An article dedicated to the commemoration of the International
Women’s Day, 2013
Four world conferences on women's
issues have been organised under the auspices of the United Nations. The first
world conference on women took place in Mexico City in 1975 with the theme of
equality, development and peace. The UN Women Decade followed thereafter
(1975-1985). The second conference was held in Copenhagen in the year 1980
under the themes of education, health and employment. The third was held in
Nairobi in 1985 culminating in the Nairobi Forward Looking Strategies (NFLS)
that called for equality, development and peace as a limelight for women’s
progress. This one was meant to reaffirm the theme of the first conference and
tally the gains of the gender decade. The fourth was in Beijing in the year
1995. This conference set the pace for the gender agenda following the Beijing
Platform for Action (BPFA) which brought forth 12 critical areas of concern:
women and poverty, education and training of women, women and health, violence
against women, women and armed conflict, women and the economy, women in power
and decision, institutional mechanisms for the advancement of women, Human
Rights and women, women and the media, women and the environment and finally, the
Girl-Child. It is out of this conference that women's interests went full swing
into policy and political agendas. Overall these conferences have been held to
advance the state of women in all the continents. But the void of not having a
fifth conference is hard to ignore, 17 years on, the world has refused to see
the significance of a follow up to the Beijing conference!
The questions we ask on this
significant day are; what are the gains for women since the last conference in Beijing?
have we achieved the promises? what are the realities?
A practical approach to these questions
no doubt presents hope. But it also presents heartbreak. Women are still a
marginalised group in almost all societies. Women are still struggling to
attain their proportionate representation in governments and politics. Women
lack the critical mass in decision making. On the flip side, Scandinavian
countries have devised a way to increase the number of women in politics and in
government by use of quotas. Rwanda, setting the pace for all countries in the
world has recorded the highest percentage of women in parliament. Indeed, it is
the only country in the world where women are more than men in Parliament. The
effect of this critical mass is evident in the milestones post-genocide Rwanda
has made, economically, socially and politically. The gender agenda in Rwanda is
past gaining momentum, the crystallization process has commenced and this is
evident in women representation in parliament. For the rest of the world, it is
safe to conclude that the tide is still high; we are counting the gains, but
also dealing with the existing prejudices against women.
The commonality of gendered
discrimination, difference, violence, inequality are matters not just of
international but national justice. As long as women's interests are thrown to
the periphery, they will continue to suffer injustices. The observance of this
day is
to affirm the need to continue with practical advocacy and relentless efforts
nationally and internationally to ensure that the rights of women are upheld
and that the gains made are not taken away. In order to achieve this, gender
mainstreaming must be an ingredient of every policy paper and at the heart of
every political and economic debate. Economic because, so long as women suffer
the greatest effects of poverty, so long as they suffer economic malnutrition,
the gendered disadvantages will slip deeper to their disadvantage.
Various legal instruments, most
importantly, the Convention on Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against
Women (CEDAW) was drafted and ratified by many countries in the year 1981,
during the gender decade. This is one of the most significant legal gains since
the first UN Conference on Women in Mexico City. Gender equality is more than a
goal in itself. Quoting Dr. Jacinta Muteshi, “it is a precondition for meeting
the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable development and
building good governance”.
The momentum for challenging women subordination is
being felt world over. It is evident in the presence of well organised women
organizations, women movements, organizations bearing the agenda of women
advancement at the core of their mandate, international working groups,
Constitutional revolutions, government policies and a keen youth, alive to the
challenges of their past and the possibilities of their future. There can be no
turning back for there still is a long way to go.
Happy International Women's Day!
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