The proposed SADC Protocol on Gender and Development will enhance existing commitments to gender equality by providing accountability and monitoring mechanisms in the region, Assistant Minister for Labour and Home Affairs Gaotlhaetse Matlhabaphiri said on Monday. He told a SADC Stakeholders Consultative Conference that that the draft Protocol on Gender and Development would bring a legally binding regional instrument and address emerging gender issues and concerns.
Values, Policies and Rights
Advocates on International Women's day highlight discrimination, need to end impunity for sexual violence
Nichols: Reuters, 11 March 2007
Advocates worldwide on International Women's Day on Thursday highlighted issues such as gender equality, discrimination and the need for justice for survivors of sexual violence, Reuters reports. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday said that although world leaders reaffirmed the importance of gender equality in "almost all countries, women continue to be under-represented in decision-making positions." He also said that the majority of the more than 100 million children who are not in school are girls and that women's "work continues to be undervalued, underpaid or not paid at all." In addition, violence against women continues "in every continent, country and culture" because it is concealed or condoned, Ban said. UNICEF director added that "No one, including the UN itself, is doing enough to end this terrible situation. We fail to treat it as a crime".
PHM Right to Health and Health Care Campaign update
People's Health Movement
PHM is embarking upon a global Right to Health and Healthcare campaign which involves coordinated national and international level action. The overall idea of the campaign is to change the international approach to health and development, and, via a ‘Global Action Plan on the Right to Health Care,’ convincingly show how quality essential health care services could be made available NOW to every human being on earth.
UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
United Nations General Assembly
The purpose of the Convention is to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity. Persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.
WHO D-G highlights women's health needs on International Women's Day
Chan M: World Health Organisation, 7 March 2007
This year's International Women's Day was devoted to ending impunity for violence against women and girls. The Director General of the World Health Organisation, Dr Chan, began her speech with a reminder that women have particular needs and face specific health issues but, how the health needs of women are given neither the attention nor the prominence they deserve. Each year, for example, more than half a million women die from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth alone - a number that has hardly changed in 20 years.
10 000 abortions done in South Africa per week
The Argus, 3 February 2007
For South Africa's anti-abortion campaigners, 1 February 2007 is a day of sadness and mourning. But for the government and women's rights groups, it was a day for victory and celebration. Ten years ago, on 1 February 1997, the Choice on Termination of Pregnancy Act came into effect, becoming one of the most liberal abortion laws in the world. Records show a steady access to services nationally and progress towards greater service provision. A 1998-2001 mortality study by the Medical Research Council (MRC) found there was a reduction of up to 91 percent in deaths from unsafe abortions. But detractors such as Doctors for Life and the Christian Action Network continue to decry its existence and have mounted one legal challenge after the next to have it scrapped.
Health and democracy: A guide to human rights, health law and policy in post apartheid South Africa
Hassim A, Heywood M, Berger J: Siber Ink Publishers
This book highlights the key issues that constitute and affect health law in post apartheid South Africa. It is a constructive, precise and detailed book that has innovative ideas on how the law can be used to protect and serve its people more effectively. It examines the South African health system from a rights perspective and makes recommendations for future policy and legislative development. It draws attention to many complex issues linked to health care and goes on to challenge health personnel, policy makers and users of the health system to defend the human right to health.
International Women's Day 2007
IWD, February 2007
Organisations, companies, governments and media all around the world are busy planning exciting and meaningful International Women's Day activities for 8 March 2007. The UN theme for International Women's Day is "Ending Impunity for Violence against Women and Girls".
The state of the world's children
UNICEF, 2007
The State of the World’s Children 2007 examines the discrimination and disempowerment women face throughout their lives – and outlines what must be done to eliminate gender discrimination and empower women and girls. It looks at the status of women today, discusses how gender equality will move all the Millennium Development Goals forward, and shows how investment in women’s rights will ultimately produce a double dividend: advancing the rights of both women and children.
Closing the gap on gender-based violence
Integrated Regional Information Network, 19 January 2007
In a country long sickened by the frighteningly high level of sexual violence, one of the greatest challenges facing South Africa is closing the gap between the rhetoric of gender equality and the reality on the ground. The prevalence of gender-based violence is reflected in stark statistics: between April 2004 and March 2005, 55,114 cases of rape were reported to the police. The number of actual cases was likely much higher, considering only an estimated one in nine women report cases of sexual assault, according to the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC also estimates that a woman is killed by her intimate partner every six hours.