She is referred to as someone who can change things in a shortest positive way especially when it comes to issues of women, youth and children. She joined active politics relatively late that is after Namibia attained its independence on March 21, 1990. Maria Tieties is a professional nurse at the Aroab state hospital and the deputy Chairperson at the Aroab Village Council. She has been a resident of this village for over 30 years now. Asked about her surname ‘Tieties’, she proudly said it is her husband’s name, and writes it as ‘Titus’. This surname appears on her official documents. Even if she is Titus, the name Tieties has become a house hold name…. Read more
Welcome to the 25th edition of the Roadmap to Equality! Tracking progress towards the implementation and ratification of the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development. As March – International Women’s Month – ends, there is cause for celebration and concern.
SADC witnessed the swearing in of the first female president, Joyce Banda in Malawi after the death of President Binguwa Mutharika. She is the second female president in Africa after Liberian president, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf.
In an interview with an Aljazeera news anchor, the newly sworn-in Republic of Malawi President, Joyce Banda said “my election (in 2009) as the vice president and Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (Liberian president) shows that Africans have grown in democracy [and] they have confidence in both women and men in leading them. Africans have decided that the time is now that women can also participate in leadership.”
The 56th Commission on the Status of Women under the theme Empowering rural women extended its work by one week after it failed to reach a consensus on conclusions for the priority theme. At the closing of the session, the Commission Chair Marjon V. Kamara( Liberia) said: “I will not hide my great disappointment that we have found ourselves in this position. If we really want to tell the truth about it, I am not sure that we all came with a spirit of compromise.” A chair’s summary reflecting outcomes will be made available…. Read more
Southern Africa: First female president says the time is now! In an interview with an Aljazeera news anchor, the newly sworn-in Republic of Malawi President, Joyce Banda said “my election (in 2009) as the vice president and Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf (Liberian president) shows that Africans have grown in democracy [and] they have confidence in both women and men in leading them. Africans have decided that the time is now that women can also participate in leadership.”… Read more
Botswana: Pressure mounts for Botswana to sign the SADC Gender Protocol Pressure mounts on Botswana to sign the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development as gender activists in the country met on 14 March to deliberate on a national strategy to get the government to adopt the legal instrument before the 2013 parliamentary elections…. Read more
Mauritius: Gender Links calls for signing of the SADC Gender Protocol by Mauritian Government The Gender Links Francophone Director Loga Virahsawmy has called on the government of Mauritius to sign the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Gender and development. Speaking at the award ceremony of the first Mauritian Gender Justice and Local Government Summit, Virahsawmy asked Kritee Ram, Special Adviser on politics in the Prime Minister’s Office to make an official request from all participants… Read more
Regional: Winners at country level gear up for the regional Local Government and Gender Justice Summit Winners that received awards at the country level Local Government and Gender Justice mini-summits held by Gender Links in Botswana, Madagascar, Mauritius, Zambia and Zimbabwe during the International Women’s Month of March are preparing to battle it out at the regional Summit set to take place in Johannesburg from 23 -25 April. Namibia will hold their national summit shortly before the regional one from 13 – 14 April…. Read more
Global: CSW fails to reach a consensus on key resolutions The 56th Commission on the Status of Women whose main theme was scheduled to have concluded on 9 March, but protracted negotiations on the agreed conclusions forced the Commission to extend its work by one week. Even then, they still did not manage to reach a consensus on the agreed conclusions on the priority theme, Empowering rural women, which is deeply regrettable. … Read more
Cote D’Ivoire: Ratifies the AU Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa The solidarity for African Women’s Rights coalition (SOAWR) has commended the Republic of Cote D’Ivoire on its ratification of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights of Women in Africa (the Protocol).The instrument of ratification was deposited to the African Union Commission on March 9, 2012…. Read more
Alliance think tank meeting in Johannesburg The Alliance think tank constituted in August 2011 will hold its first meeting on 25 April 2012 in Johannesburg. The main business of the meeting will be to draw up terms of reference for the think tank which has been mandated to assist the regional secretariat based at Gender Links with the day to day running of the Alliance…. Read more
Regional: SADC-CNGO HOS Summit preparatory meeting Members of the Southern Africa Development Community Council of Non-Governmental Organizations (SADC-CNGO) have asked for the Alliance’s contribution to the “SADC We Want’ document that will be tabled at the 8th Civil Society Forum this July in Maputo…. Read more
