Maravi

Sara Longwe urges women to reject draft Constitution bill

Sara Longwe urges women to reject draft Constitution bill
By Agness Changala
Sat 25 Sep. 2010, 04:01 CAT

GENDER Activist Sara Longwe has urged the women movement in Zambia to reject the Draft Constitution bill on account of its inadequate provision for women’s rights. And The Post was yesterday awarded by NGOCC in recognition for support to press freedom and women’s rights. Others awarded were Radio Phoenix and the Zambia Daily Mail for coverage of women issues.

Meanwhile, Gender minister Sara Sayifwanda has assured women that the Gender Based Violence (GBV) bill will be tabled before Parliament this session.

At the Silver Jubilee anniversary celebrations for the Non- Governmental Organizations Coordinating Council (NGOCC) in Lusaka yesterday, Longwe said in a speech read for her by Gladys Mutukwa that women should also lobby both male and female Parliamentarians to reject the Constitutional 2010 Bill.

She said in an event of a referendum on the Constitutional proposals, women should mobilize the electorates to vote NO!

Longwe also demanded for the domestication into law of the provisions agreed by the government in international human rights instruments.

She further demanded legal provision for affirmative action to increase the proportion of women in decision making positions in line with the government commitments in regional conventions.

Longwe said women should also demand speedy enactment of the Bill on domestic violence.

And Longwe said there was need to reconsider the strategy in the way women fought for their rights.

“Here I have to point to a weakness which is intrinsic within our women’s movement. This is that our focus on gender equality is not well defined,” she said. “The truth is that we are in fact a loose alliance of women’s organizations.”

Longwe charged that some were more focused on women’s welfare, whereas others were more on women’s rights.

She said some women were more interested in working for a better position ‘within’ the present system of male domination.

Longwe said this object was to claim patriarchy to work better and properly, to make men live up to their claim to look after ‘their’ women.

She said as a result of the above confusion, the women movement had supported women who got into parliament but did not and would not support equal rights for women.

“We have even experienced ministers who have gone out of their way to deride the women’s movement, and even deny that there is discrimination against women in this country,” Longwe said.

And Sayifwanda urged fellow parliamentarians to support the GBV bill for it to be enacted.

She claimed that her government was committed to protecting everyone from the harmful effects of GBV.

“Lives have been lost and families have broken apart because someone has chosen violence as opposed to dialogue,” she said.

NGOCC chairperson Marian Munyinda said women would remain engaged with the government on national and gender specific issues to ensure their voices were heard.

Munyinda said the women would also remain resolute to pressurize for the passing of laws of inheritance which protect the widow/widower and children after the death of a spouse or parents.

She said her organization would continue to discuss several issues of concern such as Constitutional reforms, implementation of the National Gender Policy, enactment of GBV bill, women’s realistic access to land, 50-50 women in decision making and advocating for national advocating for national budget that was gender sensitive and responsive in relation to the unique needs of women, girls, boys and men.

United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) representative Duah Owusu-Sarfo urged Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to increase transparency and accountability in the utilization of donor funds.

Sarfo said the United Nations was committed to supporting the women’s efforts to fight for their rights.

He said if Rwanda and South Africa had made progress in having more representation of women in decision making positions, Zambia could also do it.

posted by MrK @ 5:37 PM