Child rights champ shares success recipe
YOUNG women are continuing the fight for women’s rights – just as their counterparts fought against apartheid and other injustices – but today the focus is more on issues concerning socio-economic problems.
This is according to Zita Hansungule, senior project co-ordinator at the Centre for Child Law at the University of Pretoria, who shared her advice during Women’s Month.
Her message to other women on how to become successful is to always try to achieve one’s goals – big or small.
“After achieving these goals you set for yourself, you must be inspired to achieve even bigger goals. It really makes an impact in the spaces that you are in,” she said.
Hansungule is a true champion for the rights of children and she and the centre do groundbreaking work to make life for children a bit easier. The centre mainly does impact litigation regarding children’s rights.
“The centre receives judgments and orders from different courts that have the potential to impact on children’s lives in South Africa.
“My job requires me to determine whether the judgments we have received, actually get implemented by the duty bearers, such as government and Parliament.
“I also do a lot of advocacy work with government, civil society and Parliament, to ensure that laws on children are implemented and in line with the Constitution.”
Hansungule is a true role model to others and during her busy daily programme, she also does research on various topics relating to children’s rights and lectures on children’s rights and the law.
“In school and undergraduate university studies there was always the need to push myself extra hard. I often had to deal with disappointments and persevere through them. I am privileged to come from a supportive family and this helped me through the process of completing my studies.”
Her success for coping with stress and managing hard work is to plan ahead.
“I am a planner and I set goals or targets and time frames to enable me to manage my work.
‘‘I have to remember to be flexible because one cannot always plan ahead. There are times when things come up and you need to adjust to the situation.”
Hansungule said it was important to also look for opportunities to simply “unplug” in a bid to balance work and private life.
“It can be as simple as spending time with family and friends, reading a book or watching a movie or television. Running, as I do, is also a good stress reliever.”
Celebrating Women’s Month is very important to her.
“It is important to acknowledge and affirm the contributions made by many women from different walks of life, to the Struggle against apartheid and its oppressive practices.”
“Chief Albert Luthuli, in paying tribute to women, said: ‘Among us Africans, the weight of resistance has been greatly increased in the last few years by the emergence of our women.
‘‘It may even be true that, had the women hung back, resistance would still have been faltering and uncertain’.
“Women, especially young women working to better themselves to make an impact, should always be inspired and encouraged by the women who had the courage to challenge a repressive government.”
According to her, women were still fighting vigorously, but a different fight, against abuse and for vulnerable groups to obtain adequate housing.
“It (is) equally robust, but it’s for different things.”
Her tip for becoming a successful woman is not to be afraid to learn from mistakes, but to learn from others who inspire and to always look for opportunities to grow and to have a mentor.
‘It’s important to acknowledge and affirm the contributions made by women’