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I welcome you all to this media launch of the National Women’s Month 2011. Our intention is to present to you all the key activities that government will engage on in partnership with civil society and other sectors during the month of August.
The observation of Women’s Month this year is particularly significant as we have lost two important women who were part of the historic anti-pass march to the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956. These are Mama Bertha Gxowa and Mama Albertina Sisulu who both passed away this year. We have therefore made an extra effort to make the programme of the month even more effective this year in honour of these stalwarts who dedicated all their lives to the struggle for gender equality, freedom and democracy.
We consulted the programme for the month through several meetings of the National Gender Machinery – a structure made up of representatives of gender focal points in various government entities, representatives of civil society groups, United Nations (UN) agencies and other collaborating partners. We had a summit for rural women to provide a platform for women in rural areas to express their views on a number of key developmental issues affecting women.
Earlier this month, we had a Young Women’s Summit to deal with key issues affecting young women including unemployment, skills development, teenage pregnancy, gender-based violence, teenage pregnancy and HIV and AIDS.
We held a women consultation on the New Growth Path which we believe should acknowledge upfront that women are most affected by unemployment. At the moment it only acknowledges youth as most affected sector. We will use Women’s Month to highlight the economic empowerment of women as critical element of success for South Africa’s efforts to achieve the targets on economic growth including the creation of five million jobs within the next 10 years as outlined in the New Growth Path.
Through all these consultations, we agreed that women economic empowerment should be the main focus of this Women’s Month celebration for this year. Hence we adopted the theme: “Working together to enhance women’s opportunities to economic empowerment”
The Women’s Month starts with a gathering of more than 800 women from across the country at the National Women’s Conference which opens officially this evening at Birchwood Conference Centre in Boksburg. The three day Conference is convened by the Department for Women, Children and People and is to be addressed by a variety of leaders including Government Ministers, gender activists in various sectors and representatives of UN agencies, business, labour and other sectors.
The official opening session at 18h00 this evening coincides with the celebration of the Pan African Women’s Day (July 31) under the theme: Women’s Health, Maternal Mortality and HIV and AIDS. This focus area is determined by the decision of the African Union to declare 2010-2020 as the Decade for African Women with specific themes for each year and the theme for 2011 is women’s health, maternal mortality and HIV and AIDS.
The National Women’s Conference creates a platform for engagement on key issues affecting the status of women in the country. The key objective of the conference is to discuss and resolve on the following areas:
• Key policy considerations to be included in the Gender Equality Bill which is being developed to increase women participation in all sectors of society and enforce 50/50 gender parity in key decision making positions
• Various elements of economic empowerment of women including engendering the New Growth Path and the Job Fund
• Rural Development Strategy for women
• Establishment of an advisory council to coordinate the implementation of 365 Days National Plan of Action to End Violence against Women and Children
• And addressing key concerns of specific categories of women such as young women and women with disabilities
Honourable Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe is expected to respond to key issues raised by women when he delivers the closing address to the conference on the 3rd of August.
The most important day of this month’s programme is the celebration of the National Women’s Day on 9 August at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, Limpopo. Honourable President Jacob Zuma will address the nation on this historic day under the same theme of enhancing opportunities for women economic empowerment.
On 11-12 August, there will be a Women Economic Empowerment Conference convened by the Department of Economic Development and Tourism in KwaZulu-Natal at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Durban. The conference will review progress and identify measures needed to advance women empowerment as a prerequisite for global economic competiveness.
Through an initiative of the Department of Human Settlement, on 18 August we will be in Brandfort, Free State handing over 1 956 houses built in commemoration of the 1956 Women’s March. Brandfort is the area where the veteran of the women’s movement, uMama Winnie Mandela was put under house arrest. The Department of Public Works will also run a programme this month encouraging indigenous building methods which were traditionally led by women and also recognise women in property and construction sectors.
Since gender-based violence remains the main scourge affecting women, we are working with the National Prosecuting Authority, SA Police Service and Department of Social Development to focus on this matter during this the Women’s Month. This will include an activity targeted at lesbian women who are facing violation of their right to sexual orientation through the so-called corrective rape.
There are a number of other activities organised by various departments and provinces to mark the National Women’s Month in a manner that is relevant to their sectors. These are available in the calendar of events that has been provided. The Ministers and Deputy Ministers present here will also elaborate these activities shortly.
It is my view that all of these activities aimed at improving the socio-economic status of women will not have an adequate impact without the support of the media. I therefore appreciate your presence here as we launch this Month. I also hope you will be joining us this evening at opening of the National Women’s Conference and in the various other activities that will be happening during the month of August.
We owe it to Mama Gxowa, Mama Sisulu and many other fallen heroines of the struggle for gender equality and freedom to make this Women’s Month Programme a success.
Working together, we can enhance opportunities for economic empowerment of women.
Thank you