DITSHWANELO – The Botswana Centre for Human Rights Press Statement on International Women’s Day

“There can be no sustainable progress without progress for girls and women. They are the change agents of our future”.

UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, 2015

2016 is the Africa Year of Human Rights with particular focus on the rights of women

 On 8 March 2016, The Gender Thematic Working Group of the Comprehensive Human Rights Strategy and National Action Plan (CHRSNAP) process (UPR NGO Working Group), joins the international community in commemorating International Women’s Day 2016. This year’s theme is “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality”. International Women’s Day is a day to appreciate hard-earned gains by previous generations in the fight for gender equality. It is a day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements by and of women.

Women have made progress since the first International Women’s Day in 1908 when 15,000 amazing women marched through the streets of New York City demanding shorter work hours, better pay, and the right to vote.

In Botswana 2016, women not only have the right to vote, but also to employment. Some have succeeded, to hold high office in the country. These offices include, Governor of the Bank of Botswana, Attorney General, Speaker of the National Assembly, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and Minister of Local Government. However, despite this progress, some concerns remain. These include, no established policy and practice for equal pay for equal work; limited number of women captains of industry; and unacceptably high numbers of survivors and victims of violence against women. Globally, women have limited access to education, health, freedom from discrimination and safety from violence. There are also insufficient established policy and practice frameworks regulating equal pay for equal work.

The Gender Thematic Working Group of the CHRSNAP process recognises that no society can develop sustainably without equal opportunities, resources and choices for males, females and others, to shape their own lives. Societies with greater gender equality experience faster economic growth.

 The Gender Thematic Working Group of the CHRSNAP process therefore:

• Calls upon men, women and others to join forces to collectively enable gender equality for sustainable development of our society
• Calls upon the government of Botswana to adopt the National Policy on Gender and Development (Presented to Parliament in July 2015),
• Calls upon the Government of Botswana to sign, ratify and domesticate the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development.
• Calls for the strengthening of the women’s movement in Botswana for it to engage meaningfully with the challenges facing women, fifty years after our independence in 1966.

 Gaborone

8 March 2016

 For more information please contact: DITSHWANELO – The Botswana Centre for Human Rights Tel: +267 3906998 Cell: +267 71309468 Fax: +267 3907778 Email: admin.ditshwanelo@info.bw Website: http://www.ditshwanelo.org.bw