Gender parity in the southern African sub-region is accelerating as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) endorsed the process of drafting the SADC Gender Protocol (SGP). SADC member states commited to the task during its annual summit in Lesotho on August 17-18.
In recognition of the critical role the womenfolk play in the development of our region, you may also wish to know that the SADC Secretariat has initiated consultations with Member States in drafting the SGP, Right Honorable Pakalitha Mosisili, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Lesotho and Chairperson of SADC said at the post-summit media briefing. The proposed SGP follows an audit of the 1997 SADC Declaration on Gender and Development (SDGD). The audit was conducted by experts from the region and coordinated by the organization Gender Links (GL).
- decision-making
- education
- the economy
- constitutional and legal rights
- gender violence
- sexual and reproductive health and rights
- information, communication and the media, and
- institutional arrangements
The proposed Protocol seeks to use the positive experience of having a target in this area to set several more strategic benchmarks. These include requiring that all SADC countries amend their constitutions to include guarantees of gender equality (in line with the more recent constitutions in the region such as those in South Africa, Mozambique and Namibia) by 2010. They would also be required to specify that should there be a conflict between customary and state law, the Constitution should take precedence, GL noted.
Southern African Development Community
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has been in existence since 1980, when it was formed as a loose alliance of nine majority-ruled States in Southern Africa known as the Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC), with the main aim of coordinating development projects in order to lessen economic dependence on the then apartheid South Africa. The founding Member States are: Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. SADCC was formed in Lusaka, Zambia on April 1, 1980, following the adoption of the Lusaka Declaration - Southern Africa: Towards Economic Liberation.
Source:
South African Development Community. Southern African Development
Community. Retrieved, August 28, 2006
<http://www.sadc.int/index.php?action= a1001&page_id=about_corp_profile>.
According to GL, the SDGD audit showed that while there had been progress in all these areas, there are still significant gaps both in the provisions of the various instruments and in their implementation. What is needed is a more systematic way of accelerating gender equality in the region as well as enhancing accountability.
Decision-making
More than womens participation in political decision-making, the SDGDs target is to have 30 percent of women in political and decision-making structures by 2005. The SDGD Audit reports that even with several elections in the past two years, the average representation of women in the regions parliaments in the region stood at 20 percent; only South Africa and Mozambique have achieved the 30 percent target. Despite the
numbers, Mosisili notes that this target has been increased to 50 percent at the August 2005 Summit in Botswana.
Education
In consonance with the UNs Millennium Development Goals, specific targets for the region include achieving universal access to basic education by 2015, eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005, and at all levels of education no later than 2015.
However, Mosisili noted that on the average, while 68 percent of children in the SADC have access to the final primary grade, most member states provide places for fewer than 25 percent of the secondary age cohort, and less than 5 percent of the eligible age group has access to tertiary education. He urged that efforts should be intensified since these trends have serious implications for the regions competitiveness in the knowledge-based global economy.
Economic empowerment
The audit noted that nearly all countries have policies and legislation banning discrimination based on sex as well as programmes to promote access to, and control over productive resources such as land, livestock, markets, credit, modern technology, and formal employment. However, little of this has been translated into gains for womens economic status. More women live in abject poverty in Southern Africa. Cultural practices and customary law also contribute to womens inability to access, own, and control factors of production such as land and livestock.
Constitutional and legal rights
There are contradictions between customary law and codified law when it comes to womens rights in all the member countries. Moreover, these contradictions are not addressed in the member countries constitutions. GL noted that except for Mauritius, all countries have a dual legal system, with customary law governing every day lives of the majority of the women. Only South Africa and Namibia have made it clear in their constitutions that the Bill of Rights takes precedence where there is a conflict between the two systems. In addition, only seven of the Southern African countries have passed laws giving women and men equal rights in marriage.
Gender violence
The audit showed that the SDGD commits to taking urgent measures to prevent and deal with the increasing levels of violence in women and children. However, only four countriesMauritius, South Africa, Namibia and Sychelleshave passed specific Domestic Violence Acts. Botswana, Malawi and Zimbabwe have pending domestic violence laws while Lesotho, Namibia, Tanzania and Zimbabwe have passed Sexual Offences Acts. South Africa is still debating a Sexual Offences Bill. In the remaining countries, there have been no moves to introduce specific legislation for addressing domestic violence or sexual offences. This means that in the majority of instances, domestic violence is covered under laws such as common assault that are inadequate for dealing with this complex violation of womens rights.
The region also lacks specific laws to address trafficking, despite its growing threat. Legal provisions on sexual harassment remain weak.
Sexual and reproductive health and rights
Many governments have recognised maternal and reproductive health as a priority. Family planning services have been established in many of the countries and access to a wide range of contraceptives is available. However, only few of the member states provide free reproductive health services. Also, the rate of maternal mortality has remained constant because of HIV and AIDS, which has placed a huge burden on the health care system, making it even more difficult to improve the access to sexual and reproductive health services. With the heavy bias on reproductive health, other health needs of women and men are not addressed. According to Mosisili, governments health spending varies--the highest at 19.9 percent and the lowest at only 4.1 percent of their respective national budgets. Sammy Were of the SADC report, According to the latest estimates by UNAIDS, the average adult HIV prevalence rate (ages 15-49) in this sub-region is estimated at 11 percent compared to one globally. It is estimated that approximately 40 percent of all people living with HIV globally are in the SADC sub-region and approximately 37 percent of all new infections in 2005 occurred in this sub-region.
According to Mosisili, this is tied to the feminization of HIV and AIDS in the region because of gender inequality, low socio-economic status of women and gender-based violence. In most member states, fewer that 20 percent of the victims receive treatment. He attributed this to the lack of a locally-driven research agenda in the member states and the slow implementation of national, regional, continental and global commitments.
IC and Media
With regard to information, communication and media, the audit showed there has been some progress in raising awareness and challenging stereotypes of women in the media and popular culture, as well as engaging men as partners. However, the battle for mindsets is still far from won. Women are still underrepresented in all areas of the media and only a small portion of media organisations have adopted gender policies.
Institutional Mechanisms
The SDGD provides for a policy framework for gender mainstreaming and institutional mechanisms for advancing gender equality. Significant progress has been made in developing administrative frameworks for promoting gender equality and mainstreaming gender in the executive and legislative structures of SADC countries.
Sources:
GenderLinks (August 6, 2005). Gender under the spotlight at SADC Summit. Retrieved, August 28, 2006 <http://www.genderlinks.org.za//article.php?_id=329&PHPSESSID=4e5b121f948c41efbcaccd9717cla0f9>
Gender Link. Rationale for a SADC Protocol on Accelerating Gender Equality. Retrieved, August 25, 2006,
<http://www.genderlinks.org.za/page.php?p_id=265&PHPSESSID=4e5b121f948c41efbcaccd9717c1a0f9>
SADC (August 22, 2006). Post-Summit Media Briefing by the Right Honorable Pakalitha Mosisili, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Lesotho and Chairperson of SADC, Mathabiseng Hall Maseru, Lesotho. Retrieved, August 25, 2005 <http://www.sadc.int/news/news_details.php?news_id=762>
Were, Sammy (August 22, 2006). Press Release: Launching of the SADC Report on the Expert Think Tank Meeting on HIV Prevention in the Region. Retrieved August 25, 2006 <http://www.sadc.int/index.php?action=a2001&news_id=749&language_id=1>
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