Roadmap to Equality, Issue 19, August 2011

Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda is the Secretary General of the World Young Women's Christian Association (World YWCA), a global network of women and young women leading social and economic change in 125 countries. She is a trained human rights lawyer with extensive experience in conflict resolution and mediation. For some twenty years, she has been working on issues of women and children's human rights, with a special focus on crisis countries.

Active in the women's movement, she has more specifically focused on issues of violence against Women; peace with justice; property rights; sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) and HIV and AIDS... Read more

Alerts

	Angola
	Botswana
	DRC
	Lesotho
	Madagascar
	Malawi
	Mauritius
	Mozambique
	Namibia
	Seychelles
	South Africa
	Swaziland
	Tanzania
	Zambia
	Zimbabwe

	Editor's Note

Editorial note By Loveness Jambaya Nyakujarah Welcome to the 19th edition of Roadmap to Equality! tracking progress towards the implementation and ratification of the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development. August, which coincides with women’s month in South Africa,and the SADC Heads of State Summit for the region, was a busy month for gender activists. The Southern Africa Gender Protocol Alliance launched the SADC Gender Protocol 2011 Barometer, on 11 August 2011 in Johannesburg following the annual meeting of the Alliance that took several resolutions to strengthen the coalition.The Barometer is a cutting edge monitoring and evaluation tool that tracks SADC Member States progress towards implementing the 28 targets of the SADC Gender Protocol to be achieved bt 2015. The third edition of the annual series started in 2009 introduces a Southern Africa Gender Development Index (SGDI) which is a first in the sub-region and is the most comprehensive index on gender in the African region. ... Read more
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	Highlights

Red lights flash in SADC Gender Protocol 2011 Barometer that introduces an index for ranking countries On 11 August the South Africa's Minister of Home Affairs Nkosozana Dlamini- Zuma launched the 2011 Southern Africa Gender Protocol Barometer which introduces an index for measuring progress against the 28 targets of the Protocol to be achieved by 2015. The third Barometer moves into high gear with the introduction of the SADC Gender and Development Index (SGDI) that complements the Citizen Score Card (CSC) that has been running for three years. ... Read more
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	International News

Africa: There is a role for SADC women in South Sudan After decades of marginalisation, South Sudanese women may soon be able to lead a normal life now that their country has gained independence and ended years of conflict with North Sudan.... Read more
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	Alliance News

Regional: Alliance think tank elected The Alliance Steering Committee comprising cluster and country focal network leaders has elected a think tank to provide oversight of the day to day activities of the Southern Africa Gender Protocol Alliance.The committee constituted the four member team at the annual meeting of the Alliance on 10 - 11 August 2011.... Read more Regional: Alliance steering committee represented at the 7th Civil Society Forum The Alliance steering committee attended the 7th Civil Society Forum hosted by the SADC CNGO where they gave an annual report on the Alliance and gender equality in SADC as well as attending the different thematic streams. Loga Virahsawmy gave the annual report where she talked about the Barometer as the Alliance monitoring and evaluation tool and the introduction of the SGDI. ... Read more Zimbabwe: Gender and governance cluster meets, signs MOUs The gender and governance cluster of the Alliance convened its first regional meeting in Harare on the 4th August bringing together focal points from nine SADC countries. Participants came up with a strategic plan that will be shared on the Alliance website and next issue of the e-newsletter.... Read more
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	Constitutional and Legal Rights

Regional: Model constitution with a gender perspective on the cards The Constitution and legal rights cluster of the Southern Africa Gender Protocol Alliance is considering developing a model constitution with a gender perspective for the SADC region. This has been inspired by the specific targets of the 2008 SADC Protocol on Gender and Development, often dubbed the "how to" of the Millennium Development Goal number three on gender equality.... Read more Mauritius: Signs the UN Resolution on Human Rights, Sexual orientation and Gender Equality Mauritius through the Prime Minister, Honourable Navin Ramgoolam signed the United Nations (UN) Resolution on Human Rights, Sexual Orientation and Gender Equality. This has put the issue of homosexuality back in the limelight in the Mauritian society.... Read more Lobola and the misuse of culture Lobola is the Nguni word for dowry. As a gift for a bride, it originally signalled ubuhlobo (friendship) between the families and confirmed to the bride's parents that the groom would be able to take care of his bride and subsequent family. ... Read more
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	Governance

