BRIEF:
Every year, in August, our country marks Women’s Month. We also pay tribute to the more than 20 000 women who marched to the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956 in protest against the extension of Pass Laws to women. A system meant to control women even further and reduce women to passive beings, at the mercy of men.
2019 sees South Africa enter its 25 year of democracy. A milestone which calls on South Africa to reflect on the strides we have made in ensuring a society that free of gender inequalities.
This year’s annual commemoration will be held under the theme: “25 Years of Democracy: Growing South Africa Together for Women’s Emancipation” and coincides with the country’s celebration of 25 Years of Freedom and Democracy.
Furthermore, this Women’s Month takes place alongside the 65th anniversary of the Founding Conference of the Federation of South African Women which adopted the 1954 Women’s Charter.
The Charter called for a society where “women do not form a society separate from the men” and therefore “share in the problems and anxieties of our men, and joins hands with them to remove social evils and obstacles to progress”. The Women’s Charter was adopted a year before the historic Freedom Charter of 1955.
It also gave expression to the common experiences, visions and aspirations of South African women, providing the platform for women to voice their call for respect and recognition of their human dignity, rights and change in their status and material conditions in a future South Africa.
2019 is therefore a pivotal year for the accelerated realisation of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, including those with disabilities.
| KEY MESSAGES | SUPPORTING STATEMENTS |
| Together we pay tribute to the many remarkable women of our nation. | · In Women’s Month, we pay tribute to women in the liberation struggle and the women of today.
· The women of 1956, and countless others set the tone for gender equality and empowerment in a democratic South Africa. · Their brave actions inspired women to take their rightful place in parliament, government and civil society. · Through their sacrifices, we now live in a country which recognises women as equal citizens, with equal rights and responsibilities. · South Africa has advanced from an apartheid system that was deeply sexist. Today women have equal rights as men. |
| Let’s advance women empowerment. | · The promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment is central to our efforts to combat poverty and stimulate sustainable development.
· Empowerment of women is everyone’s business and needs the support of government, business, labour and civil society. · Let’s invest in women entrepreneurship to grow our country’s economy. · Economic empowerment is key to elevating society as a whole and in ensuring a better Africa and a better world. · Since 1994 we have progressively increased access to education, initiated bursaries and training programmes for young women and allocated funds for women entrepreneurs. · More still needs to be done to ensure the full participation of women in the economy and women in leadership positions. · We must work to remove the barriers which prevent women from entering and thriving in the labour market. · Women need equal access to land for economic opportunities. |
| Together we can fight women and child abuse. | · South Africa’s Constitution elevates human rights, equality and freedom for all of its citizens, irrespective of gender.
· South Africa views violence against women as a violation of human rights and perpetuators of these vile acts must face the law. · All South Africans must act to prevent abuse and to ensure a safer society for women and children. · Government alone cannot eradicate this scourge and calls on all sectors to partner with it in creating safer communities. · Gender Based Violence and Femicide remains a scourge on our society and is a societal problem which must be eradicated through the collective efforts of government, business, and citizenry. |
| We have made major advances in changing the lives of women.
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· We must continue working to ensure that women enjoy access to the same economic opportunities as men.
· In the 25 years of our democracy, the country has made enormous political, social and economic strides in empowering women. · We continue to progressively deal with the legacy of apartheid, including skewed power relations between women and men. · The full participation of women in our economy is essential to achieve our shared and inclusive growth. |
| Important advances have been made in empowering women since the dawn of democracy in 1994.
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· Women increasingly occupy positions of authority and leadership in the public and private sector and in careers previously the exclusive preserve of men.
· Significant advances have been made in women’s health, including lower maternal mortality rates and through the implementation of the largest antiretroviral (ARV) programme in the world. · There has been improved access for women and girls’ to basic and higher education, which includes financial support for tertiary education. · The most vulnerable in society have been supported by our social assistance programme through mechanisms such as the child support grant. · Other important anti-poverty measures include free public health services to pregnant women and children under six years of age. · The amendment of the Recognition of Customary Marriages Act ensures equal rights for women in these unions. |
| Government is committed to ending GBV which affects many young women. | · Government has a zero-tolerance approach towards abuse.
· Government condemns all forms of gender-based violence and calls on all men to respect women’s inherent dignity. · Various forms of abuse like economic abuse, blesser syndrome, illegal labour practices, emotional abuse, and physical abuse, continue at alarming levels. · Government has set up Thusong Service Centres to assist women in reporting cases of GBV. · Khuseleka Care Centres support women and children who have survived crimes such as domestic violence, rape, human trafficking and sexual harassment. · Survivors of gender based violence can call a 24 hour toll free number – 0800 428 428. · Make gender based violence a household conversation so that young boys are taught that violence is wrong. · Stop bullying behaviour between boys and girls. We need society as a whole to condemn GBV. |
| Together we can build a better tomorrow. | · Together let us eliminate violence against women and girls.
· We must work to increase access to affordable quality health care, including sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights. · We are committed to ensuring gender-responsive planning, budgeting, monitoring, evaluation and auditing across all departments. · We must work towards greater digital and financial inclusion for women. · We must all strive to change negative social norms and gender stereotypes must be challenged at all times. · We call on everyone in society, especially social influencers who have the ability to bring about behavioural change. |
