step in achieving this is education and it is distressing to note that two third’s of those people who are illiterate in the world are women. ID also believes that we must be doing more to assist women become entrepreneurs, particularly in South Africa, where almost 50 percent of women are unemployed.
In Africa we can celebrate the development of regional declarations and mechanisms on gender and development over the last ten years. It is also indeed a fact to celebrate that the First Speaker of the African Parliament is a woman and that at least one in five members are also women. The world has also witnessed a steady increase in the representation of women in parliaments and decision making bodies. Africa, in particular should be proud of the fact that it is Rwanda that has the highest percentage of women parliamentarians in the world.
Has all of this led, however, to a tangible improvement in the lives of the majority of women. Although overall life expectancy for women has increased, in Southern Africa life expectancy has decreased dramatically as a result of HIV/AIDS. 55 percent of those infected with HIV/AIDS in Africa are women, and it is also women that have to bear the greatest burden for caring for people who are infected. We have to do more to prevent the spread of this virus, particularly given that the infection rate is 5 times higher amongst girls aged 15-19 than of boys the same age. On that note I would urge the government to ensure that every rural hospital has adequate supplies of female condoms. Until women have complete power to insist on safe and responsible sexual practices, ID will blow the vuvuzela for the female condom.
ID is also extremely concerned with the continued violence that is perpetrated against women. Conflict situations lead to women experiencing the brunt of men’s violence and sexual violation. In South Africa, we have to do more to end the continuing violence against women and children, and we have to make the justice system more accommodating to the victims of such actions. On an international level, the trafficking of women is becoming a major illicit industry and all countries of the world need to unite in opposition to this.
The true liberation of women, however, will come through liberating them of the huge burden of poverty and providing them with economic opportunities. The first step in achieving this is education and it is distressing to note that two third’s of those people who are illiterate in the world are women. ID also believes that we must be doing more to assist women become entrepreneurs, particularly in South Africa, where almost 50 percent of women are unemployed.
