HARNESSING INFORMATION TO PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY

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HARNESSING INFORMATION TO PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY

• By
• Katim S. Touray
• Consultant

Presentation at Stakeholders Workshop on Building
an Inclusive Information Society in The
Gambia Paradise Suite Hotel, The Gambia June 6,
2005
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OUTLINE

• Introduction
• Gender Issues in The Gambia
• National Policy on Advancement of Gambian Women
  (NAPGW)
• Harnessing Information to Promote Gender Equality
• Summary and Conclusions

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INTRODUCTION

• The information/knowledge society
• World Summit on Information Society (WSIS)
• Efforts to develop ICT in Africa
• Regional efforts (ECA, UNDP, etc.)
• National Efforts (NICIs, Visions, policies,
  investment promotion)
• Gender dimensions of information

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GENDER ISSUES

• Health
• Women have longer life expectancy, but
• Agriculture
• Rural women account for 50 of agric. labor
  force, produce 99 of the rice, yet most do not
  own land
• Education
• Female enrollment and literacy rates are lower
  than those of males
• Poverty
• Women bear the brunt of poverty they earn less,
  own less, work more, and have least access to
  production resources

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GENDER IN THE GAMBIA

• Evolution of gender policies in The Gambia
• National Womens Council Act (1980)
• Setting up of Womens Bureau
• Participation in international fora

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GENDER POLICY

• National Policy for Advancement of Gambian Women
  1999-2009 (NPAGW)
• Goal
• To improve the quality of life of all Gambian,
  particularly women through the elimination of all
  forms of gender inequality by concrete gender in
  development measures

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NPAGW OBJECTIVES

• Gender mainstreaming
• Increasing access to education, health care,
  production resources, etc.
• Capacity-building
• Eliminate/reduce discrimination/violence against
  women, and female illiteracy
• Increased budgetary allocations, grassroots
  participation, income-earning

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SOME NPAGW STRATEGIES

• Education and training
• Advocacy
• Sensitization/outreach
• Research
• Consultations and dialog
• Market development
• Coordination

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USING ICT TO PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY

• ICT promotes gender equality by
• Providing information to enhance lives (e.g.
  increasing productivity, health, and role in the
  community)
• Helping run businesses
• Creating jobs in the information technology
  industry
• Securing resources for women, their families,
  careers, and communities
• Providing women a voice
• Providing women knowledge economy skills

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HARNESSING ICTs TO ACHIEVE NPAGW OBJECTIVES

• Gender Mainstreaming
• Strategies
• Gender analysis training
• Sensitize policy makers on NWP objectives
• Coordination of sectoral policies
• ICTs Role
• Distance learning (e.g. AVU)
• Web-based information dissemination, online
  communities

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HARNESSING ICTs TO ACHIEVE NPAGW OBJECTIVES

• Increasing Access to Education
• Strategies
• Sensitization communities about girls education
• Advocacy for school curriculum without
  gender-bias
• ICTs Role
• Radio and TV programs

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HARNESSING ICTs TO ACHIEVE NPAGW OBJECTIVES

• Increasing Access to Decision-making Positions
• Strategies
• Database for women in top-level positions
• Advocacy for quota system in job allocation
• Sensitize the public on benefits of having women
  in power and making decisions
• ICTs Role
• Facilitate development of/access to database
• Online research for advocacy/sensitization
  materials
• Mass media

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HARNESSING ICTs TO ACHIEVE NPAGW OBJECTIVES

• Increasing Access to Health Care
• Strategies
• Expand healthcare programs
• Sensitization about community participation in
  developing gender sensitive health education
  materials
• Promote nutrition education
• ICTs Role
• Telemedicine (e.g. Teledoc project in India)
• Health data management (e.g. immunization
  registry/tracking in Bangladesh)
• Mass media (e.g. radio and TV)

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HARNESSING ICTs TO ACHIEVE NPAGW OBJECTIVES

• Increasing Access to Production Resources
• Strategies
• Advocacy for more public expenditure to increase
  economic opportunities for women
• Advocacy for National Assembly to review Bills
  that discriminate against women
• ICTs Role
• Web-based information dissemination
• Online research for advocacy
• Online communities/networks

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HARNESSING ICTs TO ACHIEVE NPAGW OBJECTIVES

• Capacity-building for Communicators, Women, and
  National Womens Council (NWC)
• Strategies
• Train women in media, and Womens Bureau staff
• Strengthen research/documentation units of
  Bureau
• Increase reach of the NWC
• Strengthen the advocacy capacity of the NWC
• ICTs Role
• Online/distance training
• Training in online research
• Mass media

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HARNESSING ICTs TO ACHIEVE NPAGW OBJECTIVES

• Eliminate/reduce discrimination violence
  against women, and female illiteracy
• Strategies
• Educate girls and women about laws that protect
  their rights
• Sensitization/outreach about domestic violence
• Training of security personnel
• Increase literacy programs for women
• ICTs Role
• Mass media
• Computer-based training

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HARNESSING ICTs TO ACHIEVE NPAGW OBJECTIVES

• Increasing grassroots participation womens
  income
• Strategies
• Promote consultation (workshop/seminars)
• Strengthen Divisional planning units
• Support market development
• Sensitization of women on enterprise development
• ICTs Role
• Online consultations and networking mass media
• Computer/Internet aided research
• Internet marketing and market development (e.g.
  SEWA India)

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HARNESSING ICTs TO ACHIEVE NPAGW OBJECTIVES

• Challenges
• Poverty
• Low literacy
• Lack of infrastructure
• Lack of trained personnel

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SUMMARY CONCLUSIONS

• NAPGW Objectives
• Gender mainstreaming
• Increasing access, budgetary allocations,
  grassroots participation, income-earning
• Capacity-building
• Eliminate/reduce discrimination/violence against
  women, and female illiteracy
• NAPGW Strategies
• Education and training
• Advocacy, and sensitization/outreach
• Research, consultations and dialog
• Market development

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SUMMARY CONCLUSIONS (contd)

• Role of ICT
• Facilitating training and healthcare delivery
• Enhancing research and advocacy
• Facilitating sensitization
• Increasing income opportunities for women
• Facilitating networking and collaboration
• Conclusions
• There are challenges, but the opportunities
  should outweigh them

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THE END

• Thank you!!