Zimbabwe: 50/50 Yes we must The Zimbabwe Deputy Prime Minister Thokozani Khupe officially re-launched the 5050 campaign at a high profile event attended by over 300 women and men on 4 August 2011 at Crowne Plaza in Harare. Women in Politics Support Unit in its capacity as the Southern Africa Gender Protocol Alliance Gender and Governance cluster lead organisation in collaboration with Gender Links as the Alliance Secretariat hosted the event.... Read more Zambia: Outlook dim for women candidates Although there is a female presidential candidate contesting Zambia's Sept. 20 general elections, her prospects are not strong. And in fact, fewer women overall are likely to be elected into public office this year, analysts say.... Read more
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	Economic Justice, Education and Training

Mauritius: Clairette Ah Hen: first woman to head the Financial Service Commission The 2011 SADC Gender Protocol Barometer shows that the proportion of women in economic decision making has increased by 6% from 18% in 2009 to 24% in 2011. There is only one woman finance minister (in Namibia) in the SADC region but women hold several influential positions. Mauritian Clairette Ah Hen is one of those few SADC women who have made it to the top... Read more
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	Productive Resources and Employment

Mozambique: Climate change threatens smallholder farmers Long after the wintry sun set over her patch of crops outside the Mozambican capital Angelina Jossefa keeps pulling out weeds. Much of her lettuce, carrots and beetroot died during a cruel winter, which means she has to work harder to feed her three children.... Read more
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	Gender-based Violence

South Africa: The War at home: GBV Indicators Project findings launched Stark findings of a research The war at home: Gender Based Violence Project show that half the women of Gauteng (51.3%) have experienced some form of violence (emotional, economic, physical or sexual) in their lifetime and 75.5% of men in the province admit to perpetrating some form of violence against women.... Read more Mauritius: Protection from Domestic Violence (Amendment) Bill. On 19 July 2011, Members of Parliament unanimously voted for the Protection from Domestic Violence (Amendment) Bill presented by the Minister of Gender Equality, Sheila Bappoo. The Protection from Domestic Violence Bill was voted in 1997, amended in 2007 but had never been promulgated since. ... Read more Tanzania: Tanzania study shows one in three girls sexually abused Nearly one third of Tanzanian girls experience sexual violence before they turn 18, a UNICEF survey has found. The figure among boys is 13.4%, says the UN children's agency. The most common form of abuse is sexual touching, followed by attempted intercourse, it says.... Read more
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	Health, HIV and AIDS

Women seeking justice face archaic rules and discrimination The four armed robbers who gang raped her may be serving time for their crimes, but six years later justice has turned out to be a myth for Mildred Mapingure. "No post-exposure prophylaxis for HIV was administered to me and there was no ‘morning-after pill' to prevent pregnancy. I was tossed from office to office, meanwhile I was silently praying I was not pregnant," Mapingure told IPS ... Read more
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	Peace Building

Regional: SADC Organ on politics defence and security cooperation- Expert group meeting A group of experts reviewed and refined draft strategies and frameworks initially drafted in a broader based meeting in March 2011. The group comprised of representatives of SADC member states, senior security sector personnel, national gender machineries, SADC Organ on Politics, Defence and Security executives, and gender specialist from the United Nations Organisation Stabilisation Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO), think tanks and NGOs. ... Read more
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	Media, Information and Communications

South Africa: Sowetan furore casts shadow over women's month I have just come back energised from a meeting of more than 1000 women from all over South Africa convened by the Ministry of Women, Children and People with Disabilities. At this meeting women were acknowledging how far we have come as a nation in making our constitution a lived constitution where human dignity, equality, freedoms and rights are promoted and protected. ... Read more
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	Tracking and Ratification

Tracking the SADC Gender Protocol Countries that have signed Angola, DRC, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe Countries that have not signed: Botswana, Mauritius Countries that have ratified: Angola, DRC, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, Tanzania, Zimbabwe ... Read more
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	SADC Protocol @ Work

Women in the DRC put their best foot forward After several postponements, national elections will be held in November 2011 and local elections will be held in 2012 in DRC. Activists are demanding that attempts to dilute gender requirements in the electoral act be withdrawn and that parties put their best foot forward for the elections. ... Read more
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Explanation of the Barometer

The Roadmap to Equality:
Southern Africa Gender and Development Protocol Barometer is a regional e-news- letter that tracks the ratification and implementation of the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development. It is produced by Gender Links in partnership with the Southern Africa Gender Protocol Alliance and the Gender and Media Southern Africa (GEMSA) Network with support from DFID and UNIFEM.

