BRIEFING ON THE SADC PROTOCOL on Gender and Development

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BRIEFING ON THE SADC PROTOCOL on Gender and
Development

• By Emilia Muchawa

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Introduction

• SADC Declaration on Gender and Development 1997
  states committed to placing gender on the agenda
• Equal representation in politics and decision
  making in member states
• Promoting full access to resources
• Repealing all laws, amending constitutions and
  changing social practices
• Gender sensitive laws

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• Access to quality education
• Quality reproductive and health services
• Protecting and promoting human rights
• Deal with increasing levels of violence against
  women
• Mass media role
• Most states signed this

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Why the protocol

• Declaration not legally binding so need for more
  legally binding instrument

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Objectives of Protocol

• Bring all regional instruments into one legally
  binding document
• Enhance commitments where there are gaps
• Address emerging gender issues
• Set realistic, measurable targets, time frames
  and indicators and allocate resources
• Strengthen, monitor and evaluate the progress

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• Create forum for the meaningful engagement of all
  stakeholders
• Deepen regional integration, sustainable
  development and community building

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Contents Constitutional and legal rights

• Constitutional rights- gender equality precedence
  over customary and religious rights
• Affirmative action
• Domestic legislation-access to justice, majority
  status,deal with harmful practices, maternity
  leave, paternity leave(1 month)

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• Equality in accessing justice
• Marriage and family rights
• Nationality and citizenship
• Widows and widowers rights
• Elderly women and men
• The girl child
• Persons with disability
• Socially excluded groups

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Contents Governance

• Representation- 50 in decision making in all
  sectors
• Participation in electoral processes, laws,
  policies and strategies

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Contents Education and training

• Equal access to education
• Challenging gender stereotypes in education
• Gender based violence in educational institutions
• Vocational and technical training
• Distance and open learning

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Productive resources and employment

• Economic policies and decision making-
  participation, gender responsive policies
• Multiple roles of women
• Social safety nets
• Entrepreneurship
• Trade policies
• Access to property and resources
• Equal access to employment

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• Benefits- family friendly facilities, adequate
  sanitation facilities
• Community development policies

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Gender based violence

• Legal- laws prohibiting all forms of gender based
  violence
• Testing care and treatment of all survivors
• Dignity and respect in the legal process
• Rehabilitation of perpetrators
• Human trafficking
• gender responsive police and court handling

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• Eradicate harmful traditional norms that
  exacerbate gbv
• Gender sensitisation programmes
• Sexual harassment
• Socially excluded groups
• Services
• Special units and training of service providers,
  integrated approaches and M and E

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Health

• Quality , appropriate and affordable health care
• Maternal health
• Sexual and reproductive health- information,
  services, mens participation, older men and
  women, contraception, youth friendly services
• Women in prison

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HIV and AIDS

• Prevention
• Treatment
• Care and support

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Peace Building and Conflict Resolution

• Participation in conflict resolution and peace
  building
• Human rights abuses during times of armed and
  other conflict
• Safety, protection and assistance
• Anti personnel landmines
• Education and training

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Media , information and communication

• Gender equality
• Womens voice
• Role of the media in changing attitudes and
  mindsets
• Equal participation
• Ownership and employment
• Gender in media content

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• Encourage ICT use for womens empowerment
• Research, monitoring advocacy and training

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Remedies

• Recourse where rights violated by competent
  authorities
• Implementation at national level- human ,
  technical and financial resources
• Gender responsive budgeting

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Institutional arrangements

• SADC Regional Gender Machinery and National
  gender machineries
• Heads of State or Government
• Committee of Ministers Responsible for
  Gender/Women Affairs
• Committee of Senior Officials Responsible for
  Womens Affairs
• Regional advisory Forum
• SADC secretariat

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M and E

• M and E plans, systems, time frames and
  indicators by 2015
• Annual reports to be submitted on standardised
  reporting template
• Sanctions for non compliance

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Recommendations for Zimbabwe

• Zimbabwe has conducted broad based consultations-
  Govt depts, parliamentary womens caucus and
  civil society and all sectors are in support of
  the protocol
• Protocol is not contradictory to any of the Zim
  laws. In fact we are more advanced than most
  countries in having most provisions as part of
  our laws and policies

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Recommendations for Zimbabwe

• Will deepen regional integration, shared learning
  and maximise resource mobilisation eg Global
  Funds accessing as a region
• Gender equity and equality will lead to MDG goals
  and development for the region

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CONCLUSION

• It is important to support the coming into force
  of the Protocol