Decisive action needed to deal with gender equality issues

Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Pretoria - Social Development Minister Bathabile Dlamini says world leaders must boldly tackle women’s issues in order to find true and lasting solutions to challenges that continue to dog gender equality.

The Minister was addressing the 59th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW59) in New York.

“The issues that may appear to be divisive to political groupings in multi-lateral negotiations are precisely the kind of issues that should unite the world community to push forward the agenda that started 20 years ago in Beijing,” Minister Dlamini said.

The CSW59 meeting, which kicked off on 9 March, marks the 20-year review of progress countries have made in implementing the Beijing Platform for Action (Beijing +20). The meeting will wrap on 20 March.

The meeting has seen the global community intensifying efforts towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the shaping of a post-2015 Development Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Minister Dlamini said laws and policies alone do not automatically result in the changes leaders want, but they provide them with a starting point to engage the people.

“Having the right policies and laws in place does serve to engage all of our people in dialogue around changing the norms and values that give rise to and sustain the oppression and the perpetuation of violence against women.

“Laws and policies provide a legal framework for women to seek protection and support from the State while we work to change patriarchy and its related belief systems that seek to perpetuate ideas around male superiority and privileges.”

The Minister raised her concerns on the stance taken on the issue of women’s human rights at this year’s CSW. She said the declaration made very little reference to the human rights of women, which was “essentially negotiated out of the text”.

She said across the globe, women die because their rights are not protected.

“This must spur us to decisive collective action. Failure to speak out clearly on the human rights of women amounts to tolerating and legitimising the high global mortality and morbidity rates for women.

“In this case, silence is indeed complicity. We cannot and should not tolerate this any longer,” Minister Dlamini said.

It is estimated that 800 women die every day from preventable diseases related to pregnancy and childbirth. In 2013 alone, this amounted to almost 300 000 women.

“More than 50% of these deaths, which occur in sub-Saharan Africa and one third in South Asia, are due to preventable diseases such as complications due to unsafe abortions, severe bleeding and infections after childbirth, to name a few.

“South Africa launched its campaign for accelerated reduction of maternal mortality in 2012, focusing on women’s health, children’s health and nutrition strategy. We are happy with the progress we have recorded thus far, but more still need to be done,” the Minister said.

This year’s session marks the 20 year review of progress that countries have made in the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action.

The Beijing Platform for Action is an international declaration of women’s rights established at the UN’s landmark Fourth World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995. 

It covers 12 key critical areas of concern, which include women and poverty, violence against women and access to power and decision-making.

The summit also comes at a time when global attention is placed firmly towards the attainment of the MDGs and the shaping of a post 2015 Development Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals. – SAnews.gov.za