Women’s Charter - government must fasttrack interventions to empower women

“Consultations have taken place in the ZF Mgcawu, Frances Baard, John Taolo Gaetsewe and Pixley ka Seme districts. In the Pixley ka Seme District, Ms Lucas said: “We all know that women and children in this region have suffered the most with the closing o

Women in the Northern Cape Province’s Pixley ka Seme District who participated in the review of the Women’s Charter have called for help for rural women, as they often bear the brunt of the worst inequalities and suffering due to poverty and underdevelopment in their areas,

The Deputy Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Ms Sylvia Lucas is the chairperson for the consultations in the provinces. She said the consultations were an opportunity for the public to directly engage with public representatives, as well as government agencies in order to find lasting solutions for qualitative gender transformation and to translate the Charter from theory into reality.

Consultations have taken place in the ZF Mgcawu, Frances Baard, John Taolo Gaetsewe and Pixley ka Seme districts. In the Pixley ka Seme District, Ms Lucas said: “We all know that women and children in this region have suffered the most with the closing of the rail manufacturing yard, which led to high prevalence of the foetal alcohol syndrome because of joblessness and poverty. So, use this opportunity to arm us, as your representatives, with strategies, information and tactics to make the charter a reality.” She also reminded the participants that Parliament’s constitutional mandate requires that it provides meaningful opportunities for the involvement of the public in its legislative and other processes.

Ms Luca said beyond the euphoria of 1994, when the Women’s Charter for Effective Equality was adopted, concerns have mounted at the widening gap between the country’s lofty constitutional commitments and policy affirmations around gender equality. “Women continue to bear the brunt of inequality, trapped by poverty, economic exclusion, violence and femicide. The disjuncture between public endorsement of gender equality and actual institutional practice is, however, particularly poignant in South Africa, in part, because many of the indicators of policy failure are so stark.

“Hence, as a people-centred Parliament, we took a resolution at the 2019 Women’s Parliament to embark on a 25-Year review of the entire women’s rights regime in order to take stock of the progress made since the adoption of the 1994 Women’s Charter for Effective Equality. Through this exercise, we will also assess the systematic weaknesses that continue to impede the realisation of gender equality in South Africa.”

One of the participants, Ms Asanda Ngonyama, suggested that the government must fast-track interventions to empower women in entrepreneurship, as they have been “traditionally excluded from economic activities”. She also said there is an urgent need to develop rural areas and provide basic services, such as the provision of water and proper sanitation facilities.

“In our rural areas if there is no water in the house, it is mainly the woman who has to make sure that there is water in the house. These services must be provided by the state to rescue our women from the distress that comes with travelling long distances to fetch water,” Ms Ngonyama argued. Other suggestions included the call for the free provision of sanitary products, the establishment of more support centres for victims of abuse, as well as training in entrepreneurship to empower women to start their own businesses.

“We are still far behind in realising the objectives of the charter. As we review the charter, we must make sure it provides an opportunity to uplift women in rural areas, as they often face the worst inequalities,” said Ms Jane Mafilika.

The summit also heard that gender inequality was one of the key drivers of the debate for the skewed access to health care between men and women, and that equality in other sectors, as experienced by women, does not always arise naturally.