Country barometers, networks strengthened Seven countries – Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Tanzania have so far held reference group meetings to review the country SADC Gender Protocol Barometers to validate findings and fill in gaps. Once finalised the reports will feed into the 2012 Regional SADC Gender Protocol Barometer that will be launched ahead of the 2012 SADC Heads of State Summit in Mozambique…. Read more
Seychelles: Conducts costing of the gender action plan Seychelles national gender machinery led by the Gender Secretariat will conduct a costing of the gender action plan from 11 – 12 April 2012 with technical assistance from Gender Links. This is a follow up workshop to a process that began in November 2011, which saw Seychelles develop its first ever national gender action plan…. Read more
Reference group meetings for 2012 Gender Protocol Barometer reports begin 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. … Read more
Angola Alliance Focal Network, PMA to take forward MOU signed with Government departments The Platform for Women’s Action in Angola – Platforma da Mulheres Accao (PMA) will in March take forward implementation of the Memorandum of Partnership signed in August 2011 to strengthen the existing commitments between and within the Ministries of Gender, Justice and Members of Parliament on the implementation of key provisions of the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development. The MOU comes at a good time where Angola is chairing the Southern Africa Development Committee until August 2012…. Read more
Access to clean water, a basic human right My name is Sandra Dube*. Every morning I wake up at five o’clock in the morning to go and fetch water for the family. Sometimes my mother accompanies me to the water source, which is about four kilometres away from our home. On my way to the water source, I usually meet my classmates who will be already heading to school…. Read more
Pressure mounts for 5050 legislated quota as Namibia Alliance focal point makes submission to Law Reform Commission The NANGOF Trust gender sector, which is the Southern Africa Alliance focal network in Namibia, handed a 5050 submission to the Chairperson of the Law Reform and Development Commission,SackyShangalaon 14 March at a consultation meeting withcivil society.The regional Alliance Secretariat based at Gender Links and the regional Gender and Governance cluster led by Women in Politics Support Unit (WiPSU) supported the submission. … Read more
Zimbabwe: WIPSUCCF programme benefitting women in Chimanimani West “The Constituency consultative forum programme (CCF) instilled in us a sense of courage and determination. Before we got involved with the programme we were downtrodden and our low self-esteem showed even in the way we dressed” said Mrs Netsai Sinaravo Mutendadzamera speaking at the International Women’s Day commemorations held at Gudyanga primary school…. Read more
Zambia: Gender Justice and Local Government Summit calls for women’s equal representation; end to gender violence Delegates to the first Zambia Gender Justice and Local Government Summit have called on the government and political parties to take special measures to increase women’s participation in decision-making and redouble efforts to end gender violence…. Read more
Regional: Taking the SADC Gender Protocol to churches The Pietermaritzburg Agency for Christian Social Awareness (PASCA), Gender Links and the Human Rights Centre with support from the Norwegian church will this April host religious leaders from Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabweas a follow up to the churches Gender Audit of 2007…. Read more
Botswana: Country tops the region in women’s representation in senior management positions Botswana has been ranked as a global leader in the inclusion of women in senior management positions according to a survey released in March. The 2012 Grant Thornton International Business Report, which was released to coincide with International Women’s Day, 39% of senior management positions in Botswana are held by women…. Read more
Regional: Vital to empower women farmers Empowering women farmers in developing countries is crucial to solving the world’s food problems as an era of food price spikes looms, according to the head of a panel which advises governments and donors on agricultural development in sub-Saharan Africa…. Read more
Botswana: State of emergency call to end violence against women in Botswana Botswana’s Minister of Labour and Home Affairs Honourable Minister Edwin Jenamis oBatshu launched The Gender Based Violence (GBV) Indicators Study Botswana (2012) report on 29 March, which reveals the high prevalence of gender violence in the country. The research is a product of the partnership between Gender Links (GL) and the Women’s Affairs Department (WAD) in the Ministry of Labour and Home Affairs in Botswana…. Read more
Regional: SADC Conference on gender based violence The SADC Secretariat’s Gender Unit hosted a gender based violence conference from 20 -22 March draw up a regional strategy and action plan to address the scourge. Over 50 participants attended including development partners such as UN Women, UNDP; with two representatives from government and one representative from civil society from each Member State and NGO experts. Gender Links represented the Southern Africa Gender Protocol Alliance in its role as regional secretariat…. Read more
Zambia: Gender violence hampers AIDS fight Maria is living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. Anti-retroviral medicines (ARVs) are now more widely available and are supposed to make her life better. But her continued therapy is under threat because she fears that if her husband discovers her HIV status he will become verbally abusive or even divorce her. As a result, Maria says, she has had to hide her life-prolonging ARV drugs and only takes them when her husband is not around…. Read more
