DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY

Issued by: Department of Health

STATEMENT BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH ON INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY - 8TH MARCH 1966

The 8th of March is International Women's Day. The theme for this day is "Celebrating the Past - Planning for the Future".

The International Women's Day recognises and reinforces the pivotal role women play in society. In support of the International Women's Day, the Department of Health promotes the Beijing Plan of Action particularly the critical area aimed at eradicating violence against women.

The Department of Health views violence against women, as a threat to reconstruction and development in society. Aggression, brutality, torture and all other forms of discrimination against women give rise to physical and long lasting psychological damage on victims of all ages.

In its commitment to stopping Violence against women the Ministry of Health, in consultation with other Government Ministries and civil society, strongly supports the Ratification of the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), ratified without reservations in South Africa on December 15, 1995.

Through the transformation of its systems, the Department of Health aims to:

• facilitate career and professional advancement of women in its services by ensuring that women form a visible part of the top echelons in the Department,
• develop a code of conduct for health workers that will ensure that women's rights are construed as human rights,
• provide appropriate health care services for vulnerable groups eg women, children adolescents, mental ill-health and substance abuse problems, sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS,
• promote gender sensitivity in health care by developing a gender sensitive reorientation and in-service training programme for health workers at all levels.

Women's issues are no longer concerns of women only, but of society as a whole.

The Department of Health sees the promotion of women's rights and the restoration of their dignity as one of its major thrusts for the next decade.

March 8 1996 Enquiries: Lulu Sebake Tel: 012 312-0175