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"Women emancipation is not an act of charity but a precondition for the liberation of society” Samora Machel

The National Education Health & Allied Workers Union [NEHAWU] joins millions across the world in celebrating March 8 which is globally celebrated as Women’s Day. Originally the day was named The International Working Women`s day and was celebrated as a socialist political event in the Soviet Bloc.

The aim of the day was to celebrate in respect, to show appreciation and love towards women and in recognition of their economic, political and social achievements. Recently women continues to be at the receiving end of unfair labour practices, brutal rape, unpaid reproductive work and exploitative practices.

To this day women continue to be in sub-standard forms of employment like casual work, temporary work, part time and being exploited by labour brokers. According to research women continue to get paid less than their male counterparts and as NEHAWU we will continue advancing their struggle to eradicate this improper and bias conduct to see total emancipation of women. We will push for government to pass legislation to correct these imbalances.

We will intensify our work in fighting against violence directed to women and to this end we shall engage in the following actions:

• raising awareness about gender-based violence as a human rights issue at the local, national and international level
• strengthening our work against violence on women
• establishing a clear link between local organisations and international work to end violence against women
• providing a forum in which organisations can develop and share new and effective strategies
• demonstrating the solidarity of women in our union against gender based violence
• Creating tools to pressure government to implement promises made to eliminate gender based violence against women

As NEHAWU, we call upon government to, without delay, provide free sanitary towels for young women. This is one area that continues to denigrate women of all ages in particular those who are economically disadvantaged.

The measure of the quality of life should be measured through the lives of women more so in South Africa where women have a background of the triple yoke of oppression under the apartheid regime. The lives of women should be used as a yardstick to measure progress in obliterating the scourge of patriarchy and gender inequalities.

Indeed our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of women and we have to double our efforts if we have to realise our goal to end the disparities between males and females, this a daunting yet achievable feat.

Issued by NEHAWU