STATEMENT BY HON. MARGARET NATALIE MENSAH-WILLIAMS, MP, VICE CHAIRPERSON OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL AND HEAD OF THE NAMIBIAN DELEGATION AT THE 131ST IPU ASSEMBLY GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (12 – 17 OCTOBER 2014) Mr. President, Honourable Members of Parliament, Distinguished delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen, I rise to address this august Assembly on behalf of Honourable Dr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, Speaker of the National Assembly of Namibia and former President of the IPU, who unfortunately cannot be here today due to unforeseen circumstances. He however requested me to extend his heartfelt greetings and wishes all of us fruitful deliberations. We are gathered here once again in Geneva, to deliberate on a host of issues affecting our countries and the world at large. I am pleased to share some thoughts on the theme of this 131st IPU Assembly. Achieving gender equality, ending violence against women, is a topic that is close to our hearts and must be pursued continuously at national and international platforms, as gender based violence is worldwide on the increase. Traditionally, the Namibian culture is very respectful of women. Long before Namibia’s Independence my party recognised that the struggle for liberation was linked to the struggle for women’s emancipation. Accordingly, our Constitution was one of the first most gender-neutral constitutions in the world. In 1998, the Government of Namibia implemented the Affirmative Action Act, which addresses certain groups of persons, like women, that in the past were discriminated against through discriminatory laws and practices that resulted in unequal education, employment, training and other opportunities. Violence against women and children has emerged as one of the greatest challenges to the advancement of women in Namibia, and is perceived to be a widespread and serious problem. Namibia has a robust legal framework for the protection of women and children, but the question about bridging the gap between legal provisions and their full and effective implementation as well as ensuring access to legal services, amidst ongoing gender-based violence, is a prevailing and a pressing one. Namibia has acceded to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Optional protocol. Namibia is also signatory to the Beijing Platform for Action as well as various working documents both at regional and national level such as the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development, National Gender Policy as well as legislation such as the Married Persons Equality Act. All these instruments support our strive to achieve gender equality. Achieving the MDGs depends also on women’s empowerment and their equal access to education, work, health care and decision-making. Gender equality has long been recognized as both a human right and a core development goal. In addition, discrimination against women and girls impairs progress in all areas of development. Children, girls and women are physically and emotionally abused, raped and murdered. The continued perpetration of violence against the most vulnerable of our society cannot be fully measured, as we as a collective, hide this sad fact because it happens behind closed doors and more so when cultural norms do not treat it as a crime, but rather as a “private” family matter. There is no doubt, that violence against women restricts the enjoyment of women’s rights, fundamental freedoms and their full advancement. Amongst others, it puts great limits on their health, on them to be fully balanced, living a fulfilled life and it impedes their productivity in workplaces. Violence remains thus a major concern that requires concerted efforts from all sectors of society. I call thus upon everyone everywhere in the world to first of all create peace at home. Once this is achieved, it paves for ways to make the world a better place. At this juncture I express my hope that the young Malala Yousafzai, who fought for girls’ right to education, serves as an example to all of us. Her bravery made the world a better place. Allow me to take this opportunity to congratulate her for winning the highly acclaimed Nobel Prize. Mr. President, It was said before, that there is a need to change the conservative mind set. But how can we change barriers that are related to traditional, social, and cultural attitudes regarding the role and status of women in society? Many women that are part of the system find it difficult to dislocate from this culture and tradition. The socialisation of the girl child in many societies is also to blame for perceived inabilities on the part of the women. There is a need to change the mind set of women themselves. Women need to develop a sense of self-worth and dignity. We have to teach our children to respect all human beings irrespective of their gender. Our President, His Excellency Hifikepunye Pohamba, declared 6 March 2014 as a national day of prayer against GBV in Namibia. The President said at that auspicious occasion and I quote: “Gender-based violence, in all its manifestations, should not be tolerated in Namibia. Let us join hands, to make our country safer, for all, including our women and girls.” Having recognised the important role women play in the upliftment of the country, the Namibian Parliament started a rural women parliament with men as partners two years ago. This platform provides an opportunity for participants to share experiences and advise each other on gender based violence at community level, build their capacities and to discuss developmental issues. This initiative has yielded positive results in curbing gender based violence and will thus be continued. To bridge the gap between men and women, in 2013, Namibia’s ruling party SWAPO decided to implement a 50/50 gender quota, which will see more females occupying decision-making positions in all structures of the party, in line with Southern African Development Community (SADC) Protocol on Gender and Development that calls for 50/50 representation of both women and men at all decision-making levels in the private and public sectors by 2015. Mr. President, In conclusion, the challenge that all parliaments and all governments face is that we have not done enough, despite the existence of well-documented national and international instruments, to end violence against women. Let us all dance to the beat of our drums by implementing what we shout everyday – Gender Equality. Mr President, On behalf of Namibia, we want to thank you for your term as President of IPU, you have indeed steered this ship effectively and efficiently. I THANK YOU!
Posted on: Wed, 15 Oct 2014 09:58:33 +0000
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