Sex, politics and power seem to be at the centre of news in both the West as well as in the South. Dominique Strauss-Kahn is at the centre of a series of sex scandals that have allegedly thwarted his political aspirations to become the next president in France. As much as he is unpopular in his home country now, the French generally draw a distinct line between the personal and the political. So we could be in for a surprise in the next elections in France. In South Africa, recent revelations that Sports Minister Filike Mbalula had sex with Joyce Molamu, during a separation from his wife, have prompted public debate about how public the private lives of politicians should be. Read more…
Recent revelations that Sports Minister Filike Mbalula had sex with a woman, Joyce Molamu, while he was separated from his wife, have prompted public debate about how public the private lives of politicians should be. Mbalula has called on young people to be faithful to their partners in the context of the fight against HIV/ Aids. Read more…
Climate change is no longer a “scientific myth” as it was a couple of decades ago. Almost every government, civil society organisations, and all well-informed individuals agree that the planet is sitting on a time bomb hence a need for strategic interventions. This has seen numerous campaigns, strategies, and interventions aimed at saving the world from the predicted environmental calamities. Read more…
While positive signals elsewhere in the continent show that governments are embracing principles of free access to information, Southern African Development Community (SADC) seem to be retrogressing. Namibia and South Africa, once beacons of media freedom in the region, are no longer conducive environments for the press, according to Freedom House Read more…
Crude insults, aggressive threats and unstinting ridicule: it’s business as usual in the world of website news commentary – at least for the women who regularly contribute to the national debate. The frequency of the violent online invective – or “trolling” – levelled at female commentators and columnists is now causing some of the best known names in journalism to hesitate before publishing their opinions. Read more…
The release of the draft Model Law on Access to Information for AU Member States for public comments provides an opportunity for gender dimensions of ATI to be explored before it is adopted in April 2012. While this is a positive development to ensure improved accessibility of information as well as increased openness and accountability of public institutions, it remains worrisome that this model is silent on the gendered nature of ATI. Read more…
As part of larger efforts to improve media’s coverage of gender based violence, Gender Links (GL) is running a series of training workshops for the media in the Southern African development Community. This training project, taking place just a few weeks before the commencement of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence, complements the media centres for gender in the media project which offers thematic training for media in the region. Read more…
In Miss Representation, actress-activist Rosario Dawson talks about how important it is for women to write their own stories. This is equally important in entertainment and in journalism alike. Yet as she discusses in the film, today’s media climate is extremely toxic for women and girls, and for people of color. That’s because the main purpose of TV programming today is not to entertain, engage or inform us. Read more…
The global theme for 2011 Sixteen Days of Activism Against Gender Violence campaign is From peace in the Home to Peace in the World: Let’s Challenge Militarism and End Violence against Women! Militarism is the belief or desire of a government or people that a country should maintain a strong military capability and be prepared to use it aggressively to defend or promote national interests. Read more…
As part of the UNiTE campaign to End Violence Against Women and Girls, the Southern African Regional Office of UN Women has commissioned Afroes to create a mobile game targeting young people Read more…
The Malawi Institute of Journalism (MIJ) participated in the gender and media literacy course provided by Gender Links in March 2011. Twenty six participants have since completed their projects which demonstrate the knowledge and skills that they gained from the course. Read more…
A leading regional NGO working on gender equality offers an exciting opportunity to work as an intern in one of its programme areas. Gender Links (GL) is providing a six month long internship programme, which commences on the 13th of January 2012. Read more…
Early this year, a reader of The Namibian newspaper commented on the SMS page that “the length of girl’s school skirts is so short and as a man, I am tempted. Please do something about this.” There were a few responses which implied that most citizens did not take the SMS seriously. Conversely, in 2010 Metcalfe Attorneys published a half page advert in a local daily featuring a woman’s bare bottom and a boot print inscribed “Still kicking it.” The advert sparked huge controversy with many people openly denouncing the blatant stereotypes perpetuated by the image. The SMS and the advert attracted different public reaction. Read more…
It is a well- known fact that more women than men know their HIV status and that it would be great if more men went for testing. What is not so well known -and I speak from personal experience- are the inner struggles that men have to confront before going for testing. So many men are still dead scared of the pandemic. Take for instance one long day when my wife Carol decided to undergo an HIV and AIDS test as part of antenatal care. I dreaded receiving a call from her and I do not speak for myself. I know some friends who dread the antenatal visit which involves voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) for pregnant women. When I asked Carol about her decision to get tested, she responded casually and expressed the need to protect the unborn child. Read more…
My son turned “free!” – his word – not mine in August this year. As I reflect on that Saturday three years ago when he came into the world at quarter past three in the afternoon, weighing in at 2,9 kilogrammes and measuring 49 centimetres long, I marvel at the challenges, joys and fears that have characterised my life in this new role. You see, I stopped being only a man that day, I became a father. Read more…
With less than a month to the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Durban, debates and discussions – abound about the outcome of the meeting. At the centre of these meetings are adaptation and mitigation measures to climate change and the Global Climate Change Fund. Read more…
Upcoming Events
Reporting Gender Based Violence, November 2011, Johannesburg and Limpopo, South Africa