Botswana: Cervical cancer screening accepted Cervical cancer screening may be readily accepted among women in Botswana, a new study has found. Nearly all of the women surveyed (95%) at clinics in the middle-income African country said they would like to have a Pap smear. Only about three quarters of the women (72%) had actually ever had a Pap smear, however, and factors such as age, HIV status, and income were associated with the likelihood of having the test…. Read more
Zimbabwe Newspapers introduce gender policy, women journalists reach for the top While a lot of women are being enrolled into media training and joining the journalism profession, precious few have reached top management. Women decision-makers make it possible and a lot easier for women reporters to grow their careers and see issues they value being put into print. The dearth of women at top positions also significantly affects how women are treated in the newsrooms…. Read more
Tracking the SADC gender protocol Countries that have signed: Angola, DRC, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe Countries that have not signed: Botswana, Mauritius… Read more
Regional: Call for examples of the SADC Gender Protocol @ Work The Southern Africa Gender Protocol Alliance is calling for examples/ case studies that demonstrate the application of provisions of the SADC Gender Protocol at country and regional level. These can be initiatives by government departments, civil society or the private sector. These will be featured in the 2012 Regional Gender Protocol Barometer…. Read more
The Roadmap to Equality: Southern Africa Gender and Development Protocol Barometer is a regional e-news- letter that tracks the ratification and implementation of the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development. It is produced by Gender Links in partnership with the Southern Africa Gender Protocol Alliance and the Gender and Media Southern Africa (GEMSA) Network with support from DFID and UNIFEM.
The Barometer will enable both state and non-state actors to track progress whether governments are on the way to meeting set targets in the Gen- der Protocol which provides a road map for achieving gender equality in the region.
The new and updated Baro- meter will focus on the articles of the Protocol namely Consti- tutional and Legal Rights; Gender and Governance; Edu- cation and Training; Economic Justice; Gender Based Violence; Health; HIV and AIDS; Peace Building and Conflict Reso- lution; and Media, Infor- mation and Communication.
It is essential that gender and women’s rights activists and governments track the impact of their work in order to measure whether or not they are making a difference. The Barometer is a tool that can be used firstly, to track progress in advancing gender equality in the region and also to hold governments in Southern Africa accountable to the commitments they have made to address inequality through their obligations to international and regional in- struments and in particular the SADC Gender Protocol.
– The proportion of women in economic decision making has increased by 6% from 18% in 2009 to 24% in 2011. There is only one woman finance minister (in Namibia) in the SADC region but women hold several influential positions. – Time use studies have only been conducted in four out of the 15 SADC countries. These are necessary to calculate the contribution of women’s non wage labour to national GDP. – Several SADC countries are involved in Gender Budget Initiatives (GBI) and there is a regional network led by the Zimbabwe Women’s Resource Network and Centre (ZWRCN). In Tanzania this initiative is now bearing tangible results. – Trade policies are mostly gender blind. Only a few procurement policies make specific reference to women. Women continue to predominate in the informal sector. They constitute the majority of the unemployed in all SADC countries. – Women still struggle to access credit although most SADC countries now have programmes of one kind or the other to assist women in accessing credit. Mauritius has an especially strong programme for empowering women, articulated in its 2011 budget. – Figures on land ownership are patchy, but range from 11% to 46% (in Botswana). A gender analysis of agriculture projects in Botswana shows that women constitute the majority of beneficiaries. – Zambia has broken new ground with a land policy that requires that 30% of all land be allocated to women. – All SADC countries have maternity leave but only 40% have paternity leave. – The Gender Protocol offers an entry point for SADC member states to begin addressing climate change and its effects on women more robustly. Momentum is mounting for an addendum to the Protocol on Gender and Climate Change.
More than 160 participants from all over the country gathered at the International Conference Center of Antananarivo for the first national gender and local government summit and Awards… Read more
The government of Malawi has applauded the Southern Africa Gender Protocol Alliance for its commendable efforts in producing the annual SADC Gender Barometer, an important measuring tool of the 28 targets of the SADC Gender Protocol…. Read more
The Southern Africa Gender Protocol Alliance Secretariat this March joined the Tanzania Gender Networking Programme (TGNP) now Alliance focal point in Tanzania, to commemorate International Women’s Day on 7 March. Over 300 representatives including young girls, from the Network’s member organisations from across the country attended the commemorations held at the TGNP grounds in Dar es Salaam…. Read more
Gender Links and Botswana Association of Local Authorities (BALA) last month organised a workshop for 35 members of the community in the township of Jwaneng as a follow up to the work on gender and local government…. Read more
Comment on Roadmap to Equality, Issue 25, March 2012