The Barometer will enable both state and non-state actors to track progress whether governments are on the way to meeting set targets in the Gen- der Protocol which provides a road map for achieving gender equality in the region.

The new and updated Baro- meter will focus on the articles of the Protocol namely Consti- tutional and Legal Rights; Gender and Governance; Edu- cation and Training; Economic Justice; Gender Based Violence; Health; HIV and AIDS; Peace Building and Conflict Reso- lution; and Media, Infor- mation and Communication.

It is essential that gender and women’s rights activists and governments track the impact of their work in order to measure whether or not they are making a difference. The Barometer is a tool that can be used firstly, to track progress in advancing gender equality in the region and also to hold governments in Southern Africa accountable to the commitments they have made to address inequality through their obligations to international and regional in- struments and in particular the SADC Gender Protocol.

Fact Box

Gender and governance in SADC

• Representation of women in parliament has gone from an average of 21% in 2005 to 25% in 2011 in the SADC region compared to 3% to 19% globally. SADC comes second to Nordic countries.
• Quota systems are gaining ground: Mauritius is about to join Lesotho and Tanzania to have legislated quotas.
• For all countries holding elections this year or before 2015 (e.g. Zambia, DRC) this will be the last opportunity to achieve the target. As many countries still do not have legislated or voluntary quotas, this poses major challenges.
• The key to change is political will. The fact that women are still least well represented in cabinet (with some exceptions, like South Africa) throws into question the political commitment of leaders.
• Civil society has re-launched the 5050 campaign to guard the gains made since SADC Heads of State adopted the 5050 target in 2005. These gains need to be urgently pressed home in the coming period.

Source: 2011 SADC Gender Protocol Barometer

Upoming events

• Costing and gender budgeting training workshop: 20 - 23 September 2011, Johannesburg

• Gender Festival (TGNP GRC, Tanzania): 13 - 16 September
Tanzania Gender Networking Programme (TGNP) and Feminist Activist Coalition (FemAct) are pleased to announce the 10th Gender Festival (Tamasha la Jinsia) which will focus on Land, Labour and Livelihoods within the broad theme of Gender, Democracy and Development. The Festival will take place from the 13th - 16th September. The present theme - ‘Land, Labour and Livelihoods' - builds on the themes that have guided earlier Festivals, while retaining the broad emphasis on Economic Justice.

Country News

Angola: Launch of the 2011 SADC Gender Protocol Barometer

A launch of the 2011 Barometer also took place in Luanda on 13 August ahead of the SADC Heads of State Summit. Over 70 women and men attended the event ... Read more

Botswana: President urged to sign the SADC Gender Protocol

The Botswana Council of NGOs gender sector plans to lobby the President of Botswana, Ian Khama to engage on signing of the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development. This is one key outcomes of a meeting held in June 2011 by the sector. ... Read more

DRC: Proposed 30% quota for women for November national election rejected

As the country prepares for national elections slated for November 2011, the Alliance Network Governance cluster focal point shared with the Southern Africa Gender Protocol Alliance Governance cluster that gender activists are exercised about the rejection of the proposed 30% quota by all political parties.... Read more

South Africa: National Women's day - 9 August

Each year on the 9th of August, South Africans of all backgrounds, races and cultural groups join together in celebrating National Women's Day. This annual public holiday commemorates an eventful day in South Africa's history - 9 August 1956.... Read more

Zimbabwe: Centres of excellence for gender mainstreaming in local government paying dividends

The gains made on mainstreaming gender in local government structures through the Centres of Excellence, a project of Gender Links working local associations are a testimony to the fact that change is possible using the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development as a policy framework during interventions.... Read more

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