COP 17, 28 November – 9 December 2011, Durban, South Africa
16 Days of Activism, 25 November – 10 December 2011, International
A small church house shelters a dozen Masaai girls escaping female circumcision and early marriages, age-old customs of the Kenyan tribe now frayed by health risks and new laws. While Masaai elders strongly defend their culture, some men have turned their backs on it, and in the town of Narok, west of the capital, west of the capital Nairobi, they have opened a church-run centre to rescue girls from circumcision Read more…
Two months before the United Nation’s big climate indaba, COP 17, the hardline stances of the different economic blocs and countries are posing a threat to chances of a deal in Durban. Most analysts agree that a legally binding agreement is highly unlikely, but negotiators are pushing for a clarity on a second commitment period for Kyoto and a global agreement on the need to push ahead with process. Read more…
Life will never be the same for Ms Mositi Disang of Serowe after recieving a four roomed house from Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) National Womens Wing over the weekend. Ms Disang who could not hold tears during the handing over ceremony of the house told BOPA that her dignity was now restored courtesy of BDP Womens Wing.. The sickly 42 year old single mother of seven said said she has been impoverished to a point where she could not afford to put a roof above her head. Read more…
In the last ten years many advances were made to increase the awareness on the value of girls’ education and enrollment and retention has improved. While many countries have made progress toward achieving gender equality in education (Hyde 2001), girls continue to face many obstacles that impede their path to learning. Factors include discrimination on the basis of sex; unequal rates of investments by governments, political conflicts, and inadequate hardship are all recognized barriers to girls’ educational attainment. In the least-developed countries, in sub-Saharan Africa, 45 percent of girls are not enrolled in classes, and of those who are, nearly 40 percent will drop out before completing fifth grade (UNICEF 2001). Read more…
The paper commences with a review of the concept of Information Communication technology (ICT) and points out how it has become a potent force in transforming social, economic and political life globally. It then discusses the linkage between gender and ICT especially how ICT has widened the digital divide gap between Africa and the rest of the world on one hand, and between males and females on the other. It later gives an overview of the ICT policy formulation situation in Africa pointing out the gender provisions in the national ICT policy documents of some African countries. Read more…
Climate change is expected to bring about significant changes in migration patterns throughout the developing world. Increases in the frequency and severity of chronic environmental hazards and sudden onset disasters are projected to alter the typical migration patterns of communities and entire countries. This paper examines evidence for such claims and roundly concludes that large scale community relocation due to either chronic or sudden onset hazards is and continues to be an unlikely response. Read more…
Rape is one form of gender violence that affects more women than men. This type of violence not only infringes on women and girls’ rights but also exposes them to HIV, a virus that causes Aids. The perpetrators of this form of violence must at all cost face the law and police have a crucial role to play in the justice process. This case study analyses an article in which a girl, 18, who was raped and infected with the virus while she was 15. Shockingly, the police have not yet arrested the rapist despite knowing his whereabouts. Read more…
The 50/50 campaign in decision making by 2015 articulated in the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development has brought mixed feelings, views and opinions regarding women’s empowerment. For some quarters the campaign has brought with it the renewed hope that could improve women’s empowerment, but others feel that it is “politically incorrect†to go the route of empowerment through legislation. They feel that deliberate policies to attain a certain target reinforce the superiority of men over women. This case study discusses a letter to the Editor by a “female chauvinist†who is of the view that the 50/50 campaign makes women “second class citizens yet they are intelligent enough to make it on their own. Read more…
Global Health Council statistics put women aged 15-25 (sexually active group) as one-and-half times more likely to contract HIV than young men. We need to find alternative ways that can enable and empower women to protect themselves from contracting the virus. One initiative has been advocating the use of the female condom. Read more…
This training manual builds on an earlier version developed in 2004. It contains new topics, which include women and human rights, women and conflict resolution, ethics and integrity, HIV/AIDS awareness and fundraising and project elaboration; which the councilors identified as relevant to their work during an evaluation of the previous capacity building program in September 2004. The manual is intended for councilors at sub-country and parish level to build their capacity in developing and implementing gender responsive projects in their communities. Read more…
The aim of this resource file is to empower journalists to play a vibrant and effective role in: community motivation and education on voter registration; community and political party education during election campaign; community motivation and education on voting; community information and debate. Read more…
This handbook is designed for all development practitioners (not only communication/ information specialists) and was born out of the observation that all too often, gender is overlooked in the design of communication initiatives for development in rural areas and that rural populations, women particularly, are rarely viewed as primary sources of information. This has an impact on the action of communication with consequences that vary from reduced efficiency to adverse results. Read more…
Mary-Jane Piang-Nee is an intern at the Mauritius GL Satellite office. She is a young woman who is hard working and has been a volunteer in different organizations including being an assistant teacher. Read more…
LoveLife is South Africa’s largest national HIV prevention initiative for young people. LoveLife combines a sustained high-powered campaign with nationwide community-level outreach and support programmes to promote healthy, HIV-free living among South African teens. The organisation will soon sign an MOU with the GMDC. Read more…
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