Roadmap to Equality, Issue 24, February 2012
Date: March 19, 2012
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Welcome to the 24th edition of the Roadmap to Equality! – tracking progress towards the implementation and ratification of the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development.
Zambia kicked off the Gender Justice and Local Government Summit on 7 March that will end on a high note with an award ceremony of good practices that are contributing to achieving gender justice at the local levelon the 9 March. It is the second country to host the series of pilot in-country- summits hosted by Gender Links and strategic partners under the banner “365 daysof collective local action toend gender violence: we must”. … 
Local councils, associations, community based organisations and activists are called on to submit award entries for the third Gender Justice Local Government Summit and Awards. Convened by Gender Links (GL), the summit is the premiere regional event for show casing local level efforts to end gender violence and empower women. … 
On 5 March 75 men, women and youth commenced their three-day trek to the top of Africa’s highest mountain – Mt. Kilimanjaro, standing at 5,895m or 19,341-ft above sea level with an extraordinary humanitarian objective – ending violence against women…. 
If every International Women’s Day event held in 2012 includes girls in some way, then thousands of minds will be inspired globally to look to a brighter future. This year’s global theme is: Connecting girls, inspiring futures. Each year around the world, many celebrate International Women’s Day (IWD) on 8 March. … 
The United Nations’ 56th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) opened 27 February 2012 in New York, with the empowerment of rural women high on a list of priorities for this year. According to a press release issued last week by UN Women, “Rural women constitute one-fourth of the world’s population. … 
Cyclone Giovanna has so far killed 23 in Madagascar according to media reports before taking aim at Mozambique. Some 65 people were injured and about 11,000 people left homeless after Cyclone Giovanna ravaged the country’s eastern seaboard…. 
Zimbabwe presented its second, third, fourth and fifth periodic report to the Committee on Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Committee during the 51st CEDAW Session in Geneva towards the end of February this year…. 
The last 25 years have witnessed massive progress in educational enrolment as gender gaps have closed in most countries around the world, according to 2012 World Development Report (WDR). Again, giant strides have been made in secondary education with ironically reverse effects in regions such as Latin America, where girls now have outnumbered boys. … 
Between March and April 2012, the Southern Africa Gender Protocol Alliance will hold country reference group meetings facilitated by the country focal networks with assistance from the regional secretariat to produce the 2012 SADC Gender Protocol Barometer reports. The aim is to have the 15 meetings in all 15 SADC countries as part of consultations and validation process to ensure that the data and qualitative analyses are verified. … 
The acceptance of lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people in Africa is a battle that is yet to be won. Sexual orientation and gender identity are integral aspects of an evolving society. In conservative societies where LGBTI’s face discrimination, political and traditional leaders must lead in the discussions towards the acceptance of sexual minorities.This follows the recent homophobic comments made by King Goodwill Zwelithini of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa…. 
Activists in Zambia have called for support for the Gabon widows’ call on the current Patriotic Front government to release the Report on the Gabon plane crash of 1993. In an opened letter addressed to the President Michael Sata the activists said the families of the football fallen heroes, more than ever, need closure to this man-made disaster now, … 
Latest statistics from the High Court of Zimbabwe indicate an increase in the number of divorce cases in the country. In 2011, the High Court received a total of 1 551 divorce cases, a 21% increase from the 1216 cases received in 2010. It took me ‘bumping’ into a friend’s astonishment at the statistics on her Facebook status; and some rather insensitive comments that followed, to realise that divorce – no matter the circumstances – remains an abomination in our society…. 
The Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) and the National Democratic Institute will on 8 March International Women’s Day, hold a round-table discussion to strategise on how to push forward the campaign for 5050 legislated quotas in the constitution and electoral laws. The initiative aims to guard the gains made in increasing women’s representation in political decision-making positions in South Africa…. 
The November 2009 national elections in Namibia witnessed a major backward slide as women representation in parliament dropped from 30.8% to 23.2%. This is despite the fact that the country has not only signed but ratified the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Gender and Development which sets a target of 50% for women representation in parliament by 2015. Considering that the country is left with only one national election (2014) before 2015, it is highly unlikely that parity will be achieved by the set timeframe. … 
There are many significant days in our lives. We remember the moments our children were born, when we got married and for me, I will add one more sad day to this list. My sexist son anniversary, Saturday, 28 January 2011, when my three-year-old son shared his sexist views with the world will be one more day to commemorate. This was a sad day indeed for a long-standing gender equality advocate. … 
According to a recent study carried out jointly by the Mauritius Family Planning and Welfare Association and SAFIRE, the only NGO working in this field, there are around 6,780 street children in Mauritius. The deprivation of education opportunities is one of the main impacts on children living on the street…. 
A gender perspective of South Africa’s New Growth Path (NGP), 2012 State of National Address (SONA 2012) and the 2012 national budget presented this week reveals a common thread: – they are gender blind. These three economic mirrors of SA’s short and long term strategies do not reflect the different experiences let alone needs of women and men…. 
Up to 70% of Africa’s population of 1 billion people subsists on the land, and 70% of its labour force is employed in agriculture. Most African economies rely on agriculture – for instance, the agricultural economies of Ghana and Nigeria constitute 35% of their gross national product. Many African women cultivate the land, plant, tend, harvest and prepare for consumption most of the food that comes from smallholdings. … 
For most urban dwellers in Zimbabwe, one of the Herald headlines during the month of February which read “Maputo threatens to switch off Zim” was not surprising. The article alleged that Mozambique, which supplies Zimbabwe with about 500 megawatts to cover shortfalls, had threatened to cut off power supply to Zimbabwe over a US$5 million debt…. 
In the daily newspaper Noticias, on 14 January 2012, journalist Pedro Nacuo wrote an op-ed about a crime that took place in Pemba, in Cabo Delgado province: a woman who entered the space reserved for boys’ initiation rites was “punished” by orders of the leader responsible for the ceremony, who ordered a collective rape. 17 men sexually raped her…. 
An old rusty black pot sat in the corner of a dark room, its contents slowly seeping from three small holes forming a meandering “stream”, which flowed onto a reed mat. On the mat Agnes Rukawo of Muzarabani, who had just given birth to a baby girl, lay motionless, tired from the five hours of labour…. 
While still fresh in her appointment as deputy Inspector General of Police, 39 years old Stella Libongani was on 15 February elevated to the top most position of Inspector General of police replacing Dr Martin Malama who has since been redeployed elsewhere…. 
Red lights flash – focus of advocacy efforts: 
The role of a priest or priestess is not only to pray, do “hawans, kirtans or bhajans” (different forms of prayers) or celebrate weddings and prayers for the dead. Satyam Chummun, who is among the few female Hindu Priestesses in Mauritius, tells how after attending gender training sessions has raised her awareness levels with a leading regional gender NGO. She now helps survivors of gender-based violence to overcome their trauma. … 
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