Nasha attacks govt over gender protocol
Gothataone Moeng | Wednesday April 16, 2014 12:02
Speaking yesterday at the Eminent Women’s Dialogue in Gaborone, Nasha described government’s failure to sign the Protocol in the years since its inception in 2008, as one of the persistent challenges to gender equality.
“Government’s refusal to sign the Protocol is one of the persistent challenges that have been preventing the full promotion of gender equality and promotion of women,” she said.
“The reasons extended by government for not signing are flimsy.” Nasha said the empowerment of women to promote higher participation in politics was “still a mirage” due to a lack of political will. Government has previously said there are steep financial implications to the implementation of the Protocol and that the language set out in the Protocol is too instructive.
Delegates at the Eminent Women’s Dialogue heard that seven years after its adoption by the majority of countries in the region, Botswana is still one of only two countries that have not signed the Protocol. Gender activist, Ntombi Setshwaelo, who was one of the delegates, concurred with Nasha that the reasons government has given do not hold water. She said two years ago when gender activists lobbied Members of Parliament for support towards the signing of the Protocol, it became clear that some MPs were worried about the issue of marital rape.
“It seems that people are reluctant to have the only provision in which they can rape legally taken away,” Setshwaelo said.
Meanwhile, Magdeline Mathiba-Madibela, head of the SADC Gender Unit urged women to take advantage of the election year to demand their rights and to ensure that those in leadership are accountable to women, who make up the majority of the population.
She said gender activists should demand the signing of the Protocol and said they need to be vigilant in ensuring that other policies and international instruments that the country is party to are upheld. “Is the environment enabling us to fight for gender equality? Why can’t we demand our rights?